chrisn
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 30, 2000
- Messages
- 1,273
Yes, some insurance policies cover you out of the country. Mine does but one thing you have to remember is that most coverages are like 80/20 or if your lucky 90/10. You also have to consider "Out of Network" costs. Sometimes you are paying higher percentages if you are out of network (out of the country). Lets take my scenario with a 50,000 medvac (yes some really do cost that much). Well, 20% of 50,000 is 10,000 out of my pocket and that's with health coverage assuming out of network is the same and I know that mine is not. That's catasrophic and that's only the ride to the hospital assuming you aren't transferred again.
Here's a true story.....
My husband is a contractor and has worked in the Middle East for the past year. My 2 children and I met him in Maui last month for a week on the beach. My 27 year old adult brother who is employed, unmarried and still lives at home with my parents came too. 24 hours before we were scheduled to fly back home to SLC, my brother was cliff jumping with 20 other stupid people at the seven sacred pools from a 30 foot outcrop. His footing slipped and caused him to travel too close to the cliff into the pool. I had no idea of what was going on because my DH, DS and I were at another pool. DD watched him jump. When he landed, his left foot hit the rocks under the surface with such a forceful impact that it blew his ankle out of his foot through two three inch gashes. Two guys pulled him from the water and onto the shore and a fireman and nurse set and wrapped his ankle while the ranger traveled down with the backboard. It was raining with a flash flood warning and it took them 45 minutes to get there. We were about as far away from civilization on the island as you can get. It took about an hour to get to the closest ma and pa clinic in the town of Hana. From there it was determined that he should be airlifted to Maui while we drove the 3 1/2 hours back down to meet him at the hospital. He was diagnosed with a Pylon Fracture and had emergency surgery as soon as we got there. He has no ankle left. It shattered into hundreds of little pieces. After the surgery it was determined that he be airlifted to Oahu because of the severity of the injury and they have a trauma team over there so that happened the next day as we were flying home and my mom was flying in. He spent 4 weeks and had 5 surgeries in the hospital on Oahu. He has many more surgeries including bone fusion and bone stretching as he lost 3 inches of leg bone due to bacterial growth. If he's lucky he will keep his foot and someday walk again. His bill just from Oahu is at 109,000. That does not include the two medvac's or the surgery and hospital bill on Maui. He had no medical insurance. I did not know this. I usually do buy the travel insurance but I did not do it this time. I can tell you that I have learned a very valuable lesson and I guess the moral of the story is that even "with" insurance the costs of something like this happening could put you in catasrophic and financial ruin. I will never again travel without that little piece of peace of mind.
Here's a true story.....
My husband is a contractor and has worked in the Middle East for the past year. My 2 children and I met him in Maui last month for a week on the beach. My 27 year old adult brother who is employed, unmarried and still lives at home with my parents came too. 24 hours before we were scheduled to fly back home to SLC, my brother was cliff jumping with 20 other stupid people at the seven sacred pools from a 30 foot outcrop. His footing slipped and caused him to travel too close to the cliff into the pool. I had no idea of what was going on because my DH, DS and I were at another pool. DD watched him jump. When he landed, his left foot hit the rocks under the surface with such a forceful impact that it blew his ankle out of his foot through two three inch gashes. Two guys pulled him from the water and onto the shore and a fireman and nurse set and wrapped his ankle while the ranger traveled down with the backboard. It was raining with a flash flood warning and it took them 45 minutes to get there. We were about as far away from civilization on the island as you can get. It took about an hour to get to the closest ma and pa clinic in the town of Hana. From there it was determined that he should be airlifted to Maui while we drove the 3 1/2 hours back down to meet him at the hospital. He was diagnosed with a Pylon Fracture and had emergency surgery as soon as we got there. He has no ankle left. It shattered into hundreds of little pieces. After the surgery it was determined that he be airlifted to Oahu because of the severity of the injury and they have a trauma team over there so that happened the next day as we were flying home and my mom was flying in. He spent 4 weeks and had 5 surgeries in the hospital on Oahu. He has many more surgeries including bone fusion and bone stretching as he lost 3 inches of leg bone due to bacterial growth. If he's lucky he will keep his foot and someday walk again. His bill just from Oahu is at 109,000. That does not include the two medvac's or the surgery and hospital bill on Maui. He had no medical insurance. I did not know this. I usually do buy the travel insurance but I did not do it this time. I can tell you that I have learned a very valuable lesson and I guess the moral of the story is that even "with" insurance the costs of something like this happening could put you in catasrophic and financial ruin. I will never again travel without that little piece of peace of mind.
