Insurance for foreign travel

[Passepartout]

I asked Paula if she wouldn't rather go home and I'd follow when I could. She said that would be the worst possible thing she could do. No, I stuck with her through her cancer diagnosis & treatment. She feels this is only fair. We're a team.

Jim

 

[sun starved Gayle]

Safe travel Jim and Paula. So sorry for all your troubles. Best wishes to you both.

 

[taffy19]

Jim, good luck flying home and that you may feel well enough to continue making your favorite trips to your bucket list.

My husband flew home once with a Registered Nurse sitting next to him and they sat me somewhere else on the plane.

The flight went well for him. The hospital prepped him with whatever he needed (catheter, air, etc). The nurse assisted him to our hospital at home and flew back the next day.

We now travel with a yearly policy in place with AirMed.com and they take care of everything by dialing an 800 number. We had no travel insurance then so learned our lesson.

Believe me, it is peace of mind for the spouse so we will keep using it as long we keep driving or flying more than 150 miles away from home.

We have been lucky enough to not have to use it but the peace of mind for the other spouse is worth the premium to us. You can read more on their website.

 

[VacationForever]

I can tell you how DW would do if it were me, total and complete panic and chaos. She would say yes to anything they asked.

I hope she is not reading this TUG thread!

 

[Steve Fatula]

I hope she is not reading this TUG thread!

She would give it a like! She knows this!

 

[Passepartout]

After much back and forth, phone, Skype, email, etc, it looks like our rescue nurse will pick us up, take us to Frankfurt, and fly out Thursday, me in Business and Paula in Econ Comfort. My doc is notified- Oh, and the pet kennel. So, HOME BY THURSDAY NIGHT! (Well, a VERY long Thursday.)

Thanks everyone for your support and good thoughts. As this irons out, I will post about our dealings with insurance.

Jim

 

[Luanne]

Jim, I'm looking forward to your post saying "We're home!".

 

[Passepartout]

At Frankfurt Airport United Business lounge. Liftoff in an hour or so. WooHoo!

 

[philemer]

At Frankfurt Airport United Business lounge. Liftoff in an hour or so. WooHoo!

Great news, Jim.

 

[Krteczech]

Have a safe trip home!

 

[Passepartout]

We are home. Thanks everyone, for the well-wishes. Now to dig into the 'why'. Oh, and catch up on some sleep. The insurance provided Rescue Nurse handled ALL the details. Checked my vitals every hour or two. Arranged for transportation from private cars to wheelchairs, shepherded us through two TSA 'pat downs', got us both upgraded seats, and generally became a new friend.

She said our 4 days together was fairly typical of her assignments. Some are much tougher. This woman is retired 27 year Air Force Veteran, Lt. Colonel, who brought lots of soldiers home on flying hospital, C-17 airplanes from the Middle East. She earned my respect, BIGLY!

Jim

 

[Glynda]

We are home. Thanks everyone, for the well-wishes. Now to dig into the 'why'. Oh, and catch up on some sleep. The insurance provided Rescue Nurse handled ALL the details. Checked my vitals every hour or two. Arranged for transportation from private cars to wheelchairs, shepherded us through two TSA 'pat downs', got us both upgraded seats, and generally became a new friend.c

She said our 4 days together was fairly typical of her assignments. Some are much tougher. This woman is retired 27 year Air Force Veteran, Lt. Colonel, who brought lots of soldiers home on flying hospital, C-17 airplanes from the Middle East. She earned my respect, BIGLY!

Jim

So glad it all worked out!

 

[WinniWoman]

We are home. Thanks everyone, for the well-wishes. Now to dig into the 'why'. Oh, and catch up on some sleep. The insurance provided Rescue Nurse handled ALL the details. Checked my vitals every hour or two. Arranged for transportation from private cars to wheelchairs, shepherded us through two TSA 'pat downs', got us both upgraded seats, and generally became a new friend.c

She said our 4 days together was fairly typical of her assignments. Some are much tougher. This woman is retired 27 year Air Force Veteran, Lt. Colonel, who brought lots of soldiers home on flying hospital, C-17 airplanes from the Middle East. She earned my respect, BIGLY!

Jim

Wow, Jim! Very glad to hear you are finally home. What an ordeal! That nurse sounds spectacular. Best wishes for a speedy full recovery.

 

[philemer]

Yahoooo...

 

[Magic1962]

Welcome home Jim, I have been following your story from beginning to end!!! Travel Insurance is a must when going out of the country.... I go to Africa and Europe every couple of years and would NEVER travel without a plan.... again welcome home... and get better. Dave....

