travel insurance nomad - Ibiza in Sept have to prepay?

We have had a lot of health care in other countries while traveling. We always pay For the health care with a credit card and file a claim when we returned home with paperwork given to us in Europe or elsewhere by providers. It is very important to get all the paperwork after you are treated. On my last trip I had one bill for 200€ and another for $1900.
I was reimbursed fully by my travel insurance in about a month.

Yes, that is the way travel medical insurance works. At least every policy I have had.

With some, you even have to have a certified translation of the medical report if it is not provided in English when you file your claim as they will not do the translation themselves.

Do check your current health insurance to be sure you don't already have some coverage that's usable overseas. In my case, all I need to worry about is (unlikely-to-be-needed but exorbitantly costly) medical evacuation.

I'm guessing your issue is not that you are currently on Medicare, because you've mentioned Ibiza, a notorious party island that I assume is not a frequent destination for folks over 65.

LOL @acraven , you assume wrong - in mid 70's, aiming for San Antonio area, and a hotel that is next to a rocky part with a sandy beach next to it where I can snorkel (my own equipment), and bring water shoes with soles to walk on rocks because in lots of places there is no sand and I want to be able to enjoy it all. One video said even in Aug not much going on until 5PM. Ibiza city in the south is more the 24 hour party area though I hope to understand the bus system enough to go down there for a day and see the old city and just wander around. I suppose possible to rent a moped and do the island - it's small. Could do 1 or 2 paid tours also for snorkeling. I don't mind the younger crowd. I have read up on scams in the area (like the "offer to handshake") so I should be fine. This will all be done in only a personal carry-on crew cabin type bag (travelpro maxlite 4 soft) and a travelon waist bag, both of which I picked up for vastly reduced prices. Just snagged a dive watch for $30 which shows temp and compass direction. (have hearoes 33 for flight and whenever. :) ) but back to age, standard medicare and medigap doesn't cover foreign. I understand some advantage packages do but whenever I look at them the overall cost to me is noticeably a chunk higher, notwithstanding Joe Namath constantly blaring in my ear. :)

My federal-government Blue Cross/Blue Shield plan repaid me promptly for treatment I received in Slovenia. They accepted non-translated invoices, which was very appreciated, because I suspect a Slovenia-to-English translation would have cost me about as much money as I was getting back.

Different policies from the same company can certainly have different procedures, so I am not assuming total similarity between a federal-emloyee/retiree plan and a travel plan. However, I found BC/BS relatively easy to work with.

For researching travel insurance, many folks (and guide books) have recommended the websites insuremytrip.com and squaremouth.com.

I’ve seen older travelers , kids and all ages in-between on Ibiza . It’s certainly not just for partiers.
Have a good trip.

I just looked at insuremytrip and a bunch of others but they all seem like a middle person farming it out to dozens of companies - how would I know which ones are actually good???

We have had all Medical claims paid 100% with both Travel Guard and IMG. We also get medical evacuation insurance which will fly you back to US on a Medical Jet with medical staff. A friend had a stroke in Europe, no trip/ medical evaluation insurance, and had to pay $70,000. out of pocket.

Of all the areas in Ibiza, San Antonio is the one I would avoid the most. Contrary to what you've read/heard it is the 24 hour party area of the island rather than Ibiza Town. Whilst Ibiza Town is great for nightlife it is far more cosmopolitan and liberal than San Antonio.

San Antonio predominantly attracts young Brits keen on all day drinking, all night partying, throwing up and getting by on as little sleep as possible. Even when I used to visit in my late teens and earley twenties with friends we avoided staying in San Antonio at all costs however we would always visit on one night just to remind ourselves why we would never stay there.

I don't know where you intend to stay but if it is in one of the typical cheaper hotels then don't expect much sleep! My advice would be to look more towards the northern end of the island where some of the better snorkelling spots can be found and where the pace is a lot more laid back rather than the seedy, drunken raucousness of San Antonio.

If you're flying from the US you're going to be transferring from somewhere so have you considered Mallorca? A larger, more varied and interesting neighbour to Ibiza with equally impressive diving opportunities (my brother in law frequently goes diving there).