Travel vaccines and travel medical insurance

[SecondAttempt]

We'll be going to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in April/May 2025. I know those countries are generally pretty safe, especially in tourist areas. But I've traveled to a developing country about 25 years ago and at the time my company sent us to a travel physician. She recommended several vaccines including a polio booster, typhoid, and a couple of others. But that has been so long ago I wondered if we will need boosters for anything, or some vaccines that were not available back then that might take months to complete a course (Hep B for example). I found a travel medicine provider in Oahu that will do a consult for us for a decent price and we are in the process of exchanging information about vaccine history, etc. It looks like were are going to need a few jabs.

But that got me doing some research this weekend. One that we do NOT need for SE Asia but may need in the future is yellow fever. It's recommended is a lot of areas we might travel to like a few countries in Africa that are otherwise safe and I've been hoping to do a safari to, most of coastal Brazil (Rio), much of Peru (Machu Pichu), etc.

But the rub is that they don't like to give it to people over 60. I will turn 60 next year. So it might be now or never and the choice might lead to scratching off several bucket list trips. I'm going to talk to my consultant about this but has anyone gotten a yellow fever vaccine? Or been denied because they are too old?

That also got me looking into travel medical insurance. It turns out that what I have (Blue Cross) and what my partner has (Kaiser) cover us for urgent and emergency care world wide when traveling. So we are covered for major issues. But I was looking into Geo Blue which I think some folks here have talked about. I was surprised at how cheap it is. I was quoted $250 per year for $200 deductible and $500,000 cap. That seems to be for 2 people but even if it is only for 1 it seems really cheap. That is for the first 70 days of each trip with an unlimited number of trips per year. It also includes emergency evacuation insurance but we already pay for that with Global Rescue.

Does anyone have Geo Blue? Can you comment on it? Is it easy to use? Does the quote I got sound like maybe I'm missing something like perhaps that is a monthly rate?

 

[Sunset]

The Geo Blue rate is what I paid yearly.
I never go to use it , so can't help there.

I think the reason it's cheap is: it's secondary insurance, so they will only pay after other insurances have paid.

I'll be interested to hear if others used it, as I buy it just in case when traveling, even though my supplemental says it will cover $50K medical costs in my life.

 

[SecondAttempt]

The Geo Blue rate is what I paid yearly.
I never go to use it , so can't help there.

I think the reason it's cheap is: it's secondary insurance, so they will only pay after other insurances have paid.

I'll be interested to hear if others used it, as I buy it just in case when traveling, even though my supplemental says it will cover $50K medical costs in my life.

I just requoted it and it is $250 per year for 2 people. At that price I will probably get it as a backup. I might be a little paranoid but I have already had a few friends and acquaintances that ran into problems traveling. Most were not serious but still. Last year my sister-in-law ended up spending 3 days in pain from a toothache because she was out of state and her Hawaii insurance, which is the same that I have, wanted her to fly home rather than get treated on the mainland. Geo Blue only seems to provide limit coverage for dental pain but in most of the world it would be enough to get treatment.

At my age, even being in relatively good health, I will pay $300 for a little more legroom on a flight. I can afford peace of mind that I can see a doctor if anything happens while I'm traveling, especially since I hope to significantly increase the length and frequency of trips.

 

[Lucie]

I think it’s a good idea to get the secondary insurance. We have BCBS and they did not pay anything for my husband’s hospitalization in Cancun. Since they were considered “out of network” for BCBS, they applied the total cost to our Out of network deductible. This will likely be the case for Kaiser, which has a limited network. The travel insurance covered the rest.

 

[Aerides]

I think it’s a good idea to get the secondary insurance. We have BCBS and they did not pay anything for my husband’s hospitalization in Cancun. Since they were considered “out of network” for BCBS, they applied the total cost to our Out of network deductible. This will likely be the case for Kaiser, which has a limited network. The travel insurance covered the rest.

So do you mean you paid the full OON deductible and that was all? If so, that's coverage. I have BCBS and I know my OON price is high, but at least there's a cap vs. zero coverage.

 

[brett]

We always have out of country medical when we travel internationally. It includes repatriation. Fortunately we have only used it once. In Malaysia. It does not matter how healthy you think that you are. My spouse's claim was based on on accident not an illness.

We have been traveling for 50 years. We have spent 6 winters in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam. We never required any shots.

But....we both have hep shots and tetanus vaccinations. Does not matter where we travel. We keep them up to date-does not matter if it is NA or anywhere else.

We had some others when we went to Africa 12 years ago...cannot remember what they were. We went to a travel clinic for them on the advice of our physician.

