Travel insurance for medical

[Peachy22]

Any recommendations for additional travel medical insurance in the event of an unexpected illness or accident? Do we need this? We're going on the Disney Wish 4 night cruise. Thank you.

 

[Hegemon]

If you pay with a Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa card then you get the full trip protection from the card. Worth looking into your card and seeing what benefits it offers.

 

[Frwinkley]

Curious as well. Does the CSR card cover medical expenses while vacationing or does it just cover trip cancellation due to an illness or accident prior to departure?

 

[princesscinderella]

If you pay with a Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa card then you get the full trip protection from the card. Worth looking into your card and seeing what benefits it offers.

Does it cover medical evacuation too? That’s the most expensive what if when cruising.

 

[Hegemon]

Yep! Here are some excerpts from the "Guide to Benefits":
-The Emergency Evacuation and Transportation benefit will cover necessary emergency evacuation and transportation expenses up to one hundred thousand ($100,000.00) dollars when You, Your Spouse, and/or eligible children under age nineteen (19) [under the age of twenty–six (26) if enrolled as a full–time student at an accredited university] are injured or become ill while traveling, resulting in emergency evacuation.

- The Emergency Medical/Dental Coverage provides reimbursement for Emergency Treatment if You become sick
or accidentally injured while traveling on a Covered Trip up to two thousand five hundred ($2,500.00) dollars and is subject to a fifty ($50.00) dollar Deductible. If You are hospitalized as a result of a covered accident or sickness during Your Covered Trip, and Your attending Physician determines that You should recover in a hotel immediately after Your release from the Hospital before returning home, You may be eligible for an additional benefit of seventy–five ($75.00) dollars per day for up to a maximum of five (5) days towards the cost of a hotel room.

It also provides Travel Accident Insurance, Trip Cancellation/Interruption, Delay Reimbursement, and Lost Luggage (among others).

 

[Peachy22]

What about travel insurance options that include medical evacuation for those of us who have already purchased our cruise? Any thoughts or recommendations? Thank you.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

What about travel insurance options that include medical evacuation for those of us who have already purchased our cruise? Any thoughts or recommendations? Thank you.

There are trip insurance comparison sites you can use. Google "trip insurance comparison" and it'll give you several good hits.

There you can put in the parameters of what you want covered, and it will show you several different company's policies for you to compare.

That's what we did for the first few years we cruised. Since then we've bought an annual policy that covers all our trips (medical, evacuation).

 

[tvguy]

The first step is going to be a review of what insurance you already have.

>If you paid via a credit card, check for insurance benefits there.

>If you are covered by a group health insurance plan, check to see what if any benefits it offers. And ask about medical evacuation if that is a concern of yours. Every group policy I was a member of since 2005 includes medical evacuation and overseas coverage, primarily because employees did travel outside the U.S. on business.

> If you have Medicare, realize you have NO coverage outside the U.S.

> If you have a Medicare supplement, check what if any overseas coverage they offer. My supplement covers 80% of all overseas costs including medical evacuation. So I would only need a travel policy that would cover that remaining 20%.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

For our Mexico trip last month we did a GeoBlue $45 for 8 days for up to $1million.

We also have Chase Sapphire Reserve card and had that for protection of other stuff but for medical expenses it is not adequate coverage like if you need to be in the hospital for care.

We'll be getting GeoBlue again for our Europe trip in a few months same policy and will be a bit more in cost because of the amount of days.

Just understand while the Chase Sapphire Reserve is considered one of the best in terms of coverage it would not be good for a health insurance type plan.

 

[lscrivan18]

For our Mexico trip last month we did a GeoBlue $45 for 8 days for up to $1million.

We also have Chase Sapphire Reserve card and had that for protection of other stuff but for medical expenses it is not adequate coverage like if you need to be in the hospital for care.

We'll be getting GeoBlue again for our Europe trip in a few months same policy and will be a bit more in cost because of the amount of days.

Just understand while the Chase Sapphire Reserve is considered one of the best in terms of coverage it would not be good for a health insurance type plan.

This is exactly what we do too. We have the Reserve and use it for the travel protection, but I purchase medical only with GeoBlue.

