Health Insurance for Cruisers - What do you use ?

[hellosailor]

Rebel, you can't bank on the pending changes in ObamaCare. The Supremes have the case this season, and could very well throw the whole plan out. I would argue (as have a majority of the state attorney generals) that ObamaCare as implemented is unconstitutional, it is an attempt to force every citizen to buy something.

Obviously one can make the point that national health would be "for the public good" and the Supremes could try making new law instead of throwing it out, but IMO Obama did the same thing that Bill & Hillary did when they promised national healthcare--and then blamed Congress for shooting it down. This plan was intended to fail, from the start. He could have very easily implemented it in other ways that would not have required new law, or new theory, and totally avoided the court challenges.

Any product of the Chicago Democratic Machine ain't dumb, he's a player. I wouldn't bet a dime on which way the Supremes are going to throw this fight.

[NCountry]

Shoot me an IM with your e-mail addy. I'll pass it along to someone (my mother-in-Law) that can quote this for you. We've sold several policies to folks that not only covers the medical expense but also repatriation should you need it... (hope I'm within the rules here by posting this...)

[downunder]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Yep, through these guys:

https://www.bupainternational.com/

Bupa has just recently taken over on of the big medical insurance companies in AUS so you should be covered here? and us in USA ?

Most likely not even with that international name. Don't know. Just surmising.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Rebel, you can't bank on the pending changes in ObamaCare. The Supremes have the case this season, and could very well throw the whole plan out. I would argue (as have a majority of the state attorney generals) that ObamaCare as implemented is unconstitutional, it is an attempt to force every citizen to buy something.

Obviously one can make the point that national health would be "for the public good" and the Supremes could try making new law instead of throwing it out, but IMO Obama did the same thing that Bill & Hillary did when they promised national healthcare--and then blamed Congress for shooting it down. This plan was intended to fail, from the start. He could have very easily implemented it in other ways that would not have required new law, or new theory, and totally avoided the court challenges.

Any product of the Chicago Democratic Machine ain't dumb, he's a player. I wouldn't bet a dime on which way the Supremes are going to throw this fight.

Glad to see this isn't becoming political.

[sailrj]

My Medicare supplement pays 80% outside the US and has a medivac for major stuff- that's not going to do a 40 year old any good, though. Sorry about that.

[bgallinger]

Basic medical care is fine and affordable in most developing countries. A tooth extraction in Brazil might cost you $40. For serious life threatning issues consider medical evacuation insurance to get you home!

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by sailrj

My Medicare supplement pays 80% outside the US and has a medivac for major stuff- that's not going to do a 40 year old any good, though. Sorry about that.

You also might want to check the fine print. I don't think its going to cover you if you are long-term cruising. They only cover short-term vacation like trips.

[youmeandthed]

How can it be unconstitutional for a government to force you to pay for something. I'm sure many people would argue Taxing a population to go out and fight wars for no good reason would be spending money against the populous will and could be considered unconstitutional, or how about bailing out banks so they can funnel all the extra cash into their bank accounts and leave the poor ever poorer. All governments spend their peoples money in stupid ways, no matter what country.

In Canada we spend less money on health care because it is not (as much of) a profiteering racket. Our governments have still spent our money on stupid stuff (99 stupid things the government spent your money on (IV) - Canada - Macleans.ca
Just an Article on stupid things the Canadian Goverments has spent money on.

I just ranted a little because I spent three days driving across the US, and it was a bit disturbing to my wife and I how abject poverty and affluence can live right next to each other in the US, and still people argue about helping each other build a better society.

Argue it out, but that's not very progressive and when it comes down to it, it's a matter of humanity.

[SV Demeter]

Thanks for all of the useful info on finding affordable health insurance for my family while cruising. The posts in this thread have really been helpful and have provided me with a lot of great information. I am especially grateful for all of the comments folks have provided detailing the coverage limits and insurers they are actually using and also the problems they have encountered. This will certainly help me better understand health insurance options for crusing and assist me in making a decision on which insurer and policy to choose. Sometimes these threads on CF have a tendancy to drift off topic but thankfully this one has remained right on track! Thanks again.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by youmeandthed

I just ranted a little because I spent three days driving across the US, and it was a bit disturbing to my wife and I how abject poverty and affluence can live right next to each other in the US, and still people argue about helping each other build a better society.