 

[Passepartout]

A second Travel Health Insurance thought. Just looking through our home Medicare Advantage insurance- for those tempted to just travel on this and be reimbursed later. Average hospital stay for a pacemaker is 8 days. Our M/A co-pay is $300 per day. The travel insurance we bought is $ ZERO co-pay, ZERO deductible, PRIMARY insurance. No one has asked for any payment AT ALL. We agreed to pay the German hospital for an upgraded semi-private room (78€/ day), but there was no bill when we left.

I don't know that we will ever see an accounting of what the insurance has-or will pay, but the fact that it's primary and how they handled the evacuation speaks volumes. All the travel health insurance we've ever bought is now well paid for!

 

[Passepartout]

Deleted [duplicate]

 

[Luanne]

Jim, so glad to hear you are safely home!

 

[silentg]

Glad you and your wife arrived home safely. Nothing like sleeping in your own bed.
Rest up and get well soon.
Silentg

 

[taffy19]

Happy to read that you are home safe and sound, Jim.

 

[Passepartout]

I feel good. Better in fact than when we left for this trip. I will be following up with a cardiology team. All the release papers and test results are in German. Typing it into Google Translate works pretty well, but I suspect the local docs will have more questions than I have answers.

I just can't stress enough- especially if you are on Medicare, BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE! It must be PRIMARY. Otherwise if you have a medical emergency, payment will first be sought from your home insurance, and it may just not be enough. For instance, my Medicare supplement has told me that they will pay up to what Medicare pays. AND you MUST submit itemized billing IN ENGLISH- Something we found impossible in our circumstance. But I would have been subject to $300/day co-pay in the hospital, and a fee for ER admittance. Plus 20% co-pay on procedures. SO FAR I have paid just 36€ to be admitted. PERIOD. Nothing for 9 days hospitalization.. Nothing for the Pacemaker. Nothing for Pneumonia treatment. Nothing for Echocardiogram. Nothing for cardiac Catheritization. Nothing for the Rescue Nurse. Nothing for Business and First Class airfare & limos to get home. NOTHING. (yet). Stay tuned.

As I said above. I feel good. I also feel very lucky. To have fallen ill exactly where some of the best care anywhere could be provided. To have had a wife who stuck with me and to have had the good fortune to have bought enough PRIMARY insurance to pay for it humbles me. This could very easily have resulted in a very different outcome.

More as treatment- and billing- continues.

Jim

 

[Passepartout]

Just a quick update after a week at home. I FEEL GREAT! More stamina, sleeping better. I've been to my 'regular' doctor. He agrees 100% with the diagnosis and care I got in Germany. He DID order a repeat of a blood panel and set me up with a local cardiologist- and get this- a 'pacemaker group' or clinic or something. Who knew there is such a thing. That's next week, so stay tuned.

One group I've neglected to mention that I think deserves high praise. AMAWaterways and 'Friends of Dave' https://www.rivercruiseking.com/. We were on their river cruise called 'Castles and Wine' when I just ran out of breath and couldn't keep up. The Cruise manager INSISTED that I 'Just go get a scan' and assured me that he'd stick with me as long as necessary and get me to and from the hospital. He said this was the best medical facility we would be close to and that we were moving into an area with not as good care. As soon as I was admitted, he took Paula back to the boat to pack up for both of us and the local agent (you know that person who is on your local papers every time a cruise ship docks- that you ignore- well this is what they do) picked Paula and our bags and got her into a hotel near the hospital. AMA called EVERY DAY. The local agent and his wife came to the hospital to visit 3-4 times including taking us to an excellent 'Weinstuben'- gourmet restaurant IN the hospital grounds (it has the second largest winery in Germany- and endows their nursing home and hospice care).

Today, the doorbell rang and there was a guy with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for us from AMAWaterways President and owner. If we ever consider another European- or S.E. Asian river cruise, there is no doubt in my mind that AMAWaterways is one we would more than just consider.

Still no bills.

Jim

 

[Helaine]

Today, the doorbell rang and there was a guy with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for us from AMAWaterways President and owner. If we ever consider another European- or S.E. Asian river cruise, there is no doubt in my mind that AMAWaterways is one we would more than just consider.

That is truly amazing! You just don't see that kind of caring from the head of a large business - or his people - very often any more.

I really want to try AMAWaterways now! I had heard they were good - now they sound fabulous.

 

[Icc5]

My tablet started acting up as I was starting to write questions. Can you condense above and please answer a few questions since you seem to have found a great company to work with.
Name of company,cost, is it per trip or per year?
Thank you and glad you are doing so much better.
Bart

 

[Passepartout]

My tablet started acting up as I was starting to write questions. Can you condense above and please answer a few questions since you seem to have found a great company to work with.
Name of company,cost, is it per trip or per year?
Thank you and glad you are doing so much better.
Bart

All the details are in post #1, and in #11. Global Alert, through www.squaremouth.com per trip based on trip cost. The cost of this trip policy was $720 for both of us.

Jim