Take HSA Debit Card to Europe?

[NoiseBoy]

I am removing unneeded things from my wallet (library card, parent's debit card) before my trip and I am wondering if there is any reason to haul my HSA debit card around Italy, thoughts?

 

[SteveNU]

Leave it home. If you have any medical expenses on your trip you can always reimburse yourself later.

 

[zinger1457]

Leave it home. If you have any medical expenses on your trip you can always reimburse yourself later.

That's what I do. My HSA card would also add on a foreign transaction fee so I use a credit card that doesn't.

 

[audreyh1]

No. Leave it home. Reimburse yourself later if needed.

 

[NoiseBoy]

A unanimous response; I should leave home without it! Thanks everyone.

 

[easysurfer]

I purposely didn't request a HSA debit card as for me, that's a transaction mistake waiting to happen.

Instead, I just reimburse myself.

 

[audreyh1]

I think our HSA debit cards are lost in the safe deposit box somewhere.......

 

[gauss]

Yes - Same here. Just pay cash for OOP medical expenses and then request reimbursements down the road.

I did however start to request reimbursements recently ie years 2008-2012 or so),because I didn't want to keep the medical expense records forever.

The OOP added up to less than $1,000 for this interval- and I still have ~ $50,000 in the HSA.

-gauss

 

[COcheesehead]

Hope you bought international medical coverage and evacuation insurance.

 

[TrvlBug]

Those debit cards go through the shredder the minute I get them.

 

[audreyh1]

Hope you bought international medical coverage and evacuation insurance.

For Europe?

 

[Sunset]

We buy year long coverage for medical and evacuation, it only costs $200/yr and covers all trips outside USA for less than 70 days per trip.

We did 4 trips in the year we had it, so it's cheaper than a per trip coverage, and less hassle.

 

[NoiseBoy]

Hope you bought international medical coverage and evacuation insurance.

I am still working, so covered by good mega-corp group plan. If I can hang on for two more year, and they don't change the rules, I will be covered by a retiree group plan. Not sure what the travel coverage will be though.

 

[COcheesehead]

For Europe?

Yes. I know someone who broke a leg on a cruise. Had to be hospitalized in Croatia and then flown back to the US. All of which was not covered by their regular health insurance. Fortunately they had travel insurance that included health care coverage.

 

[COcheesehead]

I am still working, so covered by good mega-corp group plan. If I can hang on for two more year, and they don't change the rules, I will be covered by a retiree group plan. Not sure what the travel coverage will be though.

I would check it out. Many policies do not have coverage overseas.

 

[TrvlBug]

I am still working, so covered by good mega-corp group plan. If I can hang on for two more year, and they don't change the rules, I will be covered by a retiree group plan. Not sure what the travel coverage will be though.

Thanks for the 'reminder' to check my coverage under the retiree group plan. My former employer does cover for int'l travel as many of the technical employees travel internationally for business, however, that benefit may not be afforded to retirees.

 

[Sunset]

I would check it out. Many policies do not have coverage overseas.

And very few cover medical evac, which costs tens of thousands of dollars.
It's very rare, but when I watch a chopper evac some 40 yr old off the cruise ship, I just think, if he doesn't have the insurance, he will have a heart attack when he gets the bill.

 

[Sunset]

Thanks for the 'reminder' to check my coverage under the retiree group plan. My former employer does cover for int'l travel as many of the technical employees travel internationally for business, however, that benefit may not be afforded to retirees.

My former employer sent people overseas for various projects, and nope our insurance didn't cover them, but nobody thought about it.

Will they cover it like "in network" ?

 

[COcheesehead]

And very few cover medical evac, which costs tens of thousands of dollars.
It's very rare, but when I watch a chopper evac some 40 yr old off the cruise ship, I just think, if he doesn't have the insurance, he will have a heart attack when he gets the bill.

Airplanes too. Neighbor had a car accident in Belize. Had a neck/back injury and needed a medical flight to a US hospital in Miami with an EMT aboard. Flight was just over $29,000 and not covered by insurance.
For a few hundred bucks of travel insurance, all would have been taken care of.

 

[NoiseBoy]

Will they cover it like "in network" ?

A quick reading of the travel section of the FAQ for my mega-corp's group plan (still working) shows that emergency medical conditions are covered like an In Network hospital visit. Then they go on to state what constitutes an emergency. Still, I am planning to travel a lot more in the next few years so I think I will check into extra travel insurance.

 

[TrvlBug]

My former employer sent people overseas for various projects, and nope our insurance didn't cover them, but nobody thought about it.

Will they cover it like "in network" ?

I did check and yep, they cover overseas travel. I haven't read the details. I also really do need to check on this as well as what DH's Plan F covers. As we age, medical evac or serious medical needs while traveling are a real possibility.

 

[Lagniappe]

For those that have an annual travel insurance policy, who provides your coverage. A google search turns up lots of ads, and links to "per-trip" insurance.