Medical Insurance

I would make sure that you have adequate med evac insurance in additional to actual medical insurance. If someone was to have an accident that required, say, being flown home in a first class seat because they could not fit a leg cast into an economy seat, or if they required specialized medical care en route, medical insurance doesn't cover that. My brother-in-law once had to fly to Costa Rica to take $30,000 to pay for his mother's air ambulance back to the States because she became ill on a trip and needed to get home. Medical evacuation insurance can protect you from astronomical costs in these circumstances.

Nancy is correct. I don't worry too much about nickle, dime problems or maybe 500, 1000 dollar problem but do worry medical evac. if I need to get home in a hurry. That for us, is the most important insurance - and it is fairly cheap for the amount of coverage. And socialize medicine doesn't mean that you will get it for free. Just that is will be much for reasonable price wise.

If you're in reasonably good health, your present healthcare supplement should be sufficient. It's a rare condition that one couldn't get home on a scheduled air carrier.
My mother who was in congestive heart failure from age 75 to age 92 went to Aspen, and she found out high altitudes were not for her. Fortunately, a family friend was in town, and he flew her home in his Citation jet.
Another friend has had a heart transplant and bladder cancer/removal, and he has had health issues twice requiring being flown home in a LearJet.
There's a time for travel, and there's a time to stay home when one's health begins to fail. I plan to grab all the gusto as long as I'm healthy enough to do the long distance walking most European trips require.

On our last two trips (about a month each) my husband and I just trusted in our Medicare supplement plan, but for the coming trip I added the $54 insurance offered by United with the airfare purchase because it included $50,000 apiece of medical evacuation. Most likely it's not necessary -- but that's what insurance is for, the infrequent times when something IS necessary.

And................. While the evacuation insurance will get you home and your Medicare may reimburse you, you will still need cash to pay the doctors in Azerbaijani so they let you out of the country without holding your lovely wife hostage for the bill. Some evacuation policies have a sum that is pretty much provided with out much question.

"....It's a rare condition that one couldn't get home on a scheduled air carrier....."

Breaking ones leg or hip isn't a rare condition. A serious leg break which requires being horizontal in transport will require a several rows of seats to be ripped up and a special cot installed, and a nurse will have to accompany you. This can easily cost $100,000! Having evacuation/repatriation coverage is essential. Accidents can happen you anyone regardless of how healthy or young they are.

David's posting illustrates exactly why you need to have evacuation insurance. It's relatively cheap when you consider what your costs could be if you need to come home early for medical reasons

And altho I have worldwide coverage with my BlueCross group insurance, I got a $25,000 primary medical coverage and $150,000 evacuation coverage with Travelguard for about $75. (I'm still a couple of years shy of Medicare). I took the medical coverage primarily to guarantee hospital admission, if necessary, after learning of an co-worker who was refused admission into a Zurich hospital until a $10,000 deposit was made. His travel medical insurance made that guarantee for him.

All in all, I think it's a small price for peace of mind.

Thanks to All for your thoughtful comments...medivac insurance will be purchased for sure....

Wikipedia: "Insurance is the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another in exchange for payment. It is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss."

Financially spraking, if you can afford the loss, you don't need insurance. For example, if you own your own private jet or have a best buddy with one, you probably don't need evacuation insurance.

That said, having insurance expedites medical treatment both here in the US and abroad in that the provider is given some assurance of payment for services. Think of the credit card commercial where the doc is holding the defibrillator paddles waiting for the credit card charge to be approved.