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Medical Evacuation Insurance #137407
08/08/2017 09:11 PM
08/08/2017 09:11 PM
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 933
Georgia & South Carolina
D
Deepcut Offline OP
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Deepcut  Offline OP
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 933
Georgia & South Carolina
After hearing the story of injuried person on Anegada requiring Air Evacuation back to USA, I am wondering about purchasing annual plan as we(family) usually spend 6-8 weeks overseas per year. Anyone have advice on coverage? Plans?


Wes
s/v Sea Tiger (2022 Lagoon 46)
www.BareBoatBVI.com

BVI Sponsors
Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: Deepcut] #137408
08/08/2017 09:41 PM
08/08/2017 09:41 PM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,647
Memphis, BVI, CT
R
RatmansWife Offline
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RatmansWife  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,647
Memphis, BVI, CT
We have On Call International.

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: RatmansWife] #137409
08/08/2017 10:30 PM
08/08/2017 10:30 PM
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,151
Ontario, Canada
warren460 Offline
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warren460  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 2,151
Ontario, Canada
Look at the DAN web site offering. They include medical advise and translation services.

DAN is divers assistance network.


Warren S/V Scuba Doo
Lagoon 50 (winner of best crewed yacht under 55 feet at the St. Thomas crewed yacht boat show).

https://www.cyabrochure.com/ebn/2307/pdyrX/6642/4///
Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: warren460] #137410
08/08/2017 10:58 PM
08/08/2017 10:58 PM
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 176
Virginia suburbs of DC
AquaGirl Offline
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AquaGirl  Offline
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 176
Virginia suburbs of DC
We use MedJet. Thankfully, we've never had to use it!

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: Deepcut] #137411
08/09/2017 07:22 AM
08/09/2017 07:22 AM
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 304
Rockford, Michigan
aarpskier Offline
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aarpskier  Offline
Traveler
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 304
Rockford, Michigan
Emergency Assistance Plus (American Airlines AAdvantage)

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: Deepcut] #137412
08/09/2017 07:46 AM
08/09/2017 07:46 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 11,585
Eric_Hill Offline

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Eric_Hill  Offline

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Posts: 11,585
Check out Skymed on the sponsors page. They have annual plans also. They also fly you home, some only get you to the closes facility. If you decide on Skymed use our link and we get a small commission.


Eric Hill
TTOL Sponsors
Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: Eric_Hill] #137413
08/09/2017 11:32 AM
08/09/2017 11:32 AM
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,213
GJ, CO S/V Long Overdue
sail2wind Offline
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sail2wind  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,213
GJ, CO S/V Long Overdue
checkout insuremytrip.com a sponsor on this site. You can filter in medical evac. We never travel without it.

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: sail2wind] #137414
08/09/2017 12:07 PM
08/09/2017 12:07 PM
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,049
S
StormJib Offline
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StormJib  Offline
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S
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,049
Working with American Express we have coverage that will get us to both medical care and home on any travel that was charged to the card. We do not buy air travel that was not charged to those cards with those evacuation benefits. You simply contact the number on the back of the card and a US MD and local MD are put in contact with you to determine the required medical care and transportation. This is the same type of benefit I have enjoyed with my fortune 100 employers during any business travel. That is just one of the many member services American Express is built around. You may remember the old saying. "American Express do not leave home without it". We follow those rules when it comes to travel away from home.

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: StormJib] #137415
08/09/2017 12:17 PM
08/09/2017 12:17 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,359
Cane Garden Bay, Tortola
JasonHelmbrecht Offline
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JasonHelmbrecht  Offline
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,359
Cane Garden Bay, Tortola

Stormjib - you might want to double check your coverage. I thought the same thing and decided to check a couple of weeks ago to discover it was no longer a service that AMEX provided. They provide medical assistance which means they will help you find a doctor while traveling and will help arrange medical evacuation but my Business Platinum card does not reimburse for those costs. They are all paid by the card holder. I now have an annual plan from MedJet.

Please let me know if you find out otherwise!


JasonHelmbrecht
Coconut Breeze Villas
Cane Garden Bay
reservations@coconutbreezevillas.com
www.coconutbreezevillas.com
Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: JasonHelmbrecht] #137416
08/09/2017 01:18 PM
08/09/2017 01:18 PM
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 45
Charleston, SC
C
CHS_JDE Offline
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CHS_JDE  Offline
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Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 45
Charleston, SC
Looked on the AMEX site. Only seem to offer death benefits but no real medical evacuation coverage.

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: JasonHelmbrecht] #137417
08/09/2017 01:19 PM
08/09/2017 01:19 PM
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,049
S
StormJib Offline
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StormJib  Offline
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Posts: 1,049
AMEX has many offers. They are not all created equal. You get what you pay for in most cases and in this case your credit score and background will come into play. Better credit can reflect risk and behavior habits. My family has no limits on evac costs and no activity limits nor a preexisting condition clause. Scuba Diving and Sky Diving are covered or at least not excluded.

