yerffej201

fyi, your travel insurance is no longer valid because you are visiting a country with a level 4 advisory, or that covid is a declared pandemic so it's now a known factor for trips. i'd also add that there are no shelter in place or social distancing policies in mexico whatsoever (according to my friend in mexico city), and who knows what kind of (asymptomatic) community transmission is out there. the risk of exposing yourself and others if you choose to visit mexico for leisure at this time is high and taking such a trip is VERY irresponsible. who knows what the risk is for getting stuck in a hospital

DavidO

The question of what travel insurance would and would not cover is a very complex matter. If you intend to cover a trip with travel insurance, I would definitely speak with the company on the phone to clarify whether the medical component of the policy would apply. In addition, I would definitely go with a company and policy that provides PRIMARY medical insurance. Many provide only secondary emergency medical coverage; you will be reimbursed only to the extent that your health insurance policy at home does not cover you.

stimpy

How would you know my insurance policy? In fact you are wrong.

As far as Mexico City, I indeed would not wish to visit there. I did mention the Yucatan which has natural social distancing in that it is a relatively empty place. I think remaining in place and not contributing to the economy is more irresponsible ONCE hospitals are in shape to take care of the sick. We aren't there in NYC and perhaps not Mexico City. But many other places in the world are ok in this respect or will be very soon.

Boraxo

The people of Mexico are indeed wonderful and took great care of my elderly inlaws who were stuck in Puerto Vallarta during a hurricane (we also weathered a tropical storm in Cabo). And my Spanish (and mobile phone) do just fine there. But I would disagree about the quality of health care in Mexico. Anyone who need major surgery (including emergency procedures) would be well advised to airlift back to a US hospital as soon as they are stabilized. Have heard more than a few horror stories about people seeking urgent care in Mexico.

And few US policies cover the cost of care overseas - at best you might be able to file an out of network claim. The vast majority of tourists do not have global health coverage or even per trip coverage (I personally rely on CSRs medical and evac coverage but have thankfully never needed to use it).

In short, while I have no apprehension about the safety of traveling to Mexico City or resort destinations in Mexico, I would not want to be stuck there if I caught coronavirus and needed a ventilator and ICU care. Particularly at resort locations.

As for the virus, it was - as recently reported - brought back to Mexico City by wealthy residents who went skiing in Vail, and is now spreading rapidly as is the case elsewhere.

stimpy

My global insurance is not US based. No worries there. And there are ICU's in Mexico with ventilators. And while it is highly unfair, people with a few bucks to spend get access to them. Especially in a region like the Yucatan. I don't think anyone with COVID-19 requires major surgery. Just help breathing. AFAIK.

yerffej201

I don't know your insurance policy. But most policies don't cover things like travel to war zones, travel to countries with pandemics, or travel to countries with UK/AU/NZ/CA/US travel advisories (of the highest level). These are common clauses that exclude coverage on such trips. So I'm definitely curious about the provider (and I might buy a policy of my own) if your coverage seems to be all encompassing. I don't know your thought process, but hospital capacity is only going to increase as we are nowhere (especially in Mexico) close to the peak of the curve.

doctoravios

To everyone who is planning on relying on insurance policies should their travel go wrong - don't! Your insurance policy might be worth nothing in a catastrophic situation.

There is absolutely no guarantee it will pay out even if your claim appears (from your perspective) to be within the terms of the policy, and even if it is, you could be waiting months or even years for a payout.

Travel insurance is designed for rare events which affect few people, not catastrophic events which affect entire populations.

LondonElite

I am honestly curious about your insurance coverage. Two weeks ago, just before the travel ban to the US was to come in force, we considered flying out to ride this out at our house in Florida. I called my Amex rep to see whether the global unlimited medical coverage still applied, and, after speaking. to the insurance team, was assured that all medical costs would be covered in full. I'm not confident that that would still be the response if I called and asked this question today, for travel booked today or tomorrow.

onlydbest

I, too, am curious about your non-US insurance. Who is the carrier? And can anybody just buy it when traveling?

stimpy

I'm not sure why insurance is so difficult to understand. You can get insured for anything. Professional athletes insure their bodies against injury impacting their income, which is far more likely to happen than any of us ending up in intensive care with this virus. For personal or small group policies, it is simply a matter of what you or your group is willing to pay. When I was working in Africa I enjoyed one of these small group policies that would have covered me even if I went into an Ebola zone.

However if you look at continental Europe (sorry UK) you will find that many government employees enjoy full global insurance that cover their travels. Especially hospital workers. And their families. And yes it works in ALL cases. No exceptions for pandemics.

GUWonder

Can you share the insurance provider’s name and policy info so others can buy the same insurance or how to otherwise try to get in on the same insurance coverage?

It’s possible to get insured for a lot of stuff, but insurance is only as good as the insurance provider or the backstop to the provider. And even massive reinsurance companies aren’t in for insuring everything.

LondonElite

Sure, but that's why we were asking. I know that I can pretty much insure what and how I want, depending on my willingness to pay the appropriate premium, but the typical travel insurance that comes with a credit card or which is bought in conjunction with a trip is usually more basic than that. Again, I'm pretty sure (but I don't know, should read policy again) that if I booked a trip on my Amex card to NYC and wound up in a hospital ICU for Covid-19 treatment, insurance might not be the same it was before.

stimpy

Well you could try google. Maybe enter "insurance africa war zone" to see companies that regularly provide such insurance.

But for EU government worker type of insurance, you can't get that unless you work there or are closely related to someone who works there.

LondonElite

So I just checked my Amex Centurion medical travel insurance section, which has the disclaimer that medical coverage is not provided if the government has advised against travel to that country.

stimpy

I think this group were the ones that covered me in Africa, even if I traveled into a War or Ebola zone.

https://www.rkhspecialty.com/

You will find that most ex-pats who work in sub-saharan Africa have such policies.