diama, if you are sailing in the
Caribbean, I would suggest that you don't need any. There is excellent, low cost (or in some cases, no cost)
health care available in
Grenada and
Venezuela. For example, as at December, 2009 you could get an ultrasound with radiologist report the next day for $15.00 in
Venezuela. Inter-island flights are available quite cheaply, although of course, you could always get a
cheap flight back to
Canada.
Cost for a significant procedure? Several years ago a friend of mine incurred serious spinal injuires in a motorcycle
accident on Isla Margarita. She was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where, after a Catscan (and a second opinion from a Canadian doctor who received copies of the report) it was determined that surgery would be required before she could be safely flown home. She was transferred to an orthopedic hospital where surgery was performed by a US trained surgeon who spoke excellent
English. She needed 3 further days in hospital to recover. Her total bill? $1500.00! (And upon her return to
Canada the orthopedic surgeon she consulted here could find nothing to criticize about the surgery).
Yes, there are risks associated with carrying no
insurance. However, in an article a few years ago in Cruising World magazine, some American cruisers who
had insurance found it cheaper and less of a hassle to pay out of pocket for some procedures in Trinidad and Venezuela, than to deal with the necessary forms, referrals and deductibles on their policy.
Brad
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