The rub if there is any... the fine print says the travel must be charged to AMEX and your card must be current i.e. you are not behind paying your bills. If a child jumps in a college road trip car they may not be covered. If you use miles with no charges to the card you may not be covered. There is some history of AMEX covering trips as long as another card was not used for the travel. 90 days in the same place no longer becomes "travel" in my agreement. The BVI only lets me stay 30 days so no worry there.

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: StormJib] #137418
08/09/2017 02:31 PM
08/09/2017 02:31 PM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,359
Cane Garden Bay, Tortola
JasonHelmbrecht Offline
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JasonHelmbrecht  Offline
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,359
Cane Garden Bay, Tortola
Good to know I'm only being held back by my credit score and background. Can you add a link to the AMEX site that shows the coverage they offer?


JasonHelmbrecht
Coconut Breeze Villas
Cane Garden Bay
reservations@coconutbreezevillas.com
www.coconutbreezevillas.com
Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: JasonHelmbrecht] #137419
08/09/2017 04:06 PM
08/09/2017 04:06 PM
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,213
GJ, CO S/V Long Overdue
sail2wind Offline
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sail2wind  Offline
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,213
GJ, CO S/V Long Overdue
I have to call bull on this:

"your credit score and background will come into play. Better credit can reflect risk and behavior habits"

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: sail2wind] #137420
08/09/2017 05:24 PM
08/09/2017 05:24 PM
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,999
Macon, Georgia
GlennA Offline
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GlennA  Offline
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Posts: 10,999
Macon, Georgia
As much as it pains me to agree with StormJib <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />, Amex personal platinum does include as a standard travel benefit $100K medical transportation and $20K medical expenses for Latin America, Caribbean and Bermuda travel.


Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. - Mark Twain
Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: GlennA] #137421
08/09/2017 07:59 PM
08/09/2017 07:59 PM
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 933
Georgia & South Carolina
D
Deepcut Offline OP
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Deepcut  Offline OP
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Joined: Jan 2016
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Georgia & South Carolina
Will check these. Thanks


Wes
s/v Sea Tiger (2022 Lagoon 46)
www.BareBoatBVI.com

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: CHS_JDE] #137422
08/09/2017 08:43 PM
08/09/2017 08:43 PM
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 933
Georgia & South Carolina
D
Deepcut Offline OP
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Deepcut  Offline OP
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 933
Georgia & South Carolina
On Call International Website seems to say that planes no longer available


Wes
s/v Sea Tiger (2022 Lagoon 46)
www.BareBoatBVI.com

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: Deepcut] #137423
08/10/2017 01:51 AM
08/10/2017 01:51 AM
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 16
Minnesota
MarkMN Offline
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MarkMN  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 16
Minnesota
I've had DAN insurance for a few years and just submitted my first claim for an injury while snorkeling off Norman Island. It wasn't an evacuation, but rather it filled the role of secondary insurance after my primary finally covered their part of my surgery and other fun visits. The evacuation coverage is actually what brought me to DAN, and for the price it fit my needs . I'll throw out a new post later once I see how all the coverage is handled.


Mark
Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: Deepcut] #137424
08/10/2017 03:01 AM
08/10/2017 03:01 AM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,647
Memphis, BVI, CT
R
RatmansWife Offline
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RatmansWife  Offline
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R
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,647
Memphis, BVI, CT
I'm seeing this on On Call's web site:

http://www.oncallinternational.com/app_m....pdf?v=06042013

They keep taking our annual premiums, too! We found them through Insure My Trip, but they didn't come up when I used their trip planner just now.

We have UN medical insurance, which is good around the world, so we needed medical evacuation that covered longer stays. At least up until now, On Call membership has been good for trips up to 60 days. We come back to the States for a couple weeks, which we like to do anyway.

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: sail2wind] #137425
08/10/2017 08:42 AM
08/10/2017 08:42 AM
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,049
S
StormJib Offline
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StormJib  Offline
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Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,049
Quote
sail2wind said:
I have to call bull on this:

"your credit score and background will come into play. Better credit can reflect risk and behavior habits"


You can call "Bull" but with AMEX and some other credit providers the better your credit background the better the offers. Particularly proactive offers. One difference between good credit and great credit with AMEX is the jump to unlimited evac and medicals while traveling subject to any other insurance you may have. Most of the fine print from AMEX notes they pay second to any other primary benefit you have.

Some members get no insurance benefits from AMEX, some get some very limited travel benefits, then some will cap out at $100K, and then others have unlimited benefits to get you home or replace your luggage if you charged the travel to The Card. If you picked your card based on points or rebates you likely get none of those benefits. If you are using Visa or MC for much of your travel AMEX will likely not invite you to the more flexible levels of membership.

AMEX was checking and data mining everything we do long before Google. AMEX was built to take care of their customers and does reward loyalty.

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: StormJib] #137426
08/10/2017 11:59 AM
08/10/2017 11:59 AM
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 375
now - or when ?
C
CGB Offline
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CGB  Offline
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Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 375
now - or when ?
All interesting chatter.....

Does anyone have "first-hand knowledge" and actually gone through a claim process with any of these insurance companies?
And, specifically - with evac ?

