The importance of Travel Insurance, Passenger stuck in Aruba

[jimmymc]

I'd bet that most US health insurance plans don't cover anything at all overseas. Mine certainly doesn't and I have very good health insurance otherwise.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield covers emergencies abroad, subject to your normal deductible and OOP max. It won't cover anything else, like a regular doctor visit.

 

[meliscan]

I'd bet that most US health insurance plans don't cover anything at all overseas. Mine certainly doesn't and I have very good health insurance otherwise.

Many years ago before a trip to Aruba I called my health care provider (United as it turns out). Their response was they might pay if they deemed it medically necessary. I decided not to take a chance and get insurance so I can could get out of the country and get travel insurance. We used Disney for two cruises and as others have said their coverage is lacking and expensive. We have used Allianz many times and had to make a claim for a hurricane and they were incredibly easy to work with on the claim.

 

[VFL]

Don't buy Disney's. It is way overpriced and does not have sufficient medical or evac coverage. I recommend Allianz.

Same. We always buy Allianz. Fortunately we have never had to use it.

 

[Lilsia]

Wait, did they just leave him there in Aruba?

Who, the cruise line? Heck yeah they left him in Aruba. A cruise ship in the middle of the ocean is no place for someone having a medical emergency. They have a clinic, not a hospital on board. Plus you don't want someone that is sick enough to have to go to the hospital on board a ship with thousand of other people that they could possibly infect.

 

[pirate33]

These nightmare stories motivate me always to purchase travel insurance for a foreign trip and ALWAYS for a cruise. As someone said above, the evac expenses can be catastrophically expensive. For quite some time, I’ve used C&F based on reviews and availability of cancel for any reason coverage. I only made a claim once (about $7K) for a domestic ski trip a few years ago. While the paperwork was a little onerous (but understandable) and the claim processing took a long time, I got no argument from the carrier about coverage and received full reimbursement. And that was with one family member who had a pre-existing medical condition that worsened substantially, resulting in the cancellation. While I had purchased in the time frame when pre-existing conditions were covered, I somewhat expected a battle and was very pleased that did not occur. I’ve heard horror stories about travel insurance companies resisting claims and was pleased that this carrier acted honestly, if very slowly.

 

[starry_solo]

Who, the cruise line? Heck yeah they left him in Aruba. A cruise ship in the middle of the ocean is no place for someone having a medical emergency. They have a clinic, not a hospital on board. Plus you don't want someone that is sick enough to have to go to the hospital on board a ship with thousand of other people that they could possibly infect.

No, the relatives.

 

[Sykes]

I’ve heard horror stories about travel insurance companies resisting claims and was pleased that this carrier acted honestly, if very slowly.

I've had probably a dozen travel insurance or credit card travel insurance claims over the last few years (baggage delay in Japan, car rental collision in New Hampshire, trip interruption when we got COVID on our Europe cruise, a number of hotel overnights due to airline delays/cancellations, and others) and I've always been pleasantly surprised at how painless the process has been. The documentation requirements can be kind of extensive (getting an official delay/cancellation acknowledgement from an airline can be a pain, especially if it's a non-US airline), and it can take a while, but I've never gotten any real pushback.

(As an aside, travel insurance coverage (including that provided by many credit cards) can be really nice if you have an unexpected overnight due to an airline delay or cancellation--no need to wait in line for the airline to give you a random hotel that's probably a 30 minute shuttle from the airport when you can just check in to the hotel of your choice and be reimbursed by insurance later.)

 

[ironz]

We're in travel insurance claim limbo right now-- for a missed trip due to an injury that required surgery right before we were to leave town. The claims process is slow, between volume (Covid and hurricanes make up a lot of it, I imagine), and staffing issues (everywhere). So still waiting from September.
That said, this injury happened before we even left town, and close to the cruise (and I wasn't willing to lie that we had Covid), so it's going to be a matter of time and patience to get our money back. But it is an example about why having insurance beyond just emergent care while away helps.

(DCL would have changed our cruise date for a fee, but it was more than the insurance cost, and we didn't know when we'd be able to travel, so I figured I'd rather get my whole cruise fare back, assuming my claim ever gets approved.)

 

[Sykes]

The claims process is slow, between volume (Covid and hurricanes make up a lot of it, I imagine), and staffing issues (everywhere). So still waiting from September.

That matches my experience. We filed a claim in late July and they (AIG in my case) didn't even assign a claims analyst to the case until early November. Fortunately, once they did they were quick to review any follow-up items and I had a check in hand by the end of November.

 

[n2mm]

I bought an annual plan last year. Mostly for evacuation. My Heath insurance does cover me outside the US, but I pay first And get reimbursed. blue cross/shield federal gov. The thing you have to watch with credit card insurance, it usually requires that the trip is paid with that card. I have Jetblue MC elite, which has insurance, but I use my chase visa for the double points.

