TMWeddle

We will be going to Ireland on our own in the fall. Do experts here on this board think that travel insurance is a good idea in case of health or accident problems? We are both over mid-fifties and have had our share of health concerns but nothing that stops us.

Thank you!!

Underhill

We routinely buy travel insurance now so we don't have to worry about paying for medical evacuation in the event of an emergency and/or for an early flight home in case of an injury or illness.

WillTravel

I think there's no argument that you absolutely should have adequate health/evacuation insurance.

The argument arises in respect to whether you should get trip cancellation/interruption insurance. The main factor there for me would be how large a nonrefundable outlay you have.

Christina

oh, sure I can argue about that (medical evacuation). I do think one should have health coverage, of course.

I do not buy medical evacuation insurance routinely, depending where I travel. I have not traveled to a third-world country with poor medical care in some years. If I did, I would buy it. I do not buy it to go to Paris, for example, because I would have no particular desire or need to be evacuated if I fell ill in Paris. I would rather stay there.

That is a personal decision and depends on personal circumstances, also, of course. HOwever, if that is the goal, one should be very careful as to what policy they buy and what it covers, as a lot will not cover voluntary or arbitrary medical evacuation. It has to be a medical necessity, which would not usually be the case in Western European countries.

TuckH

The answer to your question IMO is YES. You'll see that it's not that expensive...

http://insuremytrip.com/p/myquotecal...&rid=40312

Underhill

About medical evacuation: sometimes special arrangements are needed to get one home from wherever an accident took place, AFTER the injury has been treated and one's condition stabilized. That's when insurance can play a major role. The husband of a friend suffered an ultimately fatal accident on St. Maarten and had to be air-lifted to Miami for treatment, for a cost of well over $10,000.

kismetchimera

Do you have the name of a good insurance company that specialize in travel?

Underhill

We use CSA, which is based in San Diego.

abram

We get both cancellation and medical evacuation coverage.

I agree with the recommendation of comparing policies at www.insuremytrip.com

Sue4

I chose Access America (which I found on the Insuremytrip.com site) for my last 2 trips abroad. They seemed to have good medical/evacuation benefits, and and the trip cancellation can be for as little as $500, which would cover a little something is you missed a flight. It's pretty reasonably priced, and worth the peace of mind.
By the way,Medicare DOES NOT cover for anything outside of the US. Some of the medigap policies do, but alot don't. So, be aware of that, if you're on Medicare!

rex

While this is not based on personal experience, I think that the actual benefits of &quot;evacuation&quot; insurance are VERY limited for travel in Europe. The key clause is that standards of care can not be met in the country where your illness or accident occurs. Not likely to exist in most of Europe. It is not a sufficient condition that you simply <i>rather</i> be treated in an American hospital/setting.

On the only personal experience I have encountered during travel, five of sixteen people had to get home pronto for an unexpected death in the family. None had purchased insurance. They had one train ride (Avignon to Paris) to buy out of their own pocket; Delta accommodated them on a next flight out basis for no out-of-pocket expense. A fax from the funeral home proved very valuable in establishing the need.

I remain unimpressed by the value of travel insurance for health or unexpected trip interruption benefits.

Best wishes,

Rex

kybourbon

Rex - What about medical expenses if you do become ill abroad? While your US medical insurance will cover it they will only reimburse you after you return and file claims. Trip insurance will take care of it so you are not out of pocket.

Your friends were lucky they didn't have to pay big $$$ to fly home as that is not always the case.

rex

Silly me - - up at this late hour, and still drawn to take a late night peek at the forum.

My 24 trips to Europe reflect the travels of about 60 people, or probably about 500-600 person-travel days. If insurance had been purchased every time, for every person, it would have been an expense of $2000 to $6000, depending on the type of policy and the year it was purchased.

And the covered expenses that would have been paid back in benefits? Zero.

Have I ever seen someone lose a day of travel due to illness? Sure. But it didn't involve seeing a doctor. (In fact, I spent the better part of the day waylaid by some kind of gastroenteritis in Geneva on my first trip to Europe at age 15, in 1969).

For what it's worth, I use the same kind of analysis when refusing &quot;the coverage&quot; on renting cars. There's another $5000 I figure I have saved - - personally - - over a lifetime. And I'm out about $1500 or so (in damages I paid for, in person), if memory serves me correctly.

Excluding those folks who save decades to take one trip to Europe in a lifetime (maybe they should buy all kinds of insurances), I recommend that you should have the ability to absorb a financial catastrophe equal to the entire cost of a trip to Europe (for one person) - - in your everyday life, not just in your travels. If I had didn't have that kind of financial cushion in my life, I suppose I wouldn't be as comfortable with the ordinary risks of traveling - - in the US or abroad.

sandi

Especially if you have prepaid for hotels, tours, car rental, etc. you should have insurance should something occur while on holiday. Cancellation and Interruption would cover you for a delay getting to the airport due to an accident on the roadway. It would cover for lost or delayed luggage. And as far as medical, it doesn't have to be a catostrophic disease, but a trip on uneven ground that finds you in a cast. And once in a cast, while you might be able to continue your trip, you are likely to need more than one (1) seat on the plane for your return home.

Insurance policies have changed over the years and you can pick and choose just what you feel you need. So as others have suggested check:
www.insuremytrip.com
where many of the major companies are listed showing their offerings - I'm sure you can find the right one for your situation. But do be sure to read the details (small prints) on all of these as to what is included and what is not.

We've used both CSA and Access America over the years, and at least we go with some peace of mind. Thankfully, we've never needed to file a claim; regardless the investment of a few hundred dollars was to us just the cost of travel.

Review the above site and make your decision based on the information contained there.

kybourbon

It is expensive if you add all of your trips together and I never worried about it until my sister saw an American have a heart attack at her hotel in the islands and they wanted $2000 cash upfront to treat him. He needed to be evacuated back to the states but everyone wanted to make sure they got their money first. Not a good situation.

I bought insurance(first time) on my last trip and so did everyone traveling with me. We all had relatives at home in bad health and I had a type 1 diabetic traveling with me. Sometimes peace of mind is worth the $$.