By archive - 4 Aug 2013
We are about to leave australia on the the Darwin ambon race/rally then on wards What insurance to people have for extended cruising we are austalian citizens
Duncan and Caroline Woodhead
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By David.Tyler - 12 Aug 2013
The answer that works for me is - no medical insurance at all. I 've been cruising full time for seven years, and in that time I 've visited doctors in various countries for minor treatments and consultations, at a cost of around $50 or less each time, and a maximum of once a year. Cruising is a healthy, low stress lifestyle.
Compare that with a premium for medical insurance of about $1000 a year, or double that in the USA. If I put aside what I 'm saving, I consider that if I get something seriously wrong with me, then I 'll have to give up cruising and use the savings to fly back to the UK for treatment, where I 'm entitled to treatment under the NHS. Self insurance, in other words.
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By simoncurrin - 12 Aug 2013
David,
I guess I have to caution about NHS entitlement. This is an area where our cash strapped Government are trying to reduce their liabilities. We are now told that those that are out of the UK for more than 3 months lose their NHS entitlement!
Simon
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By David.Tyler - 12 Aug 2013
Thanks, Simon. Even if I keep paying my UK taxes?
So I 'lll have to get treatment wherever I am, then (except in the USA, where it 's totally unaffordable), but i 'll hold to my basic point that paying for treatment as I go (so far, and touch wood)) has cost me a small fraction of the premium for insurance.
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By simoncurrin - 12 Aug 2013
Yes it seems daft doesn 't it and I have no idea how this would be enforced but that 's apparently the rules. Staying healthy is the best plan! It would though be good to know what others do for insurance.
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By Bethbone - 24 Aug 2013
We have always had medical insurance since starting cruising 18 years ago. Admittedly it was easier while younger. We have used WorldNomads if local cruising eg coastal NZ or Australia but when going offshore we use TopSail Insurances ' Yachtsman Gold Policy, not the cheapest but comprehensive and designed for yachties. Prices have ranged from £350 to £960 for 12 months cover. Trouble is it only takes one serious unforeseen episode stroke, MI and with no insurance you are well stuffed.
Even around the Med relying on NHS reciprocal cover is insufficient.
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By dsmith - 24 Aug 2013
As far as I remember you loose your entitlement to NHS treatment if you have been out of the UK for over 3 months. We know loads of Brits who just use their NHS card abroad without any problems or questions asked. If you need NHS treatment, then go back to the UK and tell them you have just returned and are living in the UK again. At that point you are entitled to NHS treatment again.
We do carry a full medical policy, it has a £3,000 excess and we can only be in the USA for 60 days in a 12 month period (unless we upgrade to cover for longer). Our policy is around £1,800 p.a. for all 4 of us and covers us Worldwide living full time on our boat.
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By morwood - 25 Aug 2013
As US residents our only option for coverage was to buy it. When we left our US work based coverage behind we went with a policy from IMG http://www.imglobal.com. We wanted the coverage to make sure we were covered for major problems - we 're happy to self-insure for normal day to day medical issues - though we have had no issues since we started cruising full time last June.
For the four of us, (two adults over 50 and two kids aged 12) worldwide coverage through IMG costs us $3600 per year with a $1000 deductible. This includes coverage in the US as long as you don 't live there permanently. We had to wait till we left the US to initiate coverage.
Mark.
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By David.Tyler - 6 Sep 2013
Just to add some data on costs:
Today, I went to the Sitka outpatients clinic with a complaint that many of we old fellas who are near to our best-before dates will suffer from. I had a very good consultation, first with a triage nurse and then with a doctor. Cost $136 in the clinic + $60 for two prescriptions, so not ruinously expensive, though maybe twice as much as I might have had to pay in other countries.
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By DariaBlackwell - 30 Sep 2013
In America, it was almost impossible to get affordable coverage for extended offshore travel. As Alex is a citizen of Ireland and I am American, we opted to take Irish medical insurance with a global cover option (Ireland has so many emigrants that it has these options) as well as DAN divers insurance for additional evacuation coverage if needed. We are both divers and DAN is very reasonable for that cover.
