I didn't know about that, thanks for the info!

I needed it fast because we have an upcoming trip to Europe and I need to apply for Schengen visa either via the French Consulate General in SFO or the Netherlands Consulate in LAX ASAP.

Hence why I'd rather go with the faster and more familiar option due to the circumstances..

The one that is well regarded is medjetassist. A Houston woman, aligator handbag, St. John outfit, flying CO F, swore by it. I had the pleasure of sitting next to her for 3 hours while she told me the whole ordeal and .....ed about her useless ex husband. Flirted with me thought the flight. Touchy feeling, arm grabbing. She must be in her 60s. I am a guy in my 30s. Anyway...

This "cougar" got bailed out in Central America somewhere in a LearJet, no questions asked, no fuss. Shipped her to her hospital of choice. Texas somewhere.

She lived to tell the tale.

It's not cheap, but if I were doing extreme sports or at risk, that is what I would get

Hello! Access America’s Help Team here. Thank you for choosing Access America to insure your upcoming European vacation; we truly appreciate your business. Have safe and enjoyable travels, and please feel free to contact our help team at [email protected] if you have any questions prior to your trip, or visit our FAQ page at http://bit.ly/b4T45T.

All the Best,
Access America Help team

Criteria for determining if medical evacuation is "reasonable"?
 

Brushing the dust off this thread.
I am going on a trip to Albania (1st time)... based upon my reading about Albania & experience in other deep eastern Europe countries,
I would not want to have a major medical procedure, e.g. surgery performed there.... but the wording I find in most brand name TEI (Travel Evac Insurance) policies isn't clear about defining the quality of the hospital/doctor/after care.... Example from AIG:
The Travel Guard MedEvac Plan will provide assistance if you are hospitalized during your trip and it is recommended that you be transported to a close by, more adequately equipped hospital, or in some cases a hospital close to home.
I am a little worried about trusting a TEI call center staffer to make the right decision if they think, "you're in Tirana, largest city in Albania, you should have no problem getting adequate care for your <you name the major surgery>....
Comments? Experiences?
P.S. we have used travel insurance before (not for evacuation)... briefly: Backroads bike tour in Provence, France; wife had a nasty fall, bones broken, surgery required to put in pins/plate... care was excellent, cost reasonable (4X less than USA)... but Albania is not France.
Thanks!

No, Albania is not France. Some insurers so their own vetting of facilities, others use a list of approved facilities issued by the embassy of whatever country they are located in (The list published by the US Embassy is available online btw). Still others will use accreditation by an entity such as the Joint Commission International as their guide.

You have a couple of options. Go with that plan but be prepared to argue your case vigorously should you end up in a hospital you feel is substandard. Or, find a plan that specifically states they will repatriate you to your home country.

Thanks for the tip about the embassy list.... I found their list of physicians & medical facilities and they both have the same big disclaimer at the top:
https://al.usembassy.gov/wp-content/...-doctors-2.pdf (dated August 2016)
https://al.usembassy.gov/wp-content/...of-clinics.pdf (also dated August 2016)
DISCLAIMER: The U.S. Embassy in Tirana, Albania assumes no responsibility or liability for the professional ability or reputation of, or the quality of services provided by, the medical professionals, medical facilities or air ambulance services whose names appear on the following lists. Inclusion on this list is in no way an endorsement by the Department of State or the U.S. Embassy. Names are listed alphabetically, and the order in which they appear has no other significance. The information in the list on professional credentials and areas of expertise are provided directly by the medical professional, medical facility or air ambulance service; the Embassy is not in a position to vouch for such information. You may receive additional information about the individuals and facilities on the list by contacting local medical boards and associations or local licensing authorities.
Maybe I'll also check the British Embassy's web site as I find their warnings about local crime/terrorism/etc. better than the ones our embassies issue.... perhaps they have a vetted list of health care options.

Here's my experience so far:
I have never purchased medical insurance or evac insurance for vacations. However, I knew I wanted cancellation insurance for a cruise + land tour to Norway next year. $15k total.

So I read a million threads in the Insurance forum https://boards.cruisecritic.com/foru...vel-insurance/
on CruiseCritic, including

• Horror stories from people who relied up credit card insurance reimbursement (Chase Sapphire, Citi, etc. where the paperwork you faxed gets lost over and over again...)
• A lot of first-hand experiences from people who actually ended out filing claims with the travel insurance they purchased

Net: I ended out purchasing a policy from Trip Insurance Store https://tripinsurancestore.com/ underwritten by the insurance company Travel Insured.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5b9f4963ad.png


How I made the decision after reading all the threads:
I was approaching the deadline to purchase in order to get the pre-existing conditions inclusion.
(14 - 21 days, depending on which policy, after the first trip-related purchase )
I wanted that inclusion even I haven't missed a day of work for illness in... 5 years-ish... I just liked the idea of it. I also liked that it would force me to make a decision sooner vs later.

