mistyal

I am trying to decide if $15,000 for medical expenses is enough. I have no pre-existing conditions at all, but I am 75. In the USA, $15K won't get you many days in a hospital, especially if you need tests. I have a feeling that medical care in Italy will not be as expensive. Any help out there? I hope so!i

jan47ete

I would say when we evaluate our purchase of travel ins. we look at where we are going and how long we are going to be gone. If you have not investigated the costs, it is relatively cheap. We have used travelguard and have been pleased (I had a broken tooth)with their customer service. Also check out your credit card for any insurance and your personal health insurance may pay something as well. Enjoy.

JulieAgain

I also recommend Med-Jet insurance. My hubby is 74 & our concern is getting back home if one of us is disabled during the trip. Flying commercial may not be an option & medical transport can be 10s of thousands of dollars. Most travel insurance companies only provide medical transport to the "nearest" facility. Most people can't afford for the travel partner to stay in a hotel long term. Plus when one is ill or injured, one wants their own bed, doctor, language, family, etc.

Re: how much medical coverage - we get the max we can within reason. We sure don't want to pay thousands of dollars that a cheapy policy did not cover. Also some foreign facilities will not accept those not fully covered.

Have fun on your trip.

Julie

StCirq

I can't tell you how much you should purchase, but having had a fair bit of experience with the Italian health system, including emergency room hospital care, I can tell you that unless something terribly serious happens to you, medical care - and good care - likely won't cost you a penny.

I would focus on medical evacuation insurance.

flanneruk

"I am trying to decide if $15,000 for medical expenses is enough."

For medical expenses? Absolutely nowhere near. The standard British travel insurance products sold start at a million pounds of medical benefits.

The overwhelming likelihood is that you won't need a million pounds - or even $15,000. But no-one's got the remotest idea what's likely to happen. It's simply absurd to rely on medical evacuation, which should click in only if you're well enough to travel.

You've got two kinds of risk:
- the relatively likely risk of breaking something, then having your travel arrangements messed up. $15,000 might cover this - though I doubt it.
- the far less likely (but, bluntly, at 75 not impossible) risk of something like a stroke, necessitating s substantial hospital stay before it's wise to evacuate you. Remember: whatever insurance companies may offer, common prudence works differently in Italy from in the Sudan. Med-Jet may pay for an evacuation flight from Italy to somewhere your domestic insurance will pick up the bills: but that doesn't necessarily make it the wisest medical option.

Most of us buy insurance to cover remote, but conceivable, risks - like your house burning down. Though not at all risk-averse, and ultimately eligible for free treatment (or rather for full reimbursement of costs) in Italy, I wouldn't dream of going there without at least £100,000 medical expenses cover.

Don't rely on anecdotes about free care. It's common in the EU for hospitals not to bother charging for minor emergencies, and sometimes it's even policy for emergency care to be free for all visitors. But prolonged hospital stays run up bills - and they have to be paid.

avalon

If you have supplemental insurance along with your Medicare, check to see if you have coverage while traveling. I know my AARP supplement covers $25,000.oo while out of the country. I usually just buy evacuation insurance and sometimes they include a few thousand in country med coverage too. You can compare policies at Insuremytrip. I usually end up with TravelGuard though

Ackislander

A relative's family paid $70,000 cash up front to evacuate him and his wife from Dubrovnik to Washington, DC, when he suffered a stroke. He died anyway.

ira

Hey M,

>How much medical travel insurance is enough? <

A few million Euro should cover the most likely problems - auto accident, hear attack, stroke, need to have your remains evacuated.

Do you have a Medicare Supplemental plan that covers you outside the US?
If so, that should be all you need.

Regarding evacuation insurance: Most plans will evacuate you to the nearest suitable facility. In Italy, that means the closest hospital.

I use https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/ for their evacuation insurance. It's inexpensive.

CharlieCA

You should check https://www.travelexinsurance.com/qu...nce-quote.aspx as they have pretty inexpensive rates. Use $0 as trip cost and this gives you a medical plan with some additional benefits. I purchased from this site for my trip to London and Italy this September. The Travel Max policy also includes rental car excess coverage which for me basically made the medical policy free. I think it was about $80 for 100K medical coverage for 2 people age 55.

CharlieCA

I forgot to add that these policies also include evacuation coverage ($1,000,000), which I figured would get me or my wife home after we were stabilized where our US insurance would cover us. The other great thing about Travel Ex is that it is primary insurance coverage, which is a big advantage over most other policies which are secondary coverage.

mistyal

i've studied all the wonderful advice given here; it is a treasure trove of wisdom and experience! I found a policy to meet my needs thru InsureMyTrip.com. It is Seven Corners Insurance Roundtrip Choice. It will give me 150K medical, 1 million med. evacuation, trip cancellation and lots more, for $176 for my particular trip of 2 weeks. It's insured thru Nationwide and has an A+ rating. Thanks to all who replied

qwovadis

insuremytrip.com usually can get lots more cost effectively

with Patriot and Amex both EXCELLENT AM Best rating...

for me usually from $2 per person per day for comp...

$15000 not much these days get lots more also comp best

for cancellation theft etc...

Saved my bacon during the Iceland volcano fiasco last year...

DebitNM

Trip cancellation insurance is HIGHLY recommended in case you get sick and cannot GO on the trip and thereby lose $$$$$ that you have paid for the trip.

Medical evacuation too, as others have pointed out.

lydialikestotravel

Iam traveling in a month with 2 grandchildren. I am 69 yo is this something I should look into? If the plan included medical evacuation, does it included getting all of us back home?

BTW I am in excellent health, but reading this thread has made me wonder.

Thanks,
Lydia

travelhorizons

It isn't that much more to get the $50,000 policy

DebitNM

<i> does it included getting all of us back home?
</i> I am not positive they would get to fly home with you on a med evac. To be sure, you need insurance for each person traveling, especially if you are the only adult and your grandchildren are minors. Can you imagine having a situation where you have to be flown home and they are left on there own?

lydialikestotravel

Thanks DebitNM!

Looks like I have to dig a little further and send emails to get more information. I don't think my daughter and son-in-law would appreciate having their minor children stranded.

Lydia