Otherwise... kinda moot to be arguing which is best... no ?

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: CGB] #137427
08/10/2017 03:41 PM
08/10/2017 03:41 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 11,585
Eric_Hill Offline

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Eric_Hill  Offline

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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 11,585
Yes, there has been more than one, but this report will answer you question about how it works with Skymed anyway.

Skymed Evacuation from St. Martin


Eric Hill
TTOL Sponsors
Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: CGB] #137428
08/11/2017 11:13 AM
08/11/2017 11:13 AM
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,100
Maryland
Twanger Offline
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Twanger  Offline
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 6,100
Maryland
Quote
CGB said:
All interesting chatter.....

Does anyone have "first-hand knowledge" and actually gone through a claim process with any of these insurance companies?
And, specifically - with evac ?

Otherwise... kinda moot to be arguing which is best... no ?


I have made two claims.

First time was in 2000 when my wife had to have emergency gall bladder surgery the night before our bareboat charter trip. We totally re-set the trip for a month later. They (AccessAmerica, if memory serves) covered the costs we would have had to eat.

About 10 years ago I came down with a norovirus the night before we were supposed to travel. We decided to put our departure back a day, because I was so sick I could not even stand up. The airline wanted to charge us $2,000 a ticket for the change, which was then covered by the insurance. I can't remember who we got for the insurance that time.

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: Twanger] #137429
08/11/2017 11:30 AM
08/11/2017 11:30 AM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,493
VIRGINIA
B
BEERMAN Offline
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BEERMAN  Offline
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,493
VIRGINIA
We always get insurance, we use CSA Trip Insurance. Haven't needed to claim med evac with it luckily, only one claim when I backed a jeep into a stick that blew out the back window.

However, this last trip I had good peace of mind having it because of the "state of emergency" on Tortola. If we needed to leave a day earlier we could not have.

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: Eric_Hill] #137430
08/11/2017 03:09 PM
08/11/2017 03:09 PM
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 5,884
St. Thomas, USVI
Nutmeg Offline
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Nutmeg  Offline
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Posts: 5,884
St. Thomas, USVI
I have to say, we always buy insurance when we travel. Living in St Thomas and seeing the number of visitors who come here yearly and fall/break a hip, have a stroke, have a car accident, etc. makes you be extra careful. Read the small print and make sure you will be taken where you want, not the closest available (from St Thomas, that is usually Puerto Rico). Also, make sure you have health insurance, because you need to have a facility and physician who are willing to accept you. From first hand observation only. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />


[color:"red"]NUTMEG[/color]
Today is the tomorrow you talked about yesterday.
Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: Nutmeg] #137431
08/30/2017 03:21 PM
08/30/2017 03:21 PM
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 207
East Tennessee
Annoddddd Offline
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Annoddddd  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 207
East Tennessee
My husband and I are trying to find the best plan for our needs. We have 3 upcoming trips between November, 2017 and April, 2018 to the BVI and St. John.

We believe we want/need only evacuation insurance in case of a medical emergency as we both have BlueCross/Blue Shield with out of network benefits.

We think we have narrowed it down to one of the following:

1. MedJet Assist for a 1 year plan at $395. (Allows us to evacuate to the hospital of our choice and is completely at our discretion. Repatriation included.)

2. GeoBlue Voyager Choice for 3 individual trips at $68.20/trip. ($500,000 for evacuation (as secondary) at the discretion of the attending docs and insurance. Repatriation included.)

We both work in healthcare and understand the risks of being able to choose our own hospitals and physicians. But, we know nothing about care in Puerto Rico. Is care there really that questionable? Anyone have any direct experience or know of experiences?

Such a tough decision to try and do the right thing.

Thanks in advance!

Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: Annoddddd] #137432
08/30/2017 04:52 PM
08/30/2017 04:52 PM
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 5,884
St. Thomas, USVI
Nutmeg Offline
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Nutmeg  Offline
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 5,884
St. Thomas, USVI
"But, we know nothing about care in Puerto Rico. Is care there really that questionable? Anyone have any direct experience or know of experiences?"

Well, regardless of what people say about the folks in Puerto Rico being bilingual, most of the service providers (not the docs) speak Spanish only. It's amazing that they will send reports of VI patients totally in Spanish. My med evac insurance takes me to Florida.


[color:"red"]NUTMEG[/color]
Today is the tomorrow you talked about yesterday.
Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: Nutmeg] #137433
08/30/2017 08:13 PM
08/30/2017 08:13 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,475
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Posts: 82,475
Central Florida!
....thus speaks someone who is in the health care biz in St Thomas.. Just sayin'


Carol Hill
Re: Medical Evacuation Insurance [Re: Carol_Hill] #137434
08/30/2017 11:38 PM
08/30/2017 11:38 PM
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 207
East Tennessee
Annoddddd Offline
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Annoddddd  Offline
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Posts: 207
East Tennessee
That sums it up beautifully! We never considered the language barrier.

Thank you!

Last edited by Annoddddd; 08/30/2017 11:39 PM.

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