We also stockpiled our prescription medications in advance. We refilled monthly as soon as possible for several years, and therefore had more than 6 months ' available before we left. Our pharmacist gave us an additional 6 months advance so we were set. It 's not easy figuring this all out.
The entire time we were away (more than a year), we never needed medical assistance. I did have strep throat which I self-treated successfully with antibiotics. One of our friends, however, had to be hospitalized with a severe allergic reaction. Luckily we were in Grenada at the time which has an excellent hospital.
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By rhowison - 25 Mar 2015
Kinabalu is currently on the east coast US and will travel to the western Caribbean and then across the Pacific. We have had personal medical insurance with Blue Fin for sometime but the restriction is that we must return to the UK at various intervals. We have UK citizenship plus Australian passports. I will write to Topsail once again, but wonder if anyone has anything different to suggest at this stage?
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By Neil Langford - 1 Apr 2015
We have self insured whilst we were in Asia, as medical services are excellent and cheap there. For the past two years we have been with Travel Nomads. This year the policy covers us from Malaysia to South Africa and all the countries we plan to visit on this passage, including Chagos.
Coverage includes coastal and ocean sailing as well as evacuation insurance. Total cost of policy for two was AU$2600 last year we had a need to claim on the policy twice, claim system easy, online and reimbursement quick. http://www.worldnomads.com
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By bwallace - 1 Apr 2015
For the last 7 years we have been cruising using the Bluefin medical cover designed for offshore sailors. We are both over 60 yrs old. We take medical and repatriation only just renewed for 10 months cost approx £700 for two. Previously have made a claim for dentistry and also medical stuff. Recommend, we buy from Bishop Skinner Marine.
We used to use Nomads, but no offshore cover and extending was expensive.
We are UK citizens
Hope this helps
Brian
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By Janice.Fennymore-White - 12 Oct 2017
Hi Can anyone please comment with more up to date infomation please? Andy and I are currently in Greenland for the winter: technically not part of the EU so our E111 does not apply and or next 12 months is cruising through Canada then Alaska via the NWP, with an overwinter there. So any OCC members who are currently in the States for more than a few weeks what are you doing for cover please?
I see that there seems to be on or two caveats regards returning to the UK at regular intervals or a short stay limit (30 or 60 days), but that only works if that is your cruising style, we were planning to stay abroad for some time.
For reference to others, Norway and Iceland both ofter walk in service to doctors via Accident & Emergency, then you just pay for your treatment( Subsidised I guess as we both had a medical for about £30 each in Norway). Dentists are the same as the UK, you just pay a private rate.
14 Oct 2017: we have since found out that the E111 is valid in Greenland.
edited by Janice.Fennymore-White on 10/14/2017
edited by Janice.Fennymore-White on 10/14/2017
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By Dick - 13 Oct 2017
[quote=Janice FENNYMORE-WHITE]Hi Can anyone please comment with more up to date infomation please? Andy and I are currently in Greenland for the winter: technically not part of the EU so our E111 does not apply and or next 12 months is cruising through Canada then Alaska via the NWP, with an overwinter there. So any OCC members who are currently in the States for more than a few weeks what are you doing for cover please?
I see that there seems to be on or two caveats regards returning to the UK at regular intervals or a short stay limit (30 or 60 days), but that only works if that is your cruising style, we were planning to stay abroad for some time.
For reference to others, Norway and Iceland both ofter walk in service to doctors via Accident & Emergency, then you just pay for your treatment( Subsidised I guess as we both had a medical for about £30 each in Norway). Dentists are the same as the UK, you just pay a private rate.[/quote]
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By Dick - 13 Oct 2017
Hi Janice,
It might help to know that Canada functions similarly to what you report in Norway and Iceland. We are US cruisers who had a medical incident in Newfoundland, Canada, a few weeks ago. We paid quite modest fees for a couple of office visits, no fee for a hospital and office visit and did pay the going rate for x-rays which was a hit to the budget.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy
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