 

[DuluthGA]

We have geoblue and have not had to use it.
We also have coverage via our credit card we use to pay for trips to cover trip/luggage issues if we pay for the trip with that card (and some medical reimbursements)
With our basic insurance plus these two I’m comfortable

 

[SecondAttempt]

Thanks for the replies. It's really looking like Geo Blue is a no-brainer for us given our travel plans over the next few years. I did find some reviews online that were a little less enthusiastic but it mostly sounded like they were hard to reach. They responded to each review saying it was not necessary to contact them in advance. They have a list of providers online and you can use any of them.

It sounds like the unhappy people just did not know how to use them. I've been trying to find out how to use our existing insurance overseas for emergencies and their information is pretty opaque as well. I don't blame anyone for not knowing how to use it but personally I am researching those details now, long before we travel, and downloading forms, provider directories, etc. so we have them if needed.

 

[SecondAttempt]

We always have out of country medical when we travel internationally. It includes repatriation. Fortunately we have only used it once. In Malaysia. It does not matter how healthy you think that you are. My spouse's claim was based on on accident not an illness.

Yes, an accident is at least as much of a worry as an illness.

But....we both have hep shots and tetanus vaccinations. Does not matter where we travel. We keep them up to date-does not matter if it is NA or anywhere else.

That seems to be what our travel clinic is zeroing in on, hep and tetanus. But I would not be surprised to need typhoid as well as malaria prophylaxis.

When my company sent us to the travel physician before going to India 25 years ago it was very reassuring. She told us a few simple rules and contingency plans and it provided a great deal of confidence. She had worked for Doctors without Borders in several places in the developing world. One of the things she said was that probably our biggest risk was car accidents not disease.

I looked her up recently thinking about going back to her. I learned that after a career as a family practitioner and medical professor she ended up working for the Indian Health Service on the Navajo reservation in Arizona, which in many ways is like the developing world in terms of healthcare. I read that she died in a car accident a few years ago because she was too far from EMS! I could not help but think back on her warning to us in India.

 

[Lucie]

So do you mean you paid the full OON deductible and that was all? If so, that's coverage. I have BCBS and I know my OON price is high, but at least there's a cap vs. zero coverage.

No, BCBS didnt pay anything, applying it all toward the OON deductible. The deductible was higher than the bill. The trip insurance (secondary) covered it completely. I don’t believe we paid anything out of pocket.

I only raised the issue because many believe that since their primary insurance is worldwide, they cover all medical. Unless you have in network providers/hospitals while traveling, you may not be fully covered.

 

[2017ish]

Depending upon the nature of your trip, you might wish to look into vaccination for Japanese Encephalitis as well. We got that last year before visiting Indonesia/Malaysia. But, we were in the area for over 2 months, in rural areas, outdoor activities, etc. etc. Most people probably don't need to worry about it... https://www.cdc.gov/japaneseencephalitis/index.html

 

[Drake3287]

My wife and I travel internationally every year and up until recently I've always rolled the dice with not needing medical coverage although I know my Kaiser plan will reimburse me once I pay out of pocket somewhere overseas.

On our last trip in September I finally bought a GeoBlue plan for the both of us. I think it was something like a million dollars coverage and it cost us $350. in total for the both of us. This coverage of course isn't a stand alone policy, it simply works in conjunction with our medical insurance from home but it at least kicks in if we need help in paying medical costs up front in a foreign country. That was my big concern, what happens if we have a true emergency and the bill runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Just sort of a piece of mind for a fairly low cost.

 

[SecondAttempt]

My wife and I travel internationally every year and up until recently I've always rolled the dice with not needing medical coverage although I know my Kaiser plan will reimburse me once I pay out of pocket somewhere overseas.

On our last trip in September I finally bought a GeoBlue plan for the both of us. I think it was something like a million dollars coverage and it cost us $350. in total for the both of us. This coverage of course isn't a stand alone policy, it simply works in conjunction with our medical insurance from home but it at least kicks in if we need help in paying medical costs up front in a foreign country. That was my big concern, what happens if we have a true emergency and the bill runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Just sort of a piece of mind for a fairly low cost.

That's where I am. I have never worried about it because I knew I was covered for emergencies because I had regular health insurance. But as I am approaching retirement and looking at more and longer trips, and some travel to slightly more dicey areas, I thought I'd look into it and was surprised how reasonably priced it is. I'm sure this is because most people don't use it except in an emergency and already have coverage (required to buy Geo Blue) so they probably rarely end up paying anyway. I'm also aware that medical care is much less expensive in most of the world, even most other developed countries.

It's like fire insurance. I hope to never use it but I feel just a little more comfortable having it.

 

[SecondAttempt]

No, BCBS didnt pay anything, applying it all toward the OON deductible. The deductible was higher than the bill. The trip insurance (secondary) covered it completely. I don’t believe we paid anything out of pocket.

I only raised the issue because many believe that since their primary insurance is worldwide, they cover all medical. Unless you have in network providers/hospitals while traveling, you may not be fully covered.

I think I understand that. But it sounds like if your medical bills were more than the OON deductible they would have paid. Or maybe not. Do you know?

