TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Health insurance options for travel to island

Scotty==we have rented through a bunch of different people over the years. Lately we have been doing AAA, as it is very convenient to Beachside Villas.

What Scubaman said. Every year I look up the online provisions of the card I want to use. Pretty sure AA Barclays Mastercard still covers collision. And yes, Hertz includes liability in their quote; it is not an add-on. However, I got a quote from Leisure this year that was over $300 less than Hertz even after adding in liability.

My United Explorer MC still covers collision and includeds rentals outside the USA

Lots of people use the CitiBank card associated with Costco. My last check with them confirmed that all coverage is still solid. Also, the rewards program applies to purchases.

I contacted them earlier and they said they didn't. I will check again and see if that is the case. I hope so. That would be great.

Did you ask about collision coverage? As that is what they'll cover and not he liability.

I talked to AAdvantage Aviator Red Mastercard and I was told they do cover collision. I must have talked to someone on their first day the last time I called in. Well, that is good to know. My other card though, the AA Citibank Platinum does not. They used to, but no longer offer that service. I'll now start checking on my car rental to see what I can come up with.

Scubaman, nothing I have covers car rental liability outside the US that I know of. I will either have to get that through the car rental or buy some comprehensive type of insurance. Also, if you don't mind me asking, what supplemental medigap insurance do you have? I'm checking now to see what kind of coverage mine gives me outside of the US.

I don't have anything but Medicare and my supplemental plan B and C insurance. If I have an out of country or network claim I just submit it and it's reimbursed.

Scuba--Medicare has ZERO coverage outside the US. Are you saying you submitted a claim for outside the US and Medicare paid it?

I think Scubaman is mistaken. He must be talking about his supplemental coverage. Plan A, B do not cover any foreign health issues. Plan B is not a supplemental, it is the standard Medicare. My supplemental Plan G will cover up to 80%, but standard Medicare will not. Do a Google search on it. Contact your company that helped set up Medicare for you and they will tell you standard Medicare does not cover outside of the US.
But if he has Plan C, that is an advantage plan. I don't know much about the advantage plan, which after reading a little, it may cover some costs of things outside of the US, but only covers up to 80% of things.

My plan C through United Healthcare covers out of network providers.

Yes, that is a supplemental. That is the Advantage plan, and not standard Medicare. I'm glad it works for you. I'm trying to check with my supplemental Plan G and see what it covers. I'm pretty sure it covers the same, which is 80%.

OK, I thought you were saying that Medicare paid out of the country.

We have a supplemental plan through UHC and it pays 80% outside the country. I still always get a comprehensive policy, which covers medical and evac.

So, Carol, you are pretty much an experienced traveler, you say you buy a comp. policy. What exactly does your comp. policy cover. This is going to be my first time buy one. I don't want to buy too much, and I definitely don't want to buy too little.

We now always get a medical coverage policy from Travelex (through Squaremouth). It covers medical expences and transport back to the USA if needed. Different policies for different needs but it's a small price to pay (around $140 for two people) for decent coverage

We have used Allianz and have been pleased. Naturally, you will need to customize your plan to your needs.

Scotty, please research the laws regarding liability insurance in SXM. The rental agency is required by law to have liability coverage, and that covers their clients. If you purchase the liability coverage from the rental agency, you are simply reimbursing them, or perhaps even overpaying them, for the coverage they already have. You are not getting any additional protection. It's your choice if you choose to "purchase liability insurance"; but you should know that you really aren't purchasing anything. I know many will argue with me about this, but I have verified it with a very trusted source.

Also, the Citibank AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard covers collision and theft of a rental car in a foreign country.

Scotty--a comprehensive policy covers a lot of different things, stuff like trip interruption and trip cancellation (with a lot of exclusions), plus medical insurance, medical evac, etc. As I said, you can look at Insure my Trip, and compare policies and coverages, side by side.

You are spot on but some rental companies won't admit it and charge extra anyways.

I have not been to SXM for 8 years so I didn't know if this was something that had become mandatory. I have never purchased liability insurance ever, but hear people talking about it. So, what you are saying is that I don't need to spend extra for it. If you don't think it is necessary, I'll follow your lead. They can't make me purchase it???
As for the Citibank AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard, you are right, that is what it shows, but I don't have that one. I have the Platinum which no longer gives that coverage.

The law is not new, but the practice of the agents strong-arming you into purchasing it is. I suppose they could refuse to rent to you if you don't buy it.

Who do you normally rent a car from?

Well, after talking with my medicare rep today I found out that Scubaman is correct. Medicare will cover me in any emergency up to 80% and my supplemental will cover the other 20%. She said it would not cover something that is prearranged. Example: You go to SXM for some treatment that is not offered in the US, or anything planned ahead of time, no coverage. It will cover any emergency with a 250 deductible first. I gave her some examples. I have a heart attack, I will be covered. It doesn't cover transportation back home or anything like that. I break a leg, get cut and need stitches etc. All covered. I'm learning something new everyday.

Unless things have changed, your rep is in error. Medicare doesn't cover international, but some of the Medigap plans do--they cover up to 80% after deductible with a $50k lifetime cap. Has coverage really changed??

Correct...Medicare does not cover care outside the USA...Madicare Fact Sheet

Fact Sheet link

Perhaps some of the Meicare Advantage programs do cover out of country travel? They seem to promise lot more coverage than traditional Medicare - though I have been advised by knowledgeable people to avoid them.

Wow, now I have to call them back again and see what the heck is going on with this info she gave me today. Crazy.

I talked to my medicare agent again, and I think they just don't really understand the whole picture. The link she sent me shows something totally different. She just doesn't quite get it I guess. She seems to read into it that there is a coverage, but from what I read, there would have to be certain circumstances for you to get any help. No real coverage with medicare from what I can see. I just started on medicare, so there is a lot to learn I guess.
Thanks for setting me straight on this. I guess I'll have to decide what I need to do. I don't take any meds, and haven't even had a cold since 2017. Hmm. Vacations are supposed to be fun, and so should planning them, but I'm struggling right now. LOL.

Sadly, a lot of agents give out bad information when it comes to car rental coverage and other insurance. I have found it best to communicate directly with the issuing company/carrier and maybe even make two contacts to make sure you get accurate information. It is always best to do some research yourself also.

Having been on Medicare myself for a few years now (but I do still carry regular health insurance as my wife is still working and it beats a lot of the other options), I have done a lot of learning and research and also ran into a lot of misinformation. We are going through some major changes with "open season" on my regular insurance and it has been a fiasco trying to navigate it. An in-person health fair was basically useless and even trying to call an assistance number has been a joke.

Good luck.

I am now looking for a comprehensive policy. Really, I'm not so worried about trip cancellation or trip interruption I guess because if something medically happens, I don't think I'm going to be worried about my trip. I'm more worried about my medical I guess. So, as this will be my first time ever buying this stuff, I'll keep looking and hopefully make up my mind.

Scotty--agreed, I don't worry about trip cancellation or interruption either, but it's always part of a comprehensive policy. Medical stuff is what I worry about most.

As I said at one point, check out TTOL sponsor Insure My Trip. You can compare various policies side and side and determine which one is the best one for you. If you click on the link here, TTOL gets a small commission and the price to you is the same.