Cruising the USA

[Jeannius]

I'm a Brit and have been cruising in the USA for the last 4 months or so. I purchased a long term travel health insurance for my wife and I and that cost around $150 a month.

Of course this can only be so low because I'm not a US citizen. If the worst comes to the worst all the insurers have to do is hire a private jet to repatriate me to the UK where the National Health Service will look after me for free. So I guess their total liability amounts to about the same cost as a couple of weeks in a US hospital.

For other 'Aliens', here's a link to the official website of Customs and Border Protection... http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/ Some of the reporting rules are different state to state. In New England I had to report every time I moved the boat but in the Carolinas they only wanted to hear from me once.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Jeannius

. In New England I had to report every time I moved the boat but in the Carolinas they only wanted to hear from me once.

New England isn't a state, which states required this? Just curious.

Do you feel it is worth the hassles you have experienced to see the US?

[Connemara]

INteresting that there have been no replies yet from Canadians, who are probably the most frequent visitors -- at least cruising through on the way to de islands, mon.

I frequently travel to the US (by air) and I don't worry about health costs, although --as I age -- I probably should. But we all have at least some out-of-country coverage through the government-run plans. Whether it would cover US costs is another issue.

Connemara

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Connemara

INteresting that there have been no replies yet from Canadians, who are probably the most frequent visitors -- at least cruising through on the way to de islands, mon.

There's a reason for that.

[Mark1977]

If I ever get my sh%t together and go cruising, I will bypass the US via Bermuda. I had a bad experience with border officials before. Detained, finger printed, and turned around. Probably my own fault, but who knew a DUI would give you the same treatment as someone wanting to do harm to the US. Go figure.......

[GordMay]

For Canadians (Ontario) ➥ Travelling Outside Canada - Ontario Health Insurance (OHIP) - Publications - Public Information - MOHLTC

If you are a resident of Ontario, and you are insured under Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), you are entitled to very limited funding for a certain range of medical services when you are travelling outside of Canada.

The amount that OHIP pays is set by regulation. The amount paid for out-of-country health services is very limited and usually will not be sufficient to cover the full cost of the services rendered.
For example, an outpatient visit to a U.S. emergency room may cost thousands of dollars for the duration of your care, however OHIP will only reimburse up to a total of $50.00 CDN per day for this service regardless of the severity of the situation.

For this reason, you are strongly advised to purchase additional health insurance every time you leave Canada and ensure that the supplementary insurance you have purchased provides adequate coverage.

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by Sulaire

Jeeez, if you wanna go, then go, if you spend your life listening to the scare mongers and only going where health insurance is cheap, then the world will shrink to a small place quickly.

I find if you take things slow and treat everyone and everywhere with respect and don,t get too hung up on rules etc, things just work out fine. Acting the dumb foreigner always works with me when dealing with authorities, make em think they are really important and they LOVE it!!!

If things go wrong along the way, well i am sure you can work it out.... Life is an adventure, or nothing at all.

C.

I agree with Sulaire here. One more thing, I hope that I will not be refused emergency medical treatment just because I don't have the money to pay for it. Yes, if they won't give me post emergency treatment that is understandable and if I am that bad that I need to be shipped back to my own country to be treated then so be it; I will pay for the return trip and when I am well enough I will return to my boat asap at my own cost. I am comfortable that any civilised Western country can be expected to reciprocate with emergency treatment. Anything else serious enough I would expect that I should pay for my trip back to my country of citizenship for treatment there. Don't let possible medical issues stop you; hell, you might as well be too scared to cross a road in case you get run down because that is more likely.

[Katiusha]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Related to another thread in a way, but does the cost of health care in the USA prevent other from cruising here? What about other polices, are they keeping people from going to the USA to cruise?

I'm interested in hearing from others on this as it seems those of USA'ers are mainly thinking of elsewhere in our cruising plans.

Lets not go down a USA trashing that just becomes a political rant that gets the thread closed.

Visiting from Canada, US healthcare is sometimes a bonus if at home you need to wait months or years to see a specialist. Decent dental work can also be cheaper.

We enjoyed cruising US east coast. We tried to stay away from big cities, passing through them if necessary, but not staying. The smaller cities on the water are relaxed, if touristy. And the whole coast is different from stark, beautiful Maine to relaxed NC to southern SC and to FL over-population. In general we found US officials to be courteous, friendly, but strict. We followed the rules, and it was a good experience.

