We've got a request from a writer who's working on a story about travel health insurance for Endless Vacation magazine and is hoping someone out there can help her with a particular piece of the story. Here's her request:
quote:
I'm writing a story about travel health insurance for Endless Vacation magazine and am looking for a great cautionary tale for my story. Have you or anyone you know been in a scary health situation on your travels where you wished you'd purchased travel health insurance but hadn't?
For effect, it'd be better if your story illustrated the perils of not buying the extra insurance (i.e. a broken bone in a developing country where medical care--not to mention sanitation--is not up to par or a humongous medical bill from the surgery you had to get in Dubai) than the good fortune you had when the NIH in England treated you for free.
Is it just medical insurance they're after? I nearly had to come home from bumming around Europe because my girlfriend's grandmother died. It was sudden, so they didn't bother telling her until she went back home, but if she'd lingered we would have come home, foregoing a lot of money in pre-paid stuff. So I've always had cancellation since then.
But I don't get injured and I never get sick, so I don't have any medical stories. I'm like Wolverine.
____________________________________________________ The painting was a gift, Todd. I'm taking it with me. -J. Grey
Posts: 4223 | Location: Back home in the Hammer | Registered: 18 January 2005
I think about it every (almost) time, but, I never bought one. Never took any jabs either. Have travelled to about 65 countries. Maybe some time I'll regret it. Knock on the wood.
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Posts: 387 | Location: Poland and Sweden | Registered: 23 November 2007
I was in Hungary when I came down with a serious problem. I had no insurance.Before they would treat me, they wanted cash on the barrel, and walked me to the ATM to get the cash. If I was without monetary resources, I don't know what would have happened.
Another time a friend of mine broke his ankle in mexico. They wanted cash to treat him, too. He had it. Later on he could have used the 'free' evac, because the doctors diagnosed a fractured ankle as a sprain, and wheh he finally limped home, they had to rebreak it again.
Posts: 2430 | Location: Philadelphia | Registered: 19 November 2004
I think it's just medical insurance, yes - and please send emails to the address in the original post with your stories, because the writer isn't checking this forum!
A medical tragedy nearly bankrupted my brother. No, I'm not writing about it, but consider that evacuation can cost a million bucks or more before you take any gambles with insurance.
Well, I'm Canadian, and so have some pretty good free health insurance and my union provides free travel insurance for a while.....But I have never bought any independent travel insurance and have no problem not having any out in the world. I seldom get hurt of sick.
Posts: 3698 | Location: canada | Registered: 11 September 2003
i had a close call once, and it convinced me that i should start getting travel insurance.
apparently on a flight TO east africa, i had a clot form in my leg. i didn't know about it, but did notice my leg kept hurting. 2.5 weeks later i was flying back home. we stopped in amsterdam and i almost passed out because the clot hit my lungs.. i should have stayed there to see a doc but i stupidly made myself get on the next plane to seattle. came home and landed in the ER! luckily i have great insurance here, so what was a $12000 hospital stay was just a little over $1000 for me. the clot could have gone into my lungs at any time though. medical care in rwanda? no thanks.
. . .
Freedom lies in being bold.
Posts: 2258 | Location: seattle | Registered: 22 July 2004
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