Travel insurance for medical

[lanejudy]

A former co-worker had his appendix burst on a HAL cruise half way between San Diego and Honolulu.

Considering the location, it's highly possible the USCG could get there first for your co-worker. However, USCG is under zero obligation to provide transport if another helo can get there quicker.

 

[pjacobi]

Absolutely free.

Wrong! Every taxpayer is the US paid for it!


-Paul

 

[tvguy]

Considering the location, it's highly possible the USCG could get there first for your co-worker. However, USCG is under zero obligation to provide transport if another helo can get there quicker.

FYI
The Coast Guard is expressly prohibited by statute (Title 46 US Code, sec. 2110) from charging a fee for any search and rescue service, so this is not something that is subject to a discretionary waiver.

EDIT:
Deadliest Catch has also addressed this many times when fisherman are airlifted off fishing boats hundred of miles off the coast of Alaska by the USCG. There is no charge.

 

[tvguy]

Wrong! Every taxpayer is the US paid for it!


-Paul

Of course, but no charge to the person airlifted because the Coast Guard is prohibited by law from charging.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

FYI
The Coast Guard is expressly prohibited by statute (Title 46 US Code, sec. 2110) from charging a fee for any search and rescue service, so this is not something that is subject to a discretionary waiver.

EDIT:
Deadliest Catch has also addressed this many times when fisherman are airlifted off fishing boats hundred of miles off the coast of Alaska by the USCG. There is no charge.

I took the PP's comment to mean they are under no obligation to aid if another ship/method is closer. That's usually the case in other situations like cruise ships the one closest is supposed to respond to an sos situation.

Pretty much I believe the conversation was don't rely on the U.S. Coast Guard because you're unwilling to pay or use another method to provide coverage. I sure wouldn't want to rely on that type of situation.

 

[Mango7100]

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.

One caveat but an important one—they will only take you to the nearest hospital. You don’t get to pick and chose. So if that’s rural Mexico then you are stuck in a Mexican hospital that may or may not be equipped to treat you. If you need higher care and need to be transported elsewhere, that’s on you.

I don’t think having people just say “well the coast guard will come get me for free if I need help so insurance isn’t necessary” is not exactly the best idea.

 

[tvguy]

I took the PP's comment to mean they are under no obligation to aid if another ship/method is closer. That's usually the case in other situations like cruise ships the one closest is supposed to respond to an sos situation.

Pretty much I believe the conversation was don't rely on the U.S. Coast Guard because you're unwilling to pay or use another method to provide coverage. I sure wouldn't want to rely on that type of situation.

True. But just something to be aware of.

 

[tvguy]

One caveat but an important one—they will only take you to the nearest hospital. You don’t get to pick and chose. So if that’s rural Mexico then you are stuck in a Mexican hospital that may or may not be equipped to treat you. If you need higher care and need to be transported elsewhere, that’s on you.

I don’t think having people just say “well the coast guard will come get me for free if I need help so insurance isn’t necessary” is not exactly the best idea.

Nearest facility is what most Medical Evacuation insurance covers as well. You don't get to pick there either if you read the fine print.
I was on a Jury that had to decide a wrongful death case involving insurance, and the law says something to the effect of "nearest medical facility that you would reasonably expect to be able to handle your medical needs" not "the medical facility you want to go to"

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

True. But just something to be aware of.

Not trying to knock your comment but on a thread about travel insurance options discussing U.S. coast guard is a bit out there especially as a resource where it's probably iffy at best that they would be the exact entity to get you.

Your friend was in an area where there was unlikely to be many ships around on that exact area. For advice to someone looking for options I just wouldn't use it personally speaking.

 

[tvguy]

Not trying to knock your comment but on a thread about travel insurance options discussing U.S. coast guard is a bit out there especially as a resource where it's probably iffy at best that they would be the exact entity to get you.

Your friend was in an area where there was unlikely to be many ships around on that exact area. For advice to someone looking for options I just wouldn't use it personally speaking.

Not a bit out there at all. If you are within reach of a U.S. Coast Guard station on a cruise I am not aware of any private service that is capable of evacuation from a moving ship. And all the rescues on this board seem to mention that the helicopter was U.S Coast Guard. Even ones from Castaway Cay.

 

[insureman]

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.

I have said this before that you can't depend on the Coast Guard for every Medivac. It depends on what assets they have within flight range and how busy they are at the time.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Not a bit out there at all. If you are within reach of a U.S. Coast Guard station on a cruise I am not aware of any private service that is capable of evacuation from a moving ship. And all the rescues on this board seem to mention that the helicopter was U.S Coast Guard. Even ones from Castaway Cay.

With respect let's drop this and continue to give advice on what a person can purchase or use cc's with. We're not the government and as such cannot realistically give the reliability and feasible information regarding a passenger's medical situation on a cruise ship by means of what they would do.

 

[Mango7100]

Not a bit out there at all. If you are within reach of a U.S. Coast Guard station on a cruise I am not aware of any private service that is capable of evacuation from a moving ship. And all the rescues on this board seem to mention that the helicopter was U.S Coast Guard. Even ones from Castaway Cay.