 

[randumb0]

If you're looking for an annual plan, the Chase Sapphire Reserve card includes most benefits you would need when combined with US medical insurance. As always, check to see exactly what is covered and what's not.

Most US healthcare plans don't cover healthcare needs overseas.

 

[jimmymc]

Most US healthcare plans don't cover healthcare needs overseas.

Most of them won't cover regular doctor visits, but many will cover emergencies. It's worth at least looking at.

 

[freshmanjs]

I don't understand how people can leave the Country without travel insurance. Nobody is immune to accidents and illness. Do people not realize that your health insurance does not work in other Countries?

I'm not sure what you think you know about my health insurance, but you're wrong.

 

[MsSimone]

I don't understand how people can leave the Country without travel insurance. Nobody is immune to accidents and illness. Do people not realize that your health insurance does not work in other Countries?

Cruises/international vacations are expensive so people are reluctant to add yet more expense. People don't realize what will/won't be covered overseas. *Most* travelers won't experience a major illness or injury on a vacation so they don't think about insuring against the low likelihood of getting laid up in the hospital for weeks overseas.

I don't typically worry about health coverage for anything but a cruise, because there's a chance I could get stranded in the Bahamas. If I'm just flying to Paris or something I'm not going to worry much about health insurance; my high deductible plan doesn't kick in until I've laid out $$$$$ anyway no matter where I get care.

 

[Lilsia]

Cruises/international vacations are expensive so people are reluctant to add yet more expense. People don't realize what will/won't be covered overseas. *Most* travelers won't experience a major illness or injury on a vacation so they don't think about insuring against the low likelihood of getting laid up in the hospital for weeks overseas.

I don't typically worry about health coverage for anything but a cruise, because there's a chance I could get stranded in the Bahamas. If I'm just flying to Paris or something I'm not going to worry much about health insurance; my high deductible plan doesn't kick in until I've laid out $$$$$ anyway no matter where I get care.

But do you consider emergency medical evacuation? Health insurances don't typically cover that. There is a reason why we are seeing people set up go fund me accounts just to get medically evacuated back to the US. Travel insurance is just part of the cost of a vacation. Most are reasonably priced. You can skip a few alcoholic drinks and pay for insurance.

 

[MsSimone]

But do you consider emergency medical evacuation? Health insurances don't typically cover that. There is a reason why we are seeing people set up go fund me accounts just to get medically evacuated back to the US. Travel insurance is just part of the cost of a vacation. Most are reasonably priced. You can skip a few alcoholic drinks and pay for insurance.

That's why I do it for cruises but wouldn't for much other travel.

I wouldn't need to be medically evacuated from most places I travel. I could get the medical care *there*. The chances that I would ever need a medical evacuation from most travel destinations are almost zero. But on a ship at sea, it would be worthwhile since high quality medical care might not be available in easy proximity.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

That's why I do it for cruises but wouldn't for much other travel.

I wouldn't need to be medically evacuated from most places I travel. I could get the medical care *there*. The chances that I would ever need a medical evacuation from most travel destinations are almost zero. But on a ship at sea, it would be worthwhile since high quality medical care might not be available in easy proximity.

My comfort zone wants me to be able to be transferred back to a medical facility that I'm comfortable with, with my doctor, who knows my medical history. Yes, there are hospitals in most locations that I travel, but possible language barriers, having to pay up front for procedures, and unknown doctors are out of my comfort zone.

 

[MsSimone]

My comfort zone wants me to be able to be transferred back to a medical facility that I'm comfortable with, with my doctor, who knows my medical history. Yes, there are hospitals in most locations that I travel, but possible language barriers, having to pay up front for procedures, and unknown doctors are out of my comfort zone.

Sure. To be clear, I am not telling people not to buy it. Everyone just has to decide what their risk and comfort level is. I don't have any preexisting conditions or particular health issues; I don't have a doctor. It doesn't really matter to me whether I get treated for a GSW in Amsterdam or home. It's going to cost me a fortune either way and is a very low-likelihood event.

If I'm doing something like climbing mountains in Peru? I'm probably going to run very different numbers on the risks. Which is why I do get it for cruises.

 

[ironz]

We've always gotten travel insurance for our cruises. Something doesn't have to happen ON the cruise to use it. We lost a cruise (and hopefully will eventually be reimbursed) due to a significant accidental injury PRIOR to the cruise that caused us to cancel with less than a week to go.

 

[MsSimone]

We've always gotten travel insurance for our cruises. Something doesn't have to happen ON the cruise to use it. We lost a cruise (and hopefully will eventually be reimbursed) due to a significant accidental injury PRIOR to the cruise that caused us to cancel with less than a week to go.

For sure. And unlike a lot of other vacations where you might be able to rebook your flights, hotels, etc at little/no cost you wake up the day before your cruise with a fever and no insurance and you're screwed.