Accident

cena

My mom had an accident yesterday. she has broken two fingers that involved a visit to the hospital. She has informed me she forgot to get travel insurance.

I guess it is too late to get travel insurance now?

Thoie

cena wrote: »

My mom had an accident yesterday. she has broken two fingers that involved a visit to the hospital. She has informed me she forgot to get travel insurance.

I guess it is too late to get travel insurance now?

Yes, but if she has private health insurance, check with them if there's any cover. And if she paid for the holiday by credit card, check if the card company provides any kind of cover. Few do any more, but no harm in calling to ask.

cena

Thoie wrote: »

Yes, but if she has private health insurance, check with them if there's any cover. And if she paid for the holiday by credit card, check if the card company provides any kind of cover. Few do any more, but no harm in calling to ask.

Does not have private health insurance. She is a medical card holder.

Squatter

cena wrote: »

My mom had an accident yesterday. she has broken two fingers that involved a visit to the hospital. She has informed me she forgot to get travel insurance.

I guess it is too late to get travel insurance now?

That's rather like asking whether a still-warm corpse can take out a life insurance policy.

Effects

Have they given her a bill yet? How long more is she in the US and would she be happy enough never going back?

cena

Effects wrote: »

Have they given her a bill yet? How long more is she in the US and would she be happy enough never going back?

Only happened yesterday. She is their till Thursday week. All her aunts live in the states so no she would not be happy not going back again

Boxcar_Willie

Was she given a bill yet ?

volchitsa

cena wrote: »

Only happened yesterday. She is their till Thursday week. All her aunts live in the states so no she would not be happy not going back again

Then I'm pretty sure she will have to pay. Just like US citizens have to. Irish (and British/NI) people going to the states need to wake up to what it really means not to have a proper health care system. I get the impression a lot of people just don't really believe that they'll actually let you do without necessary healthcare in America if you insist enough that you can't or won't pay. They will.

cena

Boxcar_Willie wrote: »

Was she given a bill yet ?

I don't know. I have not spoken to her since yesterday before the ambulance arrived

splinter65

cena wrote: »

My mom had an accident yesterday. she has broken two fingers that involved a visit to the hospital. She has informed me she forgot to get travel insurance.

I guess it is too late to get travel insurance now?

How much is the bill? No, she can’t buy travel insurance on holidays after she’s had an accident.

antoinolachtnai

What sort of accident was it? Is there any prospect of making a claim?

cena

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

What sort of accident was it? Is there any prospect of making a claim?

I don't have that info yet

volchitsa

Squatter wrote: »

That's rather like asking whether a still-warm corpse can take out a life insurance policy.

Or if you can renew your expired car insurance after you've had an accident.
The answer is no, that's how insurance works. Or that's not how it works, depending!

banie01

cena wrote: »

I don't know. I have not spoken to her since yesterday before the ambulance arrived

She got an ambulance as well!
It's not what you or your mother want to hear but this is going to be ridiculously expensive.
Assuming no lights and a very basic x-ray and splint as a non US resident.
I think she will be doing well for this to be less than $5k.

markjbloggs

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

What sort of accident was it? Is there any prospect of making a claim?

that is soooooooo Irish

Boxcar_Willie

cena wrote: »

I don't know. I have not spoken to her since yesterday before the ambulance arrived

Ambulance won't be cheap , then consultation , X-ray , cast etc...
I'd say she's looking at $8,000 to $10,000.

cena

Boxcar_Willie wrote: »

Ambulance won't be cheap , then consultation , X-ray , cast etc...
I'd say she's looking at $8,000 to $10,000.

I know it won't be cheap.

realdanbreen

I'm surprised the hospital even looked at her without establishing first whether or not she had cover. This is a country with a huge bible belt but they worship the $ !

Boxcar_Willie

I'm assuming she's out now but some arrangement to settle the bill would have to be made on discharge .

cena

Boxcar_Willie wrote: »

I'm assuming she's out now but some arrangement to settle the bill would have to be made on discharge .

Ya she is out. Looks like a cast from the photo my cousin sent me

volchitsa

banie01 wrote: »

She got an ambulance as well!
It's not what you or your mother want to hear but this is going to be ridiculously expensive.
Assuming no lights and a very basic x-ray and splint as a non US resident.
I think she will be doing well for this to be less than $5k.

Yep. A relative of mine had a $ 22 000 bill for a walk-in consult in A&E that led to a night spent in a cardiology ward attached to a monitor, and a prescription for beta blockers when he left. Nothing else.

He had travel insurance, so if he'd been paying himself the bill would probably have been lower (that's another thing Europeans don't understand either, the size of the bill should reflect the cost and nothing else, surely? When in fact it often depends more on who is going to pay it!) but it's just to give anyone who doesn't know an example of why you should always take out travel insurance for a trip to the States.

And why people living in Europe generally but those with access to the NHS in particular should thank their lucky stars every day and stop fking complaining about the NHS!

martyoo

that is soooooooo Irish

If anything it's sooooo American.

cena

volchitsa wrote: »

Yep. A relative of mine had a $ 22 000 bill for a walk-in consult in A&E that led to a night spent in a cardiology ward attached to a monitor, and a prescription for beta blockers when he left. Nothing else.

He had travel insurance, so if he'd been paying himself the bill would probably have been lower (that's another thing Europeans don't understand either, the size of the bill should reflect the cost and nothing else, surely? When in fact it often depends more on who is going to pay it!) but it's just to give anyone who doesn't know an example of why you should always take out travel insurance for a trip to the States.

And why people living in Europe generally but those with access to the NHS in particular should thank their lucky stars every day and stop fking complaining about the NHS!

we totally forgot about the travel insurance till yesterday. First time to forget it

Effects

Prices