What happens if you don't get insurance and...

[AnnMorin]

I understand and recommend trip interruption/cancellation insurance but our health provider covers things such as emercency evacuations, etc... we had to pay DCL upfront the $213.00 for our med center visits but got all but $20.00 co-pay back from our health provider. Why would someone's health provider not cover med-evacq? Maybe we are spoiled as Dh is a governament employee and we have excellent coverage but I would think all health plans would cover emergencies? (please don't flame me if I am naive) I just checked our insurance booklette and the only requirements we have if we needed to be hospitalized or medivaqued out of the U.S. is to notify our carrier within 24 hours so they could manage our care.
Also your credit card company does cover a lot of these things too if you charge your trip. I think it is several thousand. Don't know for sure as we never needed to use it.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I am not sure... I know that my MIL and FIL got their regular insurance to cover medical costs when my FIL spent a couple days in the ships medical facility when he became ill on a cruise. But, no, I do not think that many insurance carriers automaticaly cover costs once you leave the country. Would be a good idea for everyone who travels to double check what is covered, and what the pre-requirements might be!

I too say, get the insurance! It would also cover it if you had to cancel the trip due to a close relatives death. etc... We had to cancel a trip last year due to MIL becoming seriously ill.

Just never know what might happen.

 

[mcnuss]

Ann - the differences between health insurance policies would astonish you! As a govt. employee, your DH has the Rolls Royce of health plans. My late FIL was a twice retired govt. employee (military and then fed. govt). I looked at his plan after my MIL had been ill for 2 years and her med bills came to nearly half a million bucks (not kidding) and he had paid about $2000 out of pocket. It was fantastic.

Few private companies can afford to offer such comprehensive policies. Mine will cover med costs out of the country, but not the cost of an evacuation. Others won't cover anything except life threatening emergencies "out of plan".

Everyone should check with their plan before leaving the country, and the idea about the credit cards is a great one. AAA also automtically provides some coverage, I think. Many of us probably buy redundant insurance but better safe than sorry. The rouhgly $200 I paid on top of the $6000 for our cruise was well worth it for the peace of mind.

 

[my3kids]

We have good health insurance an many who work where my husband works travel outside the country for exteded periods of time. Our coverage will pay for emergency and unexpected costs while out of the country, but they WILL NOT pay medivac services to return a covered person to the country. I'm not sure why and it doesn't make sense, but the are very clear on that point. The CSA that we bought would even continue to pay expenses for a year upon return....like physical therapy for a bone break or other ongoing expenses related to a covered event. With CSA though, it is a secondary payer to one's primary health insurance. Whatever the primary won't pay(even if just a copay, CSA would pick up the leftover) Of course, if there is no primary coverage, then CSA would pay the whole bill.