 

[Seamama]

We use a website called Insure My Trip to compare plans that allow "cancel for any reason" and "pre-existing medical conditions" and choose one from that list. Not everyone wants/needs that level of coverage but it's what we're most comfortable with and we're willing to pay extra for it. If you want that type of coverage you need to purchase it for the full trip amount (not just the non-refundable parts) and you need to get the coverage within something like 20 days of having made any kind of payment (even if refundable) towards the trip (yes, that means going all the way back to a onboard placeholder reservation, if applicable).

 

[Hegemon]

GeoBlue is a great tip, thanks!

 

[MillauFr]

The first step is going to be a review of what insurance you already have.

Agreed but I attempted to try to figure that out and failed miserably. I just book the trip using my Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit card which has extensive coverage for no extra cost. If you are a lawyer and can understand the policies you have to buy more power to you.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Agreed but I attempted to try to figure that out and failed miserably. I just book the trip using my Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit card which has extensive coverage for no extra cost. If you are a lawyer and can understand the policies you have to buy more power to you.

As we've been discussing though it doesn't actually provide much at all for medical expenses. A measly $2,500 ain't going to get you anything in terms of a hospital stay. The helicopter to get you there probably will be covered by the evac expenses but not the actual medical stuff. The Chase card is not medical health insurance so in general most are still going to need something that bridges the gap.

 

[MillauFr]

As we've been discussing though it doesn't actually provide much at all for medical expenses. A measly $2,500 ain't going to get you anything in terms of a hospital stay. The helicopter to get you there probably will be covered by the evac expenses but not the actual medical stuff. The Chase card is not medical health insurance so in general most are still going to need something that bridges the gap.

Don't they cover medical evacuations upto $100k?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Don't they cover medical evacuations upto $100k?

Yes that's why I put the helicopter part in there but that is not towards your medical expenses while receiving medical care. With the Chase care you'll only receive up to $2,500 with a $50 deductible of medical expenses which for most people is far too little. That might be okay for medication that is cheap for example.

The $2,500 is for "Necessary medical or dental services, hospital charges, ambulance services, medication and therapeutic services" but does not include "Non-emergencies and care that's not medically necessary, care not administered by a qualified medical professional, experimental care and countries that are deemed unsafe for travel by the U.S. government"

 

[tvguy]

Agreed but I attempted to try to figure that out and failed miserably. I just book the trip using my Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit card which has extensive coverage for no extra cost. If you are a lawyer and can understand the policies you have to buy more power to you.

I have only purchased travel insurance twice in my life.
First time was on Disney Cruise because it was a New Years Eve cruise so involved bad weather and heavy holiday travel, and it was by far the most expensive trip I have ever takne.
Second time was my last cruise, on Celebrity in October 2019 and they were offering $1 million complete coverage for $25 a person as a perk.
But every cruise I have been on was within reach of the U.S., so any medical evacuation would be handled by the U.S. Coast Guard at no charge.

 

[randumb0]

I have only purchased travel insurance twice in my life.
First time was on Disney Cruise because it was a New Years Eve cruise so involved bad weather and heavy holiday travel, and it was by far the most expensive trip I have ever takne.
Second time was my last cruise, on Celebrity in October 2019 and they were offering $1 million complete coverage for $25 a person as a perk.
But every cruise I have been on was within reach of the U.S., so any medical evacuation would be handled by the U.S. Coast Guard at no charge.

The Coast Guard isn't coming to get you outside of US waters. If you need a flight from the Bahamas to Ft Lauderdale or Miami that is going to be 10k minimum. There are plenty of horror stories on Cruise Critic

 

[lanejudy]

Don't they cover medical evacuations upto $100k?

"Medical evacuation" is different than straight "medical" coverage. It's sort of like having coverage for the ambulance but not the hospital charges.

 

[tvguy]

The Coast Guard isn't coming to get you outside of US waters. If you need a flight from the Bahamas to Ft Lauderdale or Miami that is going to be 10k minimum. There are plenty of horror stories on Cruise Critic

A former co-worker had his appendix burst on a HAL cruise half way between San Diego and Honolulu. Coast Guard sent TWO helicopters and a refueling plane to airlift him to San Francisco. ABC World News even featured him and his rescue . Absolutely free.