Just wondering how many of you get travel/trip cancellation insurance? How about medvac insurance?
Do you get it from your travel agent, thru SCI or elsewhere? Any tips or pitfalls to watch out for?

I insure my guns and scopes thru siai.net very inexpensive. Some homeowners policies will not cover them when they are not in your hands so if the airlines lose them you are screwed. I also get MedJetAssistance insurance for those worst case situations. Check with your health insurance to see if your are covered, probably you are but may have to pay any medical bills and submitt for reimbursement.

trip cancellation insurance is a good idea , this is who we recommend , i had a guy who lost a family member while on safari and came home after just one day away , three weeks later he had all his expenses met so in my book that makes them worthwhile !
http://www.travelguard.com/sportsmans

travelguard also have a medjet insurance policy thats pretty inexpensive

quote:

Just wondering how many of you get travel/trip cancellation insurance? How about medvac insurance?

If you buy travel or medvac insurance be sure to read the fine print!

I definitely get the temp health insurance. Unless you have a pretty specific policy, your provider probably doesn't cover you outside of the US.

Also ask your PH about med-jet / evac. insurance before you purchase it. Most of the larger hunting operations maintain such a policy.

I have purchased both trip insurance and medical evacuation insurance.

On my next safari I am going to switch medical evacuation insurance companies and buy a policy from Global Rescue. They will come get you where you are and when hunting dangerous game, that could save alot of time, pain and expense.

After reading the contracts my preference for evac insurance is Global Rescue.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr.C:
After reading the contracts my preference for evac insurance is Global Rescue.

I bought a Global Rescue policy before my last hunting trip. It gives me piece of mind that if the unthinkable should happen while out in the bush they will come in and get me or my wife out and get us back to the States. There's a lot of things about Africa that I want to experience but a stay in an African hospital is not one of them.

I have Medjet Assist. It is the approved provider for AARP and you get a nice discount if you are an AARP member.
I also have Blue Cross health insurance and I contacted them to see if they covered me while in Namibia this year. They said yes and sent me a coverage letter to carry with me and gave we the website for their approved Doctors in Windhoek. I also bought the least expensive trip cancellation insurance I could find on the web.

Four of us just bought out airline tickets for a hunt in Moz, August 09. We opted, on advice from our travel agent to purchase $1,000.00 worth of insurance on the tickets as this is the amount we would not get back from the airlines should something come up. As for the hunt expenses, if one of the four were unable to go on the hunt, for example, any deposits etc paid by that person would transer to the other three hunters. So most likely won't purchase additional coverage for hunt costs. I use the SCI gun insurance and have Global Rescue coverage for the med thing.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

Larry Sellers: +1

We have an annual membership in Global Rescue, their services are available here in the US as well as overseas, I don't think that is true for some/many of the other providers. The air transfer from some small town in say, Wyoming, to my preferred hospital in the Houston Medical center is not as expensive as from somewhere in Africa, but it is high enough that I think the coverage is worthwhile and not that much higher than temporary insurance for a couple of overseas trips.

Firearms insurance with siai seems very reasonable to me, I don't know much about "trip" insurance, wish I knew more, as in what company offers an honest, solid policy.

We always take medivac insurance when on safari.

I think it is very cheep insurance should something nasty happens.

What does the "cancellation" insurance cost nowadays?

Medicvac insurance?

I've had SIAI on my guns for 12 years and add or subtract as necessary. I list my optics also. Very reasonable premiums.

Have had MedJet for some years now but will be looking at Global Rescue next time around.

Usually don't buy cancellation insurance but do get travel insurance. Always search and compare online.

Johan - It' based on age, I am 65 and it was $146.00 for $1,000.00 of coverage.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by Bahati:
What does the "cancellation" insurance cost nowadays?

Medicvac insurance?

I believe insurance is very important. I use the NRA program.

quote:

Originally posted by BEGNO:I also have Blue Cross health insurance and I contacted them to see if they covered me while in Namibia this year. They said yes and sent me a coverage letter to carry with me and gave we the website for their approved Doctors in Windhoek.

Here is a post from back in 2005 that might be helpful to anybody with BC/BS:

Old Thread on AR Regarding BC/BS
http://forums.accuratereloadin...=1411043&m=949103581


Subscribers should call their provider to identify their exact plan, and take the "BlueCard Worldwide Service Center" phone number with them. I also take a print-out of the hospitals in the area I will be hunting.

BlueCard Worldwide - When Traveling Outside of the U.S.
http://www.bcbs.com/coverage/b...ecard-worldwide.html

BlueCard Doctor and Hospital Finder Log-in Page
https://international.mondialu...index.asp?page=login


For "bush evacuation", I subscribe to MARS thru the operators when in Zim, and have used MedJet when elsewhere (in Tanz, they partner with The Flying Doctors). Do a search on "Global Rescue" too, as there have been some good posts in the past. At one point, a rep from GR posted on the forum, but unfortunately shortly thereafter they were left go, which was odd.

If going anywhere off the map, have some dialog with the providers to make sure they will indeed provide services (rather then just purchase it on-line and assume). For my Cameroon trip this past Feb, I was unable to confirm availability of services, so I took my chances without.

Old Thread on AR Regarding Global Rescue
http://forums.accuratereloadin.../1411043/m/306105296

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
Johan - It' based on age, I am 65 and it was $146.00 for $1,000.00 of coverage.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by Bahati:
What does the "cancellation" insurance cost nowadays?

Medicvac insurance?