One note is that first time we sailed in to States it was in MA. We were sailing with a buddy boat. The buddy boat came in 1 hour earlier at 6 am. They wanted to wait for us to check in, but were told off by the officials as the check-in must be done immediately on arrival.

The phone check-ins are ok if you have a cell phone. Without cell phone coverage it's hard to report changing locations in a remote area of Maine... The only snag was that phone check-ins has to be done to a phone number assigned to a specific area (that's why one of the posters above talks about New England). But the person on the phone in New England didn't know the phone number of the next territory down. And of course they couldn't take our position themselves.

It was quite a hassle trying to find all phone numbers needed. The best was in Washington, DC (you gotta see 4th July fireworks, right?) - we phoned the number we were given, turns out it was a military base. They gave us another phone number - it was another military airport. Then Washington DC airport. Then customs. Then back to Washington DC airport. Imagine the conversation: "Hi, we would like to report our position." "State your coordinates." "blah-blah-blah". "State your altitude" "...??? We are a cruising boat." "...???" We did end up reporting it, but spent good 3 hours doing so.

But that was the first or second year the new system was being implemented. Hopefully it's clearer now.

Oh, and nothing beats US for provisioning or reequipping the boat. Dock not far from Defender warehouse and you're practically making money (except for the state tax). Or dock far, order online, wait some, and get it tax-free. And you're making even more money

[Mexdon]

Here is a link that supplies some information re the yachts from countries that can obtain a USA cruising permit, but don't forget that all non USA crew need a B1 B2 visa. You cannot enter the USA on private yacht under the visa waiver program.

ASAP YACHT DOCUMENTATION, CRUISING PERMITS, USA

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Related to another thread in a way, but does the cost of health care in the USA prevent other from cruising here? What about other polices, are they keeping people from going to the USA to cruise?

I worked with a Canadian in TX who was getting health care in the U.S. under his Canadian health plan, which was government provided (according to him). Maybe he had some kind of supplemental plan, but he didn't say so.

As far as I know, my U.S. health insurance (NOT govt funded!) is valid around the world, though with more restrictions and probably cost.

I suspect that many of the European social plans will cover their citizens in foreign countries, within some limits... length of stay perhaps being one of them.

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

RWhat about other polices, are they keeping people from going to the USA to cruise?

I'm interested in hearing from others on this as it seems those of USA'ers are mainly thinking of elsewhere in our cruising plans.

I recently discovered that DUI is a serious issue for traveling to other countries. The U.S. has "dumbed down" DUI to a misdemeanor (I believe in an effort to increase the number of very lucrative convictions), but many other countries treat it as if it were a felony offense.

This can prevent or limit your access to those countries - including Canada, about which I have detailed and first hand knowledge if anyone needs to know (I did obtain a work visa, and am traveling regularly to Canada)

The US, like most countries, will treat incoming DUI offenders as if their offense were committed in the U.S. That means that they can require the incoming vistor or immigrant to take DUI classes, pay exorbitant fees, and take a PYSCHIATRIC EVALUATION. Yes that last part is true, you could be required to be evaluated by a Psychiatrist for substance addiction, which could result in being referred for rehabilitation.

[Jeannius]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

New England isn't a state, which states required this? Just curious.

Do you feel it is worth the hassles you have experienced to see the US?

Correct. New England isn't a state but they do seem to be lumped together for customs purposes.

We were supposed to report in at every stop in Maine, New Hampshire ( easy that, with one port!) and Massachusetts. We ended up skipping Rhode Island and Connecticut so don't know the answer on them.

Yes I do feel it has been worth it. We've had a great time and met a lot of really nice people along the way.

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by Mark1977

If I ever get my sh%t together and go cruising, I will bypass the US via Bermuda. I had a bad experience with border officials before. Detained, finger printed, and turned around. Probably my own fault, but who knew a DUI would give you the same treatment as someone wanting to do harm to the US. Go figure.......

Do you know if other countries restrict visitation based on DUI?

I know the US and Canada do.

I traveled to Europe without a glitch, but then I was just flying in for a cruise (there was plenty of UI on that trip! But no D, luckily), not coming to stay for 6 months.

[Mark1977]

Originally Posted by ArtM

Do you know if other countries restrict visitation based on DUI?

I know the US and Canada do.

I traveled to Europe without a glitch, but then I was just flying in for a cruise (there was plenty of UI on that trip! But no D, luckily), not coming to stay for 6 months.

I have been to Bermuda , Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican Republic with no problems. Having a criminal record though it could always be a problem.