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Windwardblonde · 05-07-2024, 07:19

Hi all, we are moving onto our boat and going to travel into international waters longer than 3 months. I am also under 65 and will need international medical insurance. What does everyone do for longer term international insurance? I have found several companies but the longest I have found says trip maximum is for only 180 days, even though it is a 12 month policy. Do you have to fly back to the states for a couple of days to start a new trip? What does everyone do?

leecea · 05-07-2024, 12:12

I haven't used these but their webpage looks promising:

https://www.aetna.com/individuals-fa...insurance.html

Marathon1150 · 05-07-2024, 12:22

If you are a citizen of the US or Canada (your profile does not provide a home base) look into DAN Boater. They provide evacuation insurance for citizens of those countries and also provide medical insurance for citizens of a number of US states.

We regularly subscribe to their evacuation insurance (we are Canadian and do not qualify for their medical coverage). We needed to use the evac insurance about 5 years ago when the first mate fell on the dock and broke her knee cap in Mexico. Medical care in Mexico was very good but her physician in Canada suggested returning home for the required surgery because she would not be able to get on/off the boat for several months. DAN was exceptionally responsive and helpful arranging and paying for the evacuation back to our home base.

For medical coverage outside of Canada we use a company called Johnson-MEDOC. It is likely unique to Canada and reasonably priced for this kind of insurance.

Since you are under 65 you could also try World Nomads. Based in Australia they will cover most people travelling internationally up until age 65. We used them up to the age 65 cutoff and found their rates and responsiveness very good.

**JPA Cate** · 05-07-2024, 13:38

We traveled for years with no health insurance at all, with the intention of paying for whatever we needed if we needed something. We were surprised to learn that often emergency care had very low fees, once one was out of the US. The first expensive place for medical care we came was Australia, where our visa requires us to carry health cover.

If it is a concern for you (below age 65, living a cruising lifestyle, it is unlikely to have something serious go wrong), I'm pretty sure you can buy term medical/health coverage wherever you stop long enough. [I'm basing this on being able to purchase liability coverage short term in New Caledonia, when, with guests aboard, a cyclone came; we needed that to go into the marina. Different kind of insurance, but similar principle.]

The DAN insurance, mentioned above, has always sounded very good to me because it will get you back to your home country (where you speak the language best and know the ropes).

If you are from the US, as am I, you probably grew up mind washed to carry insurance for everything. Other places are different, and they have safety nets. Some US companies will allow you to pay for their coverage, annually, but then you HAVE to be able to get back to the States. In the worst cases, you might have to book two flights, one for the one with the problem, and the other for a RN accompanying them. The DAN insurance would cover the flight for the one with the problem, in that case. The thing is, below the age of 65, such events ARE RARE. Cruising's very healthy, swimming almost every day, or walking, and eating well--you can't carry that much junk food on most boats.

Ann

psk125 · 06-07-2024, 14:15

Gowrie Group had an international plan that looked very reasonable. Medical care outside the U.S. is generally much less expensive because most countries have nationalized medical setups, so the insurance to access it is less expensive too.