International Health Insurance suggestions

[AliB]

Hi fellow cruisers,
I am relatively new to this site and recently moved aboard my boat intending to cruise around the world for the next several years. I am looking for recommendations of international health insurance plans. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks,
Alison

[Joh.Ghurt]

As you fail to add where you are located, here is a tip for you - assuming you're in Europe: https://osdinternational.com/de/inte...herung/segler/

[BillKny]

If you are based in the USA, you might try GeoBlue.

They have a number of options that are quite good and you can tailor it to your needs. A number of times we have talked with people who pitched much cheaper plans to us, and we always found that the coverage was significantly less comprehensive.

[AliB]

My apologies for not including my current location. I am a US citizen and am currently in the US but plan to head south to the Caribbean and across the Atlantic.

I will look into GeoBlue. Thanks for that recommendation

[taxwizz]

If you are over 75 you might as well just kill yourself now, as you will not get insurance.

[sailcrazy]

A lot depends on what you want the insurance for....full health care at a local facility, or transportation back to the US/your home area, a supplement to add to whatever you currently have, etc. When we cruised the Medd (4 "seasons") we relied on our stateside ins, and used DAN (Divers Alert Network membership) for their insurance to get us back to the US. Our BlueCross Medicare Supplement provided emergency room coverage for non-US locations. And although the BlueCross ins has changed some in the past years, that is pretty much what we're doing now, as we get ready for our 7th season in the Caribb. Depending on where and for how long you plan to be in the Caribb, there are local insurances you can buy, including one in St Thomas, USVI that pays for a private jet to fly you back to the US.

[sck5]

Dont get insurance coverage in the US for overseas. it will be hideously expensive and not very good.

Instead, just buy routine doctor services a la carte. It will be far cheaper than any insurance. In order to insure against major problems, buy medical evacuation insurance (e.g. Medjet) which will fly you back home where your regular insurance will kick in and where you would want to be anyway in the event of something major.

we did this for years and never had a problem with stuff like broken arms, lacerations, routine gynecological issues, and even a scratched cornea. Perfectly good treatment and very cheap compared to US prices (which are truly divorced from reality). The evacuation insurance is relatively cheap but I know people who have used it and it is quite nice to be flown back to your home town whenever you ask. The only requirement was that a local MD needs to attest that you need to be in a hospital for treatment. Then they send the jet.

[billgewater]

As with all insurance, the more you have, the less likely are you to benefit from having it. Insurance companies are absolute experts at taking much, much more than they give. Sck5 has nailed it.

[rmesfo]

Originally Posted by sck5

Dont get insurance coverage in the US for overseas. it will be hideously expensive and not very good.

Instead, just buy routine doctor services a la carte. It will be far cheaper than any insurance. In order to insure against major problems, buy medical evacuation insurance (e.g. Medjet) which will fly you back home where your regular insurance will kick in and where you would want to be anyway in the event of something major.

we did this for years and never had a problem with stuff like broken arms, lacerations, routine gynecological issues, and even a scratched cornea. Perfectly good treatment and very cheap compared to US prices (which are truly divorced from reality). The evacuation insurance is relatively cheap but I know people who have used it and it is quite nice to be flown back to your home town whenever you ask. The only requirement was that a local MD needs to attest that you need to be in a hospital for treatment. Then they send the jet.

Great advice! Two separate friends had to be flown back from Europe and the Ukraine and the insurance covered it. Both with heart issues.

[hpeer]

Gowrie has a cruising health care specialist. We have a policy, for very reasonable cost, that covers the entire world EXCEPT the USA. You need to talk to a rep and ask.

https://www.gowrie.com/

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Gowrie has a cruising health care specialist. We have a policy, for very reasonable cost, that covers the entire world EXCEPT the USA. You need to talk to a rep and ask.

https://www.gowrie.com/

Loads of health insurance exempts the US , go figure

[psk125]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Loads of health insurance exempts the US , go figure

Because healthcare in the US is more expensive than other places. (Possibly because the insurance companies run it instead of the government?) Gowrie's program makes a lot of sense if you're not going to be in the US much.

[jipcho]

I highly recommend purchasing travel insurance through "Global Nomads", which is a backpackers organization based in Australia, I believe. However, they cater to citizens all over the world. As an American, they hooked me up with a US based insurer that covered me for one year. I had to re-up each year. The cost was around $1000 annually, and covered medical as well as other "emergencies". The key is that you have to pay out of pocket wherever you are, and supply the insurer with receipts and doctors letters, etc. Eventually, they pay up fro everything. No deductible! I had a crown for a broken tooth paid for in South Africa, and cataract surgery reimbursed in Curacao.