Argue it out, but that's not very progressive and when it comes down to it, it's a matter of humanity.

I love my country very much, and in every nation you can point out dark streaks that otherwise tarnish the national pride.

We have a strong tradition of individual independence and freedom. It's a really big deal to Americans to be able to forge their own path and not be restrained by government or custom. Marrying that individualism with the needs of a society is the general divide that exists in most every American. We want both. We want to start a business in a thriving free market, and we want good roads (provided by the government and taxes) that exist to allow commerce to flourish.

There are many countries with a much larger and more pronounced gap between rich and poor, and we do have a lot of economic mobility in the US: arguably the most in the world. At our worst we're light years better than a Brazilian favela. The Brazilians that I know don't even consider those people fellow countrymen.

I don't want to sound like a nationalist zealot as there are many things that are wrong with the United States, and our healthcare system is on the top of the list. Several orders of magnitude more expensive than any other nation, providing substandard care to most people, inaccessible to millions, and locked between partisan opposition on how to fix it with the current medical industry happy that nothing of significance is changing.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

There are many countries with a much larger and more pronounced gap between rich and poor, and we do have a lot of economic mobility in the US: arguably the most in the world. At our worst we're light years better than a Brazilian favela. The Brazilians that I know don't even consider those people fellow countrymen.

I in no way want to sound like an American basher here (god knows, I'm embarrassed enough about my own government these days), but I feel compelled to comment (trying very hard not to get in a fight...)

- While there are a number of countries where the gap between rich and poor is higher than in the US, most of these are authoritarian, 3rd world regimes. And while there are a number of countries that are worse, there are far more that are better. There are better references, but they are at home right now. Here's the Wiki link.

- The US now has one of the lowest levels of social mobility of any western developed country. Again, here's the Wiki, and here's an OECD study

I present these facts with great trepidation... I'm not bashing. I just wanted to correct this oft-repeated mistake about the so-called American Dream. The fact is, it's mostly a lie (as it is here in Canada as well!). The poor mostly do not have a chance to improve their lot in life, and the rich rarely sink. Our societies are becoming far more ridged.

[SV Demeter]

I will be unsubscribing from this thread now. If anyone has something useful for me related to the actual topic of the thread please PM me.

Enjoy the mindless ranting folks. Im out.

[boatman61]

Agility, Wit and Wisdom...
When that fails...
My Wallet...

So far I'm ahead on cost's...

[Pine Painter]

We are Brits and use the Pantaenius Long Term Sailor Plan. See their website Pantaenius Health Insurance for Long-term Sailors for details. It is underwritten by Allianz although sold through Pantaenius. Only covers you for 3 months emeregency only in your own country but rest of world including US is covered. Friends who have same policy made claim for treatment in US in 2010 with no problems encountered.

[belizesailor]

For many years, even before heading out cruising full-time, I've carried a high-deductable policy combined with an MSA/HSA (medical savings account). This has worked out fine for my situation.

However, when I turned 50 (last year) my carrier jacked my rates up. For a high-deductible policy (US$10K/year) the rates were just insane. So, I started looking for options. Here in Guatemala where I live, I found quite reasonable insurance that has coverage similar to a US-style PPO plan, deductable of Q2,500 per year (about US$350). The network for this coverage is focused here in Central America, but the coverage is world-wide (just a lower rate of pay out of network). My premium (for a 50 year old male in good health) is only about Q1,500 per month (about $195US).

Healthcare here in Guatemala is excellent and quite reasonably priced. So reasonable in fact that I've considered dropping insurance all together, but like to have it just for piece of mind.

If, like me, you spend a lot of time out of your home country, then you might also consider health insurance and healthcare in another country.