Holy shit that's expensive.

quote:

Originally posted by pichon1:

quote:

Originally posted by Larry Sellers:
Johan - It' based on age, I am 65 and it was $146.00 for $1,000.00 of coverage.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by Bahati:
What does the "cancellation" insurance cost nowadays?

Medicvac insurance?

Holy shit that's expensive.

Yes it is, if he paid 14% Premium that was a rip off. Only buy Inusrance for what you can not afford to loose. I do not think I would buy Inusrance for $1000.

I buy no insurance.

Insurance companies make a nice profit. I assume that is because they get to keep a huge portion of the premiums paid rather than ever pay them out. If you went to Las Vegas you would not play that game.

I'm comfortable that I can replace whatever I might lose.

As far as Medivac for a life-threatening situation. Sure I guess I would like to have that in my pocket if something weird happened, but how many hunters get medivaced out of Africa compared to the number of hunters that hunt Africa. I bet it's a very tiny number. Again, if I was in Las Vegas I wouldn't play that game either.

I wouldn't discourage anyone from getting insurance, but it's not for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
I assume that is because they get to keep a huge portion of the premiums paid rather than ever pay them out. If you went to Las Vegas you would not play that game.

I'm comfortable that I can replace whatever I might lose.

As far as Medivac for a life-threatening situation. Sure I guess I would like to have that in my pocket if something weird happened, but how many hunters get medivaced out of Africa compared to the number of hunters that hunt Africa. I bet it's a very tiny number. Again, if I was in Las Vegas I wouldn't play that game either.

I wouldn't discourage anyone from getting insurance, but it's not for me.

You assumption is incorrect. An insurance carrier with a combined loss ratio of 95-100% is in good shape. Most of their profits come from investment return.

+1 for global rescue

Chris

Based on my own experience, of 40+ years of paying insurance for car, home, life, medical, etc. My assumption is in-fact correct. The payout has been miniscule. They've pocketed more than 90%. Granted, the game isn't over, but so far the insurance companies are way ahead. Their attempts to avoid payment have been heroic from their point of view. Aetna will never insure my cars again. Farmers Insurance Group will get no more of my homeowners business.

The best insurance agent of all time; Houston-Copeland with State Farm.

Currently in the hands of the Texas Department of Insurance, a Southwestern-Valley Forge-Reassure America evolution that may or may not have violated the law, but will be taken a look at by the consumer protection arm of the TDI.

Can't say insurance salesmen/companies are my favorite people.

On the investment side, you are right. Guys like Warren Buffet have done quite well using insurance profits to built investment empires.

Global Rescue is $579 annually for family coverage. As to medivac casts from Africa, the fellow who runs "Hunting Report" says he spent nearly $160,000 to get home after a fall, apparently he has a serious back injury. My example, from mountain west to Houston, estimated to be $15,000 by my regular insurance guy. While I do not want to test this, Global Rescue claims they will pick up the tab to get you to your preferred hospital, even though treatment at a local facility is deemed adequate. I have no ties to Global Rescue, just the best I found when I researched.

Maybe you should PM Wendell Reich about medevac insurance. He says that a policy with MedJet Assist saved his bacon after contracting falciparum malaria in Tanzania.

BTW, Travelers is horrible. I lost everything in hurricane Andrew. Travelers was my insurer.

I had fourteen claims adjusters. I wouldn't insure my toenail parings with Travelers. They'll try to ram that umbrella where the sun doesn't shine. Cost me ten grand in attorney's fees to collect, and they still screwed me.

I was supposed to go on 60 Minutes with the late Ed Bradley to talk about it, but my lawyer convinced me not to, as the case was still open. Looking back, I wish I had, anyway.

Considering the quite high percentage costs of trip cancellation insurance I would never take it. I am mostly in Kensco's column on this, I dislike insurance of almost any kind and strongly tend to self insure.

OTOH, while not dirt cheap, the medevac insurance (I have Medjet)is probably worth it IMO, especially as one ages (who me?). The costs of getting airlifted to the States or Europe or even South Africa in case of some medical emergency far outweigh the costs of the policy. Yes, the odds are very small of needing a medevac, but the costs are very high if you should have need for it. OTOH, trip cancellation insurance is high and the benefits are minimal compared to the possibilities of using it.

I don't take any of the various warranty insurance programs, such as on a car, for the same reasons. Costs are high and benefits are limited.

The varying opinions are quite interesting.

We don't make an issue out of it (and maybe I should) but the fact that we operate our own aircraft means that I can get someone to 1st class medical help in South Africa from anywhere in our hunting area faster than anyone else, regardless of where the aircraft when the emergency arises. The PH's all carry satellite phones everywhere and we have all the required flight clearances etc in place at all times - and this must not be taken lightly as a Moz flight clearance requires 24 hour advance application and they're closed over weekends. Fly without one and risk having your 'plane grabbed if you don't get turned around by air traffic control in time. Also, no one will go through a Mozambican airport with all of the formalities faster than we can.

All of this means that someone having a medical emergency will get from the middle of nowhere to the middle of everywhere in as little time as possible. The other thing is that the casevac won't cost the hunter a dime ...

Bahati

That really is about all I need. If I'm hunting with someone that has an ERP or Plan-B in case the shit hits the fan, I'm comfortable.

My company does subscribe to the International SOS system so supposedly they can get us medical attention quickly in most parts of the world. Whether it works or not I couldn't say. I've worked overseas for 18 years and never needed it yet, nor has anyone I know used it.