Trip/Personal Injury Insurance - St. Lucia
 

Hello,
We booked air and Villa in St. Lucia only to learn after the fact, the Villa provided a required contract stating they are not liable for any injury that may occur on the property etc. They are vary accommodating and offer a refund, but other locations are either booked, or out of price range.

We are seeking a reputable company for personal injury/trip insurance to avoid canceling this trip.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

First, if you are looking for coverage to protect you from third party claims check with your insurance agent to see if the liability portion of your homeowner's / tenant's policy will cover you if something happens in St. Lucia. Most policies have "world wide coverage" and can be endorsed for such coverage for a small premium. If not, see if your insurance broker can furnish you with a separate liability policy.

Now, if you are looking for "trip insurance" (i.e. to cover injury to yourself or a family member or to provide medical evacuation or medical expense coverage while you are in St. Lucia or to reimburse you for lost luggage, weather related cancellations, etc.) go to www.insuremytrip.com - you'll be able to compare terms of coverage and premiums for score of policies from many different companies. Read and understand the terms of the policy you purchase to make sure it will cover the risk you want to insure against.

Thanks much @RoamsAround ! We are looking for trip insurance, as friends of ours were unable to have surgery in St. Lucia without paying nearly $2k in cash and had to have the money wired. We were told to be very careful traveling there as a result. We are not normally concerned about such matters but anything could happen.

I think you may be confusing "coverage issues" with "acceptance/payment issues". You MAY NOT need to purchase extra insurance.

While a specific insurance policy - such as your current medical insurance - might cover you for a given loss such as emergency medical treatment in a foreign country there's no guarantee that the hospital/doctor providing the treatment in that country will accept payment directly from the insurance company.

In most cases, when you incur medical expenses while traveling in a foreign country the provider will require that you pay for the treatment at the time it is rendered. They usually DO NOT accept payment from directly from insurance companies, especially those issued by a company in a different country. You have to pay for the treatment yourself then seek reimbursement from your insurance carrier when you return to your home country.

So, if you are concerned about paying for medical care while traveling, first check with your medical insurance carrier to see if your policy covers you while traveling (most do). If so, you won't have to purchase any additional insurance since you'll already have "coverage". If you do incur medical expenses make sure get proper receipts and copies of your medical records so you can submit your claim for reimbursement.

If you don't have medical insurance that will cover you when traveling (and you want to be insured) you'll have to purchase a policy but remember it's doubtful that the doctor/hospital in the foreign country will file a claim on your behalf and accept payment from the insurance company.

Thanks again @RoamsAround ! Right, I am aware that we have coverage yet I am told by several that the hospitals in this area still require cash/uprfont out of pocket for treatment. Our personal health insurance does offer out of network benefits but the hospital must be willing to comply and fill out the appropriate forms. In any case, this is a good exercise in trip preparedness that we had not considered previously as we mostly travel within the USA.

Thanks again!