After reading multiple people raving about how helpful Steve the owner is, I phoned the Trip Insurance Store's number at 7pm central time on a Friday night, long after anyone 'should' have been there. Steve answered the phone. Even though he had a cold, he:

• thoroughly answered my "what-if" questions
• told me things I had not thought of
• promptly followed up with an email about his recommendations.

I felt guilty for taking his time at night when he was sick, but very appreciative for his help. Steve's recommendations cost less than what I thought I needed. Not sure I have ever met a business owner who actually tries to talk me into spending LESS than I had planned.

Anyone who answers the phone at that office is a subject-matter-expert rockstar brainiac. Moreover, based on all the first hand testimonials on CruiseCritic, if a claim must be filed and the insurance company pushes back, they will go to bat for the client. To me, this is HUGE.

Usually, I want to purchase whatever I buy directly from a seller. However, in this case, when a company like Trip Insurance Store, who I hope does a ton of business because they deserve it, goes to bat for me with an insurance company, the insurance company will take more notice than if only I, one individual consumer, argue with them. An insurance company would know that this seller has sway.

They also have a very informative website.
It's so awesome how they show, in plain-speak, the "strengths & quibbles"
for the insurance plans they sell
ex: (not the one I bought, but related to a discussion of trip insurance that covers all trips in a year)
RoamRight Multi-Trip Annual Trip Cancellation Insurance

I recently purchased the airline tickets (non-refundable first class Austin to Heathrow, on BA non-stop) part of my Norway trip.
To add that onto the policy I simply emailed Deanna dates and amount. She automatically added that onto the policy and charged my card for the incremental cost. No phone calls needed.

And WOW, after reading how much medical evacs while on vacation can be, I will never stray outside the bounds of my domestic US medical insurance coverage without it, even though I'm a healthy person. If something is going to go wrong enough to seek medical care on a trip, my guess is it would be a major accident. I will not always buy the cancellation insurance part though.

The one upgrade I purchased was "Makes medical and baggage coverage primary". Maybe a $35 fee.
After reading people describe how you'd have to first: file with your primary medical insurer, then: wait for it to reject since you were outside the US, I decided that the time and aggravation savings would be worth it.

I have the emergency evac insurance through Garmin that is avail with my inreach mini. Nothing else. I guess i am playing it fast and loose but that evac policy was only about $20 bucks (not sure if it is worth anything though).

If it's the GEOS program, it's up to a million dollars, which is more than adequate for pretty much anywhere in the world.

https://support.garmin.com/en-GB/?fa...286&tab=topics

I suggest double-checking what you have--that's in the range of their search and rescue insurance, not the evacuation insurance. That will pay to get you out of the wilderness, not to get you home.

Nothing replaces a careful read of the policy document itself. Summaries are useful to eliminate policies which are insufficient, but understanding what is covered and under what circumstances is critical. In addition, consider that not everything is black and white. What if you are injured and simply cannot fly for a month, but do not require evacuation or hospitalization? Will the policy cover a hotel, will it cover a companion. will it pay for you to be repatriated to the US or only to the nearest capable facility?

You might also want to post this on the Travel Insurance section of CruiseCritic:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/foru...vel-insurance/

We've used www.TripInsuranceStore.com to purchase policies. They are a broker, and handle policies from several vetted insurers.
In our case, we've had good experiences with Travel Insured; they pay claims promptly, without a lot of nonsense.

Also, if your concern is not wanting to have beancounters decide whether you have procedures "where you are" vs. "at home", you might look into

www.MedJetAssist.com

They ONLY provide medevac, and only *after* one is already admitted as an inpatient (not ER, not Observation, etc.).
But once you are, assuming you are medically stable enough for a full medevac (with proper ambulance type aircraft and medical personnel), then YOU get to decide to "take me home please" (or to any hospital of your choice in your country (for USA-based coverage).

What we like about that is that the decision isn't made by beancounters or by local medical staff who might find themselves in the awkward position of needing to declare themselves, uh, not quite competent for the medical/surgical needs, etc.

We get the annual policy, as it covers any trip more than 150 miles from home, so it then also includes business trips or trips to friends/family, and not just major overseas trips.

Prior to age 75, no medical underwriting needed. At age 75 (age at new policy date), they require modest medical records.

GC

I use Medipac Travel Insurance in my tour. Their service is Unbelievable!!

I'm pretty sure the State Department slaps that warning on their list of medical providers for every embassy regardless of the location. Here's the exact same text on the page from the London embassy:

https://uk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen...l-information/

And for Sydney:

https://au.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/doctors/

Not that I know anything about the state of medical practices in Albania, just that I wouldn't read anything into that disclaimer.

Anyone know of a good EU-based company for those taking cruises around the world (not just around Europe)? Since every serious issue that cannot be handled onboard requires evac by helicopter I assume that most regular insurance plans don't cover this... so it actually needs to be a specific plan that covers sea travel?