Kathie

I think I've mentioned this before, but I have found a way to get inexpensive medical evacuation insurance through a not-for-profit called Divers Alert Network. It's an organization (obviously) for divers, but the "TravelAssist" and Med Evac insurance that is a membership benefit is good for any kind of accident ot illness at least 50 miles from home. The family rate for this is $44 a year!

"As a DAN Member, you automatically receive DAN TravelAssist and up to $100,000 of evacuation assistance coverage. Effective for both diving and non-diving injuries, this benefit is provided by MedAire, a world leader in emergency evacuation services. Your evacuation coverage begins when you are traveling at least 50 miles/80 km from home and call DAN TravelAssist to arrange your evacuation."

I found this through reports in International Travel News, and all the reviews from people who had to use it were very positive. website: www.diversaltertnetwork.org

rhkkmk

kathie...i think you did an rhkkmk---typo...

www.diversalertnetwork.org

i think you had an extra t,,,,

looks good...

Kathie

oops - you are so right Bob. Good catch.

divediva

kathie...i have been a member of divers alert network since 1988....great organization...

do you have any recommendations for general trip insurance???

sandi

divediva -

Many here recommend:

www.insuremytrip.com

which offers comprehensive travel cancel/inerrupt, baggage delay/lost, flight delay and medical/evacuation.
There are other policies for medical only and/or for evac only. You can also compare policies/prices. If you have specific questions, there's an 800# to call.

Check out the site and see what's what.

Kathie

divediva, I guessed you'd be a member of DAN!

I don't use general trip insurance. My approach is to insure only for what I couldn't manage on my own. So I carry med evac (as medical evacuations can be very costly). My own medical insurance covers me world-wide. If I had to cancel a trip, I could reschedule my transpacific flights for $100. My credit card provides coverage for lost baggage, etc. This approach isn't for everyone, but it works for me.

rhkkmk

kathie --i assume you have checked out if this company will do SEA destinations for med-evac??

bob

laurieco

Have any non divers joined? I went to the web site trying to figure out if you need to be a diver to join, i.e., will they ask if you are certified by PADI or other organization? There was no indication but it does seem to good to be true. I only went scuba diving once, I hardly think that qualifies me as a diver but I would like to join just for the med evac for me and Eric.

Kathie

Laurie, no you don't need to be a diver. (I'm not.) And for $44 a year for a family it's an unbeatable deal. I've been carrying this insurance for a number of years. A friend of mine had to be med evac'd out of India which made me think about this issue. Rarely does someone need to be med evac'd, but if you do it can be VERY expensive.

Bob, they do med evac worldwide. One of the stories I read in ITN was an older couple (which simply means older than I am, so it keeps moving up) who had to be med evac'd out of Nepal... The group they use for med evacs is one of several that are highly recommended.

When I first signed up with them, I called and talked with someone just to be sure about several things. They were lovely on the phone.

Kathie

Laurie, I was thinking about you when I posted this, as Malaysian Borneo is a place you want to get out of if you get very ill or injured! The jungle lodge where we are staying recommends that people have med evac insurance.

Also, for those who are divers, DAN has some special additional dive insurance available at good rates. If you aren't a diver, all you want is the basic membership, which provides the med evac insurance.

laurieco

Thanks Kathie. You are right, going to Borneo has made me think about what on earth I'd do if either one of us had an accident or became ill. I don't think I would want to take a chance at a hospital in Sandakan or Kuching, and, at Batang Ai, we will be out in the middle of nowhere. It's one of those things you hope you never have to use but it's best to be prepared for the worst. We took a chance when we went into the Bolivian jungle last year but I don't feel like testing our luck again!

maryanne1

Looked at insuremytrip.com,but not sure what insurance if you only need for medical evacuation and medical such as Dr. hospital, etc.also Being on Medicare I am not covered outside the US. Like Kathie says it is easy enough to pay $100.00 to change a flight so that would not need to be covered. Also when you can cancel your hotel up to several days before insurance would not be needed for that.
Just medical care and evacuation is the insurance I would like to know from experience on people posting on Fodor which one would you consider to be the best?

BostonHarbor

This is a tad off the direct topic, but I had the unique treat to meet Bob and Karen yesterday(rhkkmk)at an Indian film at the MFA in Boston and they thought that Fodorites would be interested in the travel insurance I bought for my upcoming trip to India.

I bought from a company called CSA travel protection for two reasons. First, they were pretty competitive rate wise, but the main reason was that I am traveling with a person unrelated to me and they are the only company I found (and believed me I looked) that considers all the close relatives of your traveling companion your "family members" as well--for purposes of a family emergency being a "covered reason" to cancel the trip. Travelex, who I have used in the past, told me very clearly that they did not cover relatives of your traveling companion as "family" Two other companies told me the same thing.

I travel often with my girlfriend--my old college roommate. This time we are traveling to India for 23 days on our own (a private tour). We both have elderly parents, kids, and lots of relatives. If one of us were to have a family emergency that required our cancelling the trip, it would be awful for the other--23 days in India alone isn't what we had planned. We would want to reschedule the trip. CSA was the only company that I could find (fordorites, however, may know of others) that would allow both of us to cancel should their be a covered family emergency.

In the CSA insurance certificate states under definition of "Family memberquot;

"Family member includes your or *your traveling companion's* dependent, spouse, child, spouse's child, son/daughter-in-law, parents, siblings, brother/sister, grandparents, grandchild, step-brother/sister/parent/in-laws, uncle, niece nephew, domestic partner, foster child or ward" There are no "preexisting illness" caveats for family members.

This insurance is a good option for anyone who is traveling on a major trip with someone with whom they are not legally related.

rhkkmk

kathie---i ahve asked my daughter about this insurance...it was her feeling that the med evac was only if you had a diving accident...they used to be members and that is her recollection....maybe you should check that out if you have not already...

BH---enjoyed meeting you and look forward to oct 15....thanks for posting all of this for other fodorites... 'hiz honr'

bob

bob

cruisinred

Thanks Kathie. I just joined today. $44 a year is such a deal. I am off to Costa Rica tomorrow and SEA in the spring. I hope I will never have to use the med evac, but the peace of mind is definitely worth the price.

cruisinred

Oh,and just to follow-up on Bob's point, the MedEvac does cover you for non-diving emergencies.

"As a DAN Member, you automatically receive DAN TravelAssist and up to $100,000 of evacuation assistance coverage. Effective for both diving and non-diving injuries"

The travel insurance feature that comes with membership also incudes things like legal/bail(!) assistance, and sending forgotten perscription meds or glasses to you on your trip. I thought it looked like a really good deal for the price.

Also, for anyone travelling with kids or by yourself, it covers airfare to send the kids home without you and airfare to fly a friend/family member to you, if you are in the hospital somewhere.

Kathie

Bob, I am not a diver so I did indeed, ask that question. It is very clear on their website that the med evac insurance is for any kind of medical emergency occuring at least 50 miles from home. I also spoke with them on the phone and reconfirmed this. Crusinred provides the quote from the website as I did in my original post.

KimJapan

Note that you must be a resident of their eligible areas...from their FAQ.

"I live outside the United States. Can I get DAN America insurance?

We have recently expanded our insurance coverage. We can now insure all of North, Central and South America, the Caribbean and many other locations. Please check with DAN headquarters to find out if you are eligible."

Kathie

Topping for a new question about med evac insurance.