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?

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

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

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

[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]

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