 

[SecondAttempt]

Depending upon the nature of your trip, you might wish to look into vaccination for Japanese Encephalitis as well. We got that last year before visiting Indonesia/Malaysia. But, we were in the area for over 2 months, in rural areas, outdoor activities, etc. etc. Most people probably don't need to worry about it... https://www.cdc.gov/japaneseencephalitis/index.html

I'll look into that and see what the travel doctor says. We will mostly be in touristy areas although also a bit in some smaller or rural areas. So far she has only said to get up-to-date on hepatitis and tetanus vaccines. But once we have our records together we'll have an actual consult and more might be suggested.

 

[Lucie]

I think I understand that. But it sounds like if your medical bills were more than the OON deductible they would have paid. Or maybe not. Do you know?

Yes, if our expenses were higher than the OON deductible, they would have paid the difference. Just like at home. But with an $8500 OON deductible, it was nice to have the secondary insurance cover it all.

Fwiw, if you have an emergency, be sure to bring your passport, credit cards and insurance cards with you to the hospital.They wouldn’t release my husband from the ambulance until we paid for the $2,100 (19 minute) ambulance ride by credit card. Despite two insurances, we also had to pay for the entire hospital stay on a credit card. Then we submitted to both insurances. This was in Cancun 13 years ago, so YMMV

 

[athena53]

It's like fire insurance. I hope to never use it but I feel just a little more comfortable having it.

I agree. Overall I'm healthy except for mitral valve prolapse, and my cardiologist tells me it's stable and I should keep on truckin'. But, I do climb mountains (albeit at a slower pace), snorkel and wander city streets. I've been buying travel insurance for years, haven't ever filed a claim but I'm OK with that.

You may also want to look into a separate service for evacuation. I use MedJetAssist. They clearly state they are NOT insurance but if you're admitted to a hospital for something they'll come and get you with a private plane with a nurse on board and take you to any hospital you specify. After hearing about the brother of a friend who was airlifted to St. Kitts after a transient ischemic attack on a Caribbean cruise, who pretty much got nothing but a bed and meals for 4 days (no PT, just stabilized him) till my friend came down and brought him home (he was in a wheel chair and couldn't read) I figure it's a good investment.

 

[Born2BRetd]

I read an interesting book a while back, The Perfect Predator, where the author's husband came down with a deadly bacterial infection in Egypt. He was languishing in a hospital with really poor care and the wife knew if she didn't get him out of there he was going to die. She got in contact with the medical evacuation plan and flight nurses from Germany stomped into the hospital like a SWAT team and yanked him out of there.

 

[rodi]

We recently did the travel clinic thing for our SE Asia trip. They have us HepA and typhoid shots, plus prescribed z-packs in case we got bacterial diarrhea. Since our plans were in touristy spots they skipped the yellow fever shot.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I agree. Overall I'm healthy except for mitral valve prolapse, and my cardiologist tells me it's stable and I should keep on truckin'. But, I do climb mountains (albeit at a slower pace), snorkel and wander city streets. I've been buying travel insurance for years, haven't ever filed a claim but I'm OK with that.

You may also want to look into a separate service for evacuation. I use MedJetAssist. They clearly state they are NOT insurance but if you're admitted to a hospital for something they'll come and get you with a private plane with a nurse on board and take you to any hospital you specify. After hearing about the brother of a friend who was airlifted to St. Kitts after a transient ischemic attack on a Caribbean cruise, who pretty much got nothing but a bed and meals for 4 days (no PT, just stabilized him) till my friend came down and brought him home (he was in a wheel chair and couldn't read) I figure it's a good investment.

Yes, we have Global Rescue for evacuation insurance. To me that was my original main concern. To be honest I am still not that concerned with having full medical coverage as long as we are covered for emergencies and urgent care. But for the price I was quoted it buys peace of mind.

 

[SecondAttempt]

We recently did the travel clinic thing for our SE Asia trip. They have us HepA and typhoid shots, plus prescribed z-packs in case we got bacterial diarrhea. Since our plans were in touristy spots they skipped the yellow fever shot.

That seems to be where we are headed, HepA&B and updating tetanus which is more of a general thing not necessarily related to travel. She hasn't mentioned typhoid but I had that when I went to India 25 years ago. My partner only has records going back about 20 years but her mother was a nurse so she was definitely up to date until leaving home 30 years ago. There is generally not much required in those intervening years that are unknown for her. I would not be surprised if they want to give her another polio booster. They did with me 25 years ago.

Yellow fever is not really an issue anywhere in Asia as far as I know. I asked about it because I might want to go to parts of Africa or South America in a few years where it is required and I found that it is usually not given to people over 60. But the doctor said as long as we were not immune compromised she would give it if we were otherwise healthy enough to travel. That's what I get for seeking medical advice from the internet, even if it is from reliable sources (CDC).