# Travelers Health Insurance?



## YaVengo (Jul 7, 2009)

Hi,
Thinking of Mx for retirement and planning to check out Lake Chapala and perhaps Morelia or other locales next year. Although in good health; should I have some kind of travelers health insurance if something (accident/illness) should occur while visiting there? What do others do who visit or stay part of the year? I would not be eligible for Medicare yet and that's not available if I live in Mx is it?
Thanks in advance,
Rich


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Check your present insurance coverage. It may cover you for emergencies while on vacation.


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## YaVengo (Jul 7, 2009)

Thanks, RV. Sounds like a good place to start.
Rich


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

Although we are not divers, we were alerted to the Divers Alert Network(DAN) that is not just for divers. For a very low annual fee we have a card that can be used anywhere in the world.
It has a 24 hour phone number, they accept collect calls, to a Doctor at Duke Hospital. That Doctor and the local Doctor decide where is best for the treatment. If answer is US hospital, they fly you to the nearest US facility that can handle the problem where my US insurance would take over. Thank goodness that we have never used but comforting. We actually strongly suggest that visitors enroll if they have any medical concern.


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

"That Doctor and the local Doctor decide where is best for the treatment. If answer is US hospital, they fly you to the nearest US facility that can handle the problem where my US insurance would take over."

That may give one a false sense of security. Mexico has world class hospitals, making virtually all sorts of treatments available. As such, you wouldn't be flown out of Mexico and would have to pay the medical bills yourself. Even though they will be considerably lower than in the USA, they can still be a lot of money.


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## moisheh (Jun 14, 2009)

RV ****** is correct. Read the fine print. Sky Med is the only one that will fly you home regardless. The others fly you to the nearest qualified facility. To the OP: Remember that travel health insurance is only for emergencies. The insurance companies idea of an emergency may be different than our ideas!! Once you move to Mexico then a different ype of policy would be required. Here is a web site that sells a wide variety of policies. They do explain things quite well.
Travel Insurance - Compare Every Major Company - Instant Cover

Moisheh


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

I do understand that there are some at least near world class hospitals in key areas of Mexico with very good doctors. However, Mexico is still a 2nd world country with very inconsistent medical infrastructure. We have had friends with a lot of good stories and others with horror stories. I think it is far from a false sense of security to have Duke doctors on call 24 hours a day from anywhere in Mexico or the world for that matter. If something happens, I am much more worried that I get the best consultation and facilities than I am the cost. Saving money isn't much use to a dead person!


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Many US physicians went to medical school in Guadalajara and many Mexican physicians practice on both sides of the border. An interesting story tells of a lady from Ajijic who needed some serious surgery, but didn't trust her Mexican physician. So, she went to Houston, TX for 'the very best'. Guess who was her surgeon?


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

Same story in China, also in India, etc. There is a lot of Mexico that isn't GDL & the like.
I like consultation. I like to know that in any case that at least one person is top of their field.
$25/year buys a lot of comfort thank you very much!
No need to be defensive about Mexican medical facilities, it just isn't consistent.
When I lived in China, most things went well. When they didn't, the applicable phrase was "this is China". I feel similar about Mexico. Most things I can laugh off. Health isn't one of them.


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## Mr.Chips (May 23, 2008)

The heading is Travellers Health Insurance.....travelquotes.ca is a site that provides "quotes" from a variety of different insurers...not sure why this is considered off topic?


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## RVGRINGO (May 16, 2007)

Because it wasn't solicited by the OP, who is American, not Canadian.


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## moisheh (Jun 14, 2009)

conklinwh: I must be missing something. I went to the Diver's network web site. I do not see anything for $25.00 a year that provides anything. Some of their assistance is only for accidents not ilness. They do sell that traveler's assist. However it clearly states that you will lilkely not be sent to your home state but to the nearest competent facility. All the large cities in Mexico have private hospitals that are first class. So if you are from Kansas and need to be hospitalized in say Mazatlan you will end up in Guad. There is no free lunch. If others are selling repatriate insurance for over $250 how could someone provide the same service for $25.00?

Moisheh


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## conklinwh (Dec 19, 2009)

OK, I don't want to beat a dead horse but here is what I found by both going to the Dan website and contacting customer service.
1st, we have basic family membership for $44. I thought I remembered that basic single membership was about $25 but could be off a dollar or so.
In any case, my questions/answers to/from customer service were documented as follows.
"I believe what you said is that basic membership(nothing additional required)
gets you a card with phone numbers. If you have a medical emergency(accident,
illness, or injury), the attending physician here would call the
appropriate Dan number and through consultation would decide where is the best
closest place for treatment whether elsewhere in Mexico or the US. The transport
there would be covered but not the treatment."
The answer to all of the above was "correct".
Now to me, I want emergency consultation with some of the best doctors in the world at Duke no matter what the emergency. I want them to make the decision where best to have treatment and to pay to get me there whether in Mexico or the US.
I know that this won't satisfy everyone because of the insurance implications but it works for me.
BTW, I've heard that there is serious thought by insurance companies, and even medicare, to cover services in Mexico for all the reasons RVGRINGO said, it can be very good and a lot less expensive.


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