Titanic-sized medical bill surprises cruising couple
Susan and Larry Smith were looking forward to their first-ever Cunard cruise across the Atlantic onboard the fabulous Queen Mary 2. But the fun stopped for the New York City couple the moment Larry had chest pains along with gastrointestinal malaise.
The Smiths immediately sought treatment at the ship’s infirmary, where the ship’s doctor ran an EKG and some tests. Fortunately Larry’s heart checked out okay, but he was dehydrated and was given intravenous fluids and was kept in the infirmary for an hour of observation. Larry’s tests ruled out any infection, but the doctor couldn’t figure out why Larry had become so dehydrated. Therefore, no definitive diagnosis was reached. The next morning Larry felt much better and the cruise continued. A few days after the visit to the infirmary, the Smiths got another unpleasant surprise: a bill for medical services totaling $1,200. The amount was immediately charged to their shipboard account.
The Smiths were shocked. “It didn’t seem like a lot of treatment for $1,200. It was as much as my cruise fare,” said Susan Smith. Even worse the couple foolishly believed that their health insurance would be accepted onboard the ship. It wasn’t. Fortunately they did have travel insurance (purchased through the cruise line) that covered medical issues.
Insurance doesn’t travel well
What many people don’t realize is that all cruise ships of foreign registry are considered to be entities operating outside the United States. And, as the Smiths discovered, domestic medical insurance coverage doesn’t travel the same way aboard ship as it does within the United States. Sometimes, coverage doesn’t extend to foreign travel at all; other times it just works differently. For example, co-payments may be higher than usual or your reimbursement may be limited.
Even with complete medical coverage, you can’t just hand the cruise line your insurance card. You will usually have to pay your treatment costs up front and file for reimbursement after you return home. That’s what the Smiths did. Their insurer accepted the claim but explained it could take up to three months to receive reimbursement. The Smiths were relieved to be covered at all.
Could the Smiths have avoided the $1,200 out-of-pocket expense? Maybe. If they had purchased third-party travel insurance, they could have received upfront financial assistance and they might have gotten their money back more quickly.
Third-party insurers usually provide primary coverage, i.e., the insurance company pays the traveler directly for any medical claim. Most cruise lines also sell insurance policies, but these usually provide secondary coverage, which means that you must file your claims through your regular medical insurance carrier, then seek reimbursement from the cruise line’s insurance company.
Cover the gaps
Medicare beneficiaries should always purchase travel insurance when they cruise, because they do not have Medicare coverage outside the country. Another very big gap is medical evacuation and transportation services, which are seldom covered by medical insurance policies. According to Medjet Assist, an Alabama-based evacuation operation, domestic air medical evacuation services average $10,000 to $20,000, while international transports can exceed $75,000. If you travel more than once a year, consider buying an annual policy; both MedjetAssist and Travel Guard offer this kind of policy, which can be purchased for as little as $185 a year.
Cruising is exciting, but it can turn into more of an adventure than you planned if you discover that you aren’t covered for the unexpected. So check your insurance policies and fill in the gaps with supplemental coverage.
By Anita Dunham-Potter (editor@www.expertcruiser.com)
© www.expertcruiser.com – Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.
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18 Responses
im a bit shocked at the bill amount..
1200 $ ???
its too much..
Posted on August 19th, 2009 at 1:44 am
When I hear stories like this I don’t think I would want to take a cruise on a boat. $1200 for treatment? That’s way to much!
Posted on September 9th, 2009 at 1:19 am
wow that is way too much… $1200 for medical treatment?
Posted on October 4th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
how is that too much? if you went to a hospital in the US without insurance…saw a doctor, had and ekg, and an iv…the cost would be WAY more than $1200!! Besides the fact they happened to provide this service in the middle of the ocean! So if the ekg had indicated he was in fact having a heart attack…would the price be worth it then? Get real people!
Posted on October 8th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Oh my goodness, 1200 to be looked over by a doctor. Thats ridiculous and their insurance wouldn’t cover it? Thats shocking.
Posted on November 3rd, 2009 at 7:52 am
When I hear stories like this I don’t think I would want to take a cruise on a boat. $1200 for treatment? That’s way to much!.
Posted on November 4th, 2009 at 8:25 am
WOW! That’s alot for a doctors consultation – however, if he was having a heart attack………It may seem cheap. What can you say……you are certainly ‘captive’ when in the middle of the ocean.
Posted on November 22nd, 2009 at 11:43 pm
I think it was pretty cheap, actually. Apparently you haven’t been in a hospital recently. That’s emergency medicine by any definitiion. And as for being held captive, do you check the price at the emergency room before you go there? And walk out if it is too much? Insurance not paying? Read your contract. If you don’t know what is covered and not covered, shame on you.
DaveJ
Posted on June 11th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
I know exactly how this couple felt. November 2009 my family and I went on a Victory cruise, on which my son got sick. A visit to the infirmary, some cough medication, and a bottle of acitaminophen cost us $320.
It was ridiculous!
Posted on August 9th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
When it comes to health insurance coverage, never assume anything.
Few domestic plans cover foreign travel, and when they do it is often just a fraction of the actual cost.
Travel insurance is well worth the few extra dollars for peace of mind.
Posted on April 20th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
$1200 for treatment? That’s way to much!.
Posted on April 22nd, 2011 at 2:39 am
wow that is way too much… $1200 for medical treatment?
Posted on April 26th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Oh my goodness, 1200 to be looked over by a doctor. Thats ridiculous and their insurance wouldn’t cover it? Thats shocking.
Posted on April 27th, 2011 at 2:24 am
Ya as we all know that how much expensive is the medical test,s now a days so its not big deal for $1200 for the medical treatment…
Posted on April 30th, 2011 at 4:23 am
I remember when my father had a heart attack at sea right in the middle of their once in a lifetime cruise. Thankfully the travel insurance he organized before he left covered all but $200 of the expenses, which included a helicopter trip off the ship and flights home from Spain
Posted on May 17th, 2011 at 5:13 am
$1200 for that kind of treatment sounds to me like robbery, but there’s nothing you can do, except next time check your insurance coverage more carefully
Posted on May 18th, 2011 at 9:39 am
1200 $ is way too much for this. Thanks for charing this story
Posted on July 28th, 2011 at 4:56 am
I am an ER nurse. This bill does not shock me at all. This was EMERGENCY SERVICES. chest pain! ekg, and other tests done, as well as IV’s for dehyrdration….had this been on land in a medical center…it would be much higher. It is not the ship’s fault that health insurance does not cover these services. but looking at what the treatment was….EKG and IV alone, and chest pain…would result in an ER visit for ACLS–you are looking at a minimum of 5K to start
Posted on December 19th, 2011 at 11:09 am
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