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Travel Insurance over 70

Travel Insurance over 70

Old Dec 26, 2013, 2:13 pm
  #1  
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Travel Insurance over 70

I am writing to ask if your medicare supplement policy has international travel transport included? If yes, please tell me the insurance company. Any suggestions you have for travel insurance for people over 70 would be welcome. Some companies we have been working with in the past now won't insure us over at the age limit--in spite of our relative good health.
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Old Dec 26, 2013, 2:27 pm
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Some policies do, others do not. Emergency treatment and limited transport for medical reasons is included in our HMO Medicare policy, even if overseas (but - it's reimbursement, which means it comes from your pocket initially), for example.

But - for many years we have been members of DAN (Divers Alert Network), which offers within their membership emergency medical transport when you are 50 miles or more from home, and there is no age restriction or requirement the medical emergency be diving related. Lady JDiver no longer dives, but we continue with the Family Membership because of the medevac; we know people who have used the medevac (via Travel Assist, who authorizes the evacuation).

$100,000 Medical Evacuation Coverage
for all listed family members
DAN Members receive $100,000 of emergency medical evacuation assistance coverage. This benefit is valid for diving and nondiving medical emergencies anytime you travel more than 50 miles from home.
It also includes TravelAssist: "DAN TravelAssist offers around-the- clock access to skilled support such as prescription assistance, medical monitoring, emergency messaging, translator referrals and more."

We pay $55 annually for Family Membership ($35 for individual membership).

A bit off topic perhaps, but we buy travel insurance via www.insuremytrip.com, which allows one to read the detailed rules prior to purchasing; it usually returns 25-30 available policies for our perusal.

Last edited by JDiver; Dec 26, 2013 at 9:44 pm
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Old Dec 26, 2013, 2:40 pm
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And be careful of the specific limitations on air evacuation. Not all policies bring you back home. Many only provide transport to a medical center capable of dealing with your specific condition.
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Old Dec 26, 2013, 5:27 pm
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That's actually what you need - evacuation to the nearest medical facility that can provide the requisite level and expertise of care. When in a remote area (such as when we have dived Papua New Guinea, for example - the proper prescription there is "when in pain, take the plane" - usually Cairns, Queensland, Australia, not to northern California.

Fortunately, DAN membership medevac will do that, but may extend considerably beyond that: a friend who became seriously ill in Playa del Carmen, Q. R. (Mexico) was evacuated from CUN to SMF, so she could not only receive the necessary care level, but also receive the proper support.

Originally Posted by Often1
And be careful of the specific limitations on air evacuation. Not all policies bring you back home. Many only provide transport to a medical center capable of dealing with your specific condition.
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Old Jan 12, 2014, 7:48 pm
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JDiver, thanks for the reminders and links.

My husband very recently had the need for emergency eye surgery while at home. I ended up driving him to another city for the care he needed as it was a New Year's holiday time and the local medical folks had closed their office. The answering service refered him to a doc who was willing to wait for me to drive to her office. It was a nerve racking drive in heavy traffic.

We were ping ponged around the DFW area from one doc to another until he had repair surgery a couple days later.

You just never know when the unexpected can happen. We were too close to home for the travel insurance to help out with expenses but our traditional medicare policy has worked well so far (no travel expenses covered). The part of the travel insurance that I really felt would have helped was the referral service....not available to us so close to home.

He seems to be doing well, but it was a reminder to us that you don't need to be far from home to be searching madly for medical care especially on a holiday.

My best wishes to all for a healthy and happy New Year!
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Old Jan 13, 2014, 11:17 pm
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Never thought about that part of the process--thanks for the insight!
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Old Jan 14, 2014, 8:58 am
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Originally Posted by alpenrose
Never thought about that part of the process--thanks for the insight!
The need for a wise and knowledgable connection to a local physician has been on my list of connections to have when traveling (via good travel insurane) but the idea that we would be in trouble for lack of medical care on a major holiday in a huge US metropolitan city had not passed through my mind.

I worked my iPhone Contacts List very hard (and his iPhone Contacts List as well).

After his surgery was over and done with, I talked with many people who said that they would have had no idea what to do and may well have gone to an ER in a major hospital.

Part of the 'joy' of aging is learning how to gather information and how to make the best possible decisions. I think that we've come out OK on this one as husband is doing well, but my frustration at the time was the feeling that we were not doing as well as we needed to do.
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Old Jan 17, 2014, 10:25 pm
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Let me make sure I understand: when you say you "worked the IPhone lists very hard". What exactly do you mean? Just calling his local friends and contacts? Were there doctors on his "contacts" list? Thank you for the guidance!
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Old Feb 10, 2014, 5:58 am
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That's another reason I carry DAN and would feel comfortable relying on Travel Assist - if I am 50 miles or more from home, they can "let their fingers do the walking" and contacts, and get evacuated to the proper place. Of course, you were AT home, and that had to be a harrowing experience! (Honestly, I'd probably still call on them and ask if they can assist me in finding what I need - even if I had to do that on a pay-for-service concept or let them tell me they can't help me.)

Originally Posted by oldpenny16
JDiver, thanks for the reminders and links.

My husband very recently had the need for emergency eye surgery while at home. I ended up driving him to another city for the care he needed as it was a New Year's holiday time and the local medical folks had closed their office. The answering service refered him to a doc who was willing to wait for me to drive to her office. It was a nerve racking drive in heavy traffic.

We were ping ponged around the DFW area from one doc to another until he had repair surgery a couple days later.

You just never know when the unexpected can happen. We were too close to home for the travel insurance to help out with expenses but our traditional medicare policy has worked well so far (no travel expenses covered). The part of the travel insurance that I really felt would have helped was the referral service....not available to us so close to home.

He seems to be doing well, but it was a reminder to us that you don't need to be far from home to be searching madly for medical care especially on a holiday.

My best wishes to all for a healthy and happy New Year!
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Old Feb 10, 2014, 10:14 am
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Originally Posted by JDiver
That's another reason I carry DAN and would feel comfortable relying on Travel Assist - if I am 50 miles or more from home, they can "let their fingers do the walking" and contacts, and get evacuated to the proper place. Of course, you were AT home, and that had to be a harrowing experience! (Honestly, I'd probably still call on them and ask if they can assist me in finding what I need - even if I had to do that on a pay-for-service concept or let them tell me they can't help me.)
Thanks JDiver, husband is now fine but are nerves on still on edge. If I had been able to think straight at the time, I would have driven him 60 miles from home and then called DAN to ask for advice

As it was we ended up with the right help at the right time with the best possible results. He is now cleared to fly so life goes on.

To answer a question above about why I was making so many calls from my iPhone contacts list: yes I telephoned his docs but as it was a holiday weekend, I got answering services. I also telepphoned friends as we ended emotional support.

Until you have been in a situation such as this, it is hard to understand how darn tired both the patient and the helpers get. We were so tired we'd put down a piece of paperwork and then not be able to find it again. Our minds were not functioning as well as one would hope but we made the best decisions we could do at the time.
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