Hello boardies,
i am thinking of purchasing travel insurance this trip - one with medical emergency evac.
Have you any suggestions? what have you used in the past?
am i just being an old person or what?
thanks!
Nori
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Hello boardies,
i am thinking of purchasing travel insurance this trip - one with medical emergency evac.
Have you any suggestions? what have you used in the past?
am i just being an old person or what?
thanks!
Nori
I got it for the first time ever for my trip to J in a few weeks...I think it did make me officially cross over to a responsible adult/old lady because never thought about getting it before.
I had read some horror story on Trip Advisor or somewhere about a US citizen who was taken ill and in a hospital in Kingston but needed medical care in Miami and couldn't get out of J...or some such business. And then locally somebody from my town died in China and they couldn't get the remains home because they didn't have the money...All this stuff made me think I should just get it. I think it was around $30 for 7 days. So I got basic insurance with some medical and I think a bit of life but my main thing was the medical evac. We are in our 40s but my husband had a weird heart thing awhile back and he is fine and dandy but you start to think more about this stuff as you get older.
I got it through sevencorners.com. That wasn't the original site I went to, though. The original site was a place where you could compare several different kinds of insurance. I got the link on Trip Advisor in the string about the ill man in Kingston. If you want, I'll see if I can find it again.
We always purchase a comprehensive travel insurance plan and a great place to compare rates and companies is www.squaremouth.com I believe for the upcoming trip to the Abaco's next month we chose the policy through Seven Corners. Definitely have Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of Remains coverage. Not a pleasant thought, but heaven forbid something happens and now you have a huge financial burden to add to the emotional burden.
We are 60 and 48 and pay approx. $150 for an excellent policy. The rate is based on ages and the amount of the total trip cost. In my opinion...worth every penny.
We did have to use it once when our son-in-law unexpectedly passed away and we had to fly home immediately. Our emergency airfare was refunded and the remaining paid days at the resort. Wouldn't be without it.
We always purchase trip insurance. Go to insuremytrip.com and there will be many choices to pick from with prices. I like the idea of having evacuation insurance. I believe the last trip we paid $66 for both of us (we are in our 60's) and it included 100% for the airfare too.
Its a personal decision.
If anyone's employer provides employee benefits (Life, AD&D etc) through SunLife Insurance, you may have it as a freebie from SunLife already, check your policy/HR dept etc.
Otherwise search online. sites like squarequote let you compare coverage types from a variety of companies
Its the Emergency Medical Care and Medical Evacuation portion that can be critical, because its verrry expensive if a person has to be airlifted with medical personnel etc. Basic care is reasonable in JA, but if you need specialized care or drugs to stabilize the heart etc., that can require approval for several thou$and dollar$ on your credit card as soon as you arrive at the facility.
Just a heads up. Most companies (e.g. Travel Guard) will not cover pre-existing conditions unless the insurance is purchased within 15 days of your initial deposit so if you purchase the air first, purchase the insurance immediately using the amount paid and you can amend the total once the hotel is paid in full and pay the difference in premium at that time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lola
Did not purchase this year but, some companies have an annual plan that we have used in the past which covers med & evac on multiple trips.
My feelings are that I am not so interested in some of the plans that protect my investment in air/hotel, I would not buy them because over a few year period my savings from not buying the insurance have covered the cost of a lost trip, even more so because we do not do AI and our air/hotel is an incremental portion of our trip and yes I have played with their calculators and my experience has been they start with a base cost for a trip and the insurance premium increases in small amounts as your trip price goes up. Their structure seems set up for AI & cruisers.
But some suppliers do let you cafeteria plan the specific coverages you desire - to me that is medical & evac. This allows me peace of mind for my specific needs at a more affordable rate.
We have purchased ours through US Airways when booking the flight. Looks like pretty good coverage and thought it might make things a bit easier if something should happen, since it was purchased through US Airways. I think it was about 35 US per person, I'd have to dig out my receipt for our Dec trip and check. If you have any questions, send me a PM and I'd be happy to give you some more info, name of company, etc. Good luck and enjoy your trip!
I've made about 45 trips to Negril in the last 25 years & only recently have purchased trip insurance. I think it was about $25 for my upcoming summer trip. Last year it cost a bit more, maybe $36. Even though I'm in my 60's, I'm in great health & have no medical issues. Still... you never know. I buy mine only in case something happens w/ my almost 97 y.o. mom & I have to return home. 2010 was the first time I bought trip insurance. Ironically, she was hospitalized w/ pneumonia that summer but was not in the hospital very long so there was no need to return home. (I stay for 5-7 weeks when in JA.) I hope all goes well this summer too. One of my first trips in the 80's I opted out of a snorkeling trip when friends helped rescue a snorkeler who had been "run over" & severely injured by a boat's propeller. The man was in bad shape & eventually airlifted to Miami, we heard. You'd think that would have inspired me to get insurance every trip through the years but it didn't. Now, it just makes sense.