Health Insurance - Do You Buy It?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by wingssail

I personally don't understand the overwhelming need to "Get Back Home".



To me the need is to get where I can obtain excellent care. If I am not in Thailand, maybe I fly to Thailand, not the USA. Or where ever is close. But that might just be the capital city of whatever country I'm in.



You have to go to the US to get surgery for detached retina? My friend got that surgery (successfully) in Manzanillo Mexico, 45 min drive from her boat, in an amazing facility, and no waiting.



Besides, fly home? My home is on my boat.

I agree , unless you are in very remote areas the standard of emergency healthcare is often very good, even if different to exactly what you’d get “ back home “

[gpridgen]

I think the point may have been lost, perhaps is that if you have coverage at home (free or already paid for) but it will not pay for services abroad, you may want to try and get "home". If you are happy to self-insure at home, you don't need insurance abroad, as costs will almost certainly be less than in North America for private pay.
There are probably exceptions however.

[sailcrazy]

Well....it's your life, the only one you'll get, and if you like to play russian roulette-be my guest! I agree-some of the care you can experience ( ie, in Bangkok, or Penang, or other places we've been) are exemplary , way less costly than in the US, and impressive by any standard! And then there are others. Some of the things we've encountered in Asia, and the Medd, make you wish you had a chance to go-- anywhere else. Even some places we've seen in the Caribb are OK.....but clearly not up to US standards. Play roulette if you chose, but for me and mine-I want the best care we can get......as if your life depends on it!

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by sailcrazy

Well....it's your life, the only one you'll get, and if you like to play russian roulette-be my guest! I agree-some of the care you can experience ( ie, in Bangkok, or Penang, or other places we've been) are exemplary , way less costly than in the US, and impressive by any standard! And then there are others. Some of the things we've encountered in Asia, and the Medd, make you wish you had a chance to go-- anywhere else. Even some places we've seen in the Caribb are OK.....but clearly not up to US standards. Play roulette if you chose, but for me and mine-I want the best care we can get......as if your life depends on it!

So if you are in a place where you don't think the care is good enough you fly somewhere where it is, if you can move at all. What is really playing russian roulette is going to those dodgy places in the first place.

But I am sort of wondering what exactly was you point? Was it somehow about insurance?

[wjuarbe]

Any suggestion for insurance coverage around the world, excluding the USA.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by dannc

People need to think about what how will they make it home if they have a serious health issue in another country. It is not just about getting quality care, and/or paying for the care, but just getting back home.

I read quite a few Irish newspapers, and I remember at least one person, who had a serious health issue either in the US or CA. Their problem was they wanted/needed to get back to Ireland to be near family, but that was going to cost a small fortune because they could not fly back on a commercial flight. The family was asking for donations to get the person back home.

Later,
Dan

My wife had a client broke both legs in Spain. The repatriation flight was $50k and this was almost 20yrs ago.

One issue is you may be able to get medical care in another country but it's very isolating if you don't speak the language. Also, miscommunications can cause treatment issues...and before someone says it, it's nice to say learn the local language or some doctors are trained in your home country but that's not realistic if you will be moving around a lot. Certainly not having a firm enough grasp for the complications of dealing with medical issues. So returning home for a major problem has value.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by thinwater

The other thing to consider is pre-existing conditions. For example, if you get cancer or some other expensive condition, you won't be able to buy insurance for that ever again. It's all yours, because you had a gap in coverage.

Just sayin'.

Where?

If you are referring to the USA, that's one part of obamacare that was good. They eliminated preexisting conditions as a consideration.

I would expect most govt run healthcare systems to cover preexisting conditions.

[Joh.Ghurt]

Originally Posted by wjuarbe

Any suggestion for insurance coverage around the world, excluding the USA.

Quite a lot of insurances offer this around here, usually limited to 5 years of travel. For example: https://www.hansemerkur.de/langfrist...versicherungen

If you want to add coverage for the USA and Canada, the rate is tripled. This tells a lot about the cost-efficiency of the American healthcare system. It's the most expensive in the world.