Not every evacuation is from a moving ship though. If you become ill while at a port and are at a clinic in Jamaica, are you saying the Coast Guard will fly to Jamaica and pick you up there to take you to the US?

It seems you are encouraging people to rely on the Coast Guard instead of getting insurance which I have never seen encouraged on any travel board.

 

[tvguy]

Not every evacuation is from a moving ship though. If you become ill while at a port and are at a clinic in Jamaica, are you saying the Coast Guard will fly to Jamaica and pick you up there to take you to the US?

It seems you are encouraging people to rely on the Coast Guard instead of getting insurance which I have never seen encouraged on any travel board.

I think my point is, understand what the realities are. And the important thing to understand is you have ZERO say in where you are taken for medical care. But few people realize here in the U.S. that in an emergency, if transported by emergency crews, you have no say in where you go. They will take you to the closest facility that they reasonably believe can provide the care you need. So you may end up at a hospital that is not in your network, even if one that is in your network is only a few miles away.

 

[tvguy]

With respect let's drop this and continue to give advice on what a person can purchase or use cc's with. We're not the government and as such cannot realistically give the reliability and feasible information regarding a passenger's medical situation on a cruise ship by means of what they would do.

Wow, you lost me here.

 

[MillauFr]

With respect let's drop this and continue to give advice on what a person can purchase or use cc's with. We're not the government and as such cannot realistically give the reliability and feasible information regarding a passenger's medical situation on a cruise ship by means of what they would do.

But to accurately quantify your risks don't you need full knowledge of all scenarios at play here? Insurance companies count on their customers having no clue about their actual risk so they can fleece them.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

But to accurately quantify your risks don't you need full knowledge of all scenarios at play here? Insurance companies count on their customers having no clue about their actual risk so they can fleece them.

We, here as posters, are not the U.S. Government. We are not the U.S. Coast Guard. We do not have the authority nor should we really in good faith suggest relying on the U.S. Coast Guard to come evac us off a cruise ship and no reputable travel site should do that either.

To push this idea multiple times that the Coast Guard will come pick you up, no charge, as advice to others is in a nutshell dangerous. Not to mention it is a risky job for the individuals to do. And in the context of in lieu of travel insurance is

I won't go into your last comment as that is merely conjecture on your part rather than discussions over what policies/companies might be best and what they do and do not cover.

In my comments I was suggesting getting back to the discussion about travel insurance either via CC or separate policies or combo of them.

 

[tvguy]

I have said this before that you can't depend on the Coast Guard for every Medivac. It depends on what assets they have within flight range and how busy they are at the time.

I would argue that in most cases the Coast Guard is the ONLY option. Not many private companies are equipped and trained to do what the Coast Guard does in a Medical Evacaution. So if the Coast Guard isn't available, you're stuck.

 

[Mango7100]

I think my point is, understand what the realities are. And the important thing to understand is you have ZERO say in where you are taken for medical care. But few people realize here in the U.S. that in an emergency, if transported by emergency crews, you have no say in where you go. They will take you to the closest facility that they reasonably believe can provide the care you need. So you may end up at a hospital that is not in your network, even if one that is in your network is only a few miles away.

If that is your point, it did not come across in your posts at all. Your posts state multiple times about how the Coast Guard will pick you up from a ship for free and that no other entity that you know of will rescue you from a moving ship (and when I asked if the Coast Guard would get you from a port as well I didn’t get a response). I’m stating that to suggest the Coast Guard is a substitution for medical travel insurance is not sound advice. And as someone else stated, it isn’t free. Taxpayers pick up the bill. I don’t think the Coast Guard wants cruise ship passengers using them as a free means for emergency and forgoing insurance coverage—as a taxpayer I don’t want that and I assume you don’t either.

 

[tvguy]

If that is your point, it did not come across in your posts at all. Your posts state multiple times about how the Coast Guard will pick you up from a ship for free and that no other entity that you know of will rescue you from a moving ship (and when I asked if the Coast Guard would get you from a port as well I didn’t get a response). I’m stating that to suggest the Coast Guard is a substitution for medical travel insurance is not sound advice. And as someone else stated, it isn’t free. Taxpayers pick up the bill. I don’t think the Coast Guard wants cruise ship passengers using them as a free means for emergency and forgoing insurance coverage—as a taxpayer I don’t want that and I assume you don’t either.

I would never suggest that the Coast Guard is a substitution for medical travel insurance. What I am suggesting is that the medical evacuation portion of Travel Insurance is less valuable than the insurance companies say it is. Medical Evacuations are rare, and if your cruising within reach of the U.S. Coast Guard, they will likely play a role in that evacuation and you won't get a bill from the Coast Guard. I guess Coast Guard rescues get more media coverage, but just last week there were three Coast Guard Medical evacuations involving cruise ships on the West Coast, including one well publicized one where one of the helicopter came very close to crashing.
Yes, taxpayers pay the tab for the Coast Guard, but those crew members get paid the same whether they are airlifting someone off a ship or sitting at their home base drinking coffee.
As for the Coast Guard NOT wanting cruise passengers using them as a free means for an emergency, that's ONE of the reasons the Coast Guard even exists. Although I suspect they do far more rescues from fishing vessels and of refugees in rickety water craft. And they don't bill those people either.