Insurance

[doctor2007]

I know this topic has been discussed previously, but something did make sense. Someone said if one has a pre-existing medical condition he/she should apply for the university insurance from Saba. But I'm looking at the information from the university insurance, and pre-existing conditions are not covered by the insurance. Than it is better to get a different insurance provider, right?

I'm currently looking into the Patriot Travel Medical Insurance. Does anyone know if it is a good one? Has anyone had problems with using it. I have a pre-existing condition, it's minor, but I still want to make sure I can be treated for it in case of something happens.

Thanks for all you help.

[doctor2007]

In the first sentence, I meant "Something didn't make sense."

[WantMD]

I would call the school and/or the insurance company. According to my understanding, conditions existing at the time of application or prior are not covered by the insurance. I have asthma for the last 6 years. I assume this means it will not be covered. It is well controlled and I will have to take my chances. I hope you don't have a severe condition because I think it will be difficult/impossible to get insurance for it.

Actually, here is a suggestion. The travel insurance you are looking at "Patriot" etc... is a U.S. based medical insurance. They have access to your prior medical records. On SXM you can get a local insurance from a company called NAGICO for about $200.00 per semester. If you were to not disclose your condition, I'm not sure they could/would find out. You may want to get this as a backup plan. Also, I heard that NAGICO is quite good and takes good care of you if you are sick. This is what most of AUC students get.

Luckily, healthcare on Saba and SXM is rather inexpensive if you are not insured.

Good Luck!

WantMD :-)

[Stitches]

All this talk about health insurance is foreign to me, because I'm Canadian and all I ever needed was my healthcard. The government pays for pretty much everything there. I guess their coverage doesn't extend outside of the country, huh?

WantMD, do you recommend health insurance for someone who has no health problems? For instance, if I catch the flu (unlikely on Saba), will it cost me a fortune to see a doctor?

[WantMD]

Hi Stitches,

I'm Canadian as well. Believe me, spending the last six years in L.A. with two young children, I've discovered the value of insurance!

I do indeed suggest you get insurance. Just as an example, a student last year at AUC went surfing. He fell and was tossed in the waves. He broke his neck and many other bones. He had NAGICO insurance and was airlifted to Puerto Rico. They fixed him up really good and he returned to AUC to finish his studies. I can only imagine how much this costs without insurance.

Bottom line, if you can find some reasonably priced insurance get it. If you can't get a decent price, ask about increasing your deductible. With ISI you can increase your deductible from $250 too $5000 and save a BUNDLE! Of course, then your insurance is only useful in times of major accidents. Otherwise, you have to pay out of your pocket.

Good Luck!

WantMD :-)

[Stitches]

Hi WantMD, which insurance are you using currently? Is there one affiliated with SUSOM? Let me know if there are websites i can visit for this info. Thanx a bunch!

[WantMD]

Hi Stitches,

I am not enrolled in any insurance yet. I start school in May.

WantMD :-)

[Stitches]

Well, thanks anyways. There's some info on insurance linked to this site, so i'll look into it.

Have fun waiting for May to come around! :lol:

[docsmile]

Hey Stiches,

You can also look into the health insurance pamplet that came in our acceptance package.

Doc :D

[Stitches]

I will do that. Also, StudentMD has brought to my attention that our Health Card can be modified to cover us for emergency hospitals and such if we let the ministry know that we'll be travelling. I was told that a lot of Canadian students don't have anything beyond the govt coverage, since hospitals are covered and they go home during the breaks and can get their check-ups done at home.

[docsmile]

Thanks for the information Stiches, I will look into it further.

Thanks again,

Doc :D

[WantMD]

I believe this to be true. You lose your medical insurance coverage in Canada the minute you leave the country and establish permanent residence somewhere else. As a student, you are leaving the country on a temporary (extended but temporary) basis. This means that your Canadian medical insurance still covers you "up to" what they would have paid in Canada for equivalent medical treatment. In the U.S. the cost of medical treatment is so ridiculously high that most Canadians purchase Blue Cross insurance when travelling to cover the gap. The medical care on Saba & SXM is much cheaper and may be in the same ballpark pricewise as Canada.

One caveat with this, if something REALLY serious happens, you will most likely be airlifted to Puerto Rico i.e. U.S.A. and will be on the hook to pay the difference. The probability of this happening is of course rather small but > 0.

WantMD :-)

[docsmile]

Thanks for the heads up WantMD, Which insurance company do you think you are going to go with?

Doc :D