health care

[pjbsailing]

What is everyone doing about health care while cruising? Going without? Anything out there specifically for cruisers? Paying through the nose?
Just curious. We were having a nice dinner discussion about what we could afford when out there. Maybe a good medical book

PJ

[Pblais]

I think you can find a combination of many things. Medical knowledge of the emergency kind is just a good idea since you might be far from no where and need something. In many places health care is cheaper than in the US but I wouldn't bet that your needs will somehow vanish when you live in paradise.

Good friends came back from 7 years in South America. They paid cash for a lot of things while out there but now that they are temporarily back they are catching up on a lot of neglected check ups and the consequences that come from it. That's not to say they suffered because they were gone but more that getting older takes it's penalty.

The two most dreaded cruising diseases that can befall you are "grandchildren" number one on the bring you back home list and the worst one of all - "your parents". That can be a problem twice or more if you are married. Some times real life can reach out and grab you by the back of the neck.

[James S]

Have a Look at BUPA I pay around $1500 a year and that includes Medivac that I used once and they didn’t cancel me or increase the rates.

[Stillraining]

Howdy James...

Shoot I got all excited there for a moment about your BUPA...it must be way cheaper in you country...I had a quote worked up...5 to 7K per year for just me depending on coverage and with a 200.00 deductible..

I am paying about 7K a year now and we just made the decition to drop it this month and put the money in a savings account every month instead...a risk for sure but what the heck..mine has doubled in 6 years and will double again in 6 more..enough is enough....just thought you might like to know your getting a heck of a deal.

[James S]

Hey Scott
I can’t believe those prices!
OK...I've got about 50 or 60 people on the policy, and for sure there is a group rate.
But many of these people live in the states where health care isn’t cheap (referring only to the cost ;-) )
Sorry for getting your hopes up?
BTW your name has come up at SN...apparently you've made some friends over there that are missing you.....Go figure??

[pjbsailing]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

Howdy James...

I am paying about 7K a year now and we just made the decition to drop it this month and put the money in a savings account every month instead...a risk for sure but what the heck..mine has doubled in 6 years and will double again in 6 more..enough is enough....just thought you might like to know your getting a heck of a deal.

$7K? Holy $#! There is no way I can afford something that high. Yikes. I better start shopping around. I was thinking something around $1K, until medicare/medicaid kicked in. Pblais is probably right, as I have read many blogs where the parents, or the grandchildren stopped folks from cruising. I plan to be that bearded, sunburned grandpa that pops up twice a year with some wild stories to tell

[DeepFrz]

There has been discussion on the forum about medical coverage in different countries that you might be interested in searching for. They were mostly about countries in the Caribbean I believe. It was quite surprising how many people reported about how good the medical treatment was and how cheap. I guess a lot depends on where you are going and how long you will be there.

I met several American sailors in Cuba (mid 90's) who were there for medical care.

[nautical62]

I've fortunately never been in that position myself. From what I've read, ways people deal with it are:

1. Go uninsured and take care of yoruself the best you can. (many medical treatments are much less expensive outside the U.S.

2. Buy major medical only and pay lower cost things out of pocket.

3. Cruise in areas with social medical servcie available to non residents.

4. A few recent threads to check out:

5. Pay quite a bit for good coverage from a company that does this sort of thing.

Many recommendations on these threads:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ing-22127.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...nce-21726.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...rance-171.html

[Meridian]

Try searching "IMG". They are underwriting our policy...family of 4, cruising outside the US for at least 6 months out of every 12. We pay about $2100 per year. They seem to be rated well.
HIH,
John

[Harriet]

pjbsailing - If you plan on cruising outside the US and relying on Medicare when you are eligible, DON'T. Medicare does not cover claims outside the US. If it is something serious enough, I would use a medivac policy such as DAN (Divers Alert Network) and get back to the US and then file your claims with Medicare.

[pjbsailing]

Originally Posted by Harriet

pjbsailing - If you plan on cruising outside the US and relying on Medicare when you are eligible, DON'T. Medicare does not cover claims outside the US. If it is something serious enough, I would use a medivac policy such as DAN (Divers Alert Network) and get back to the US and then file your claims with Medicare.

Thanks Harriet. I guess I thought I'd be covered outside our borders. The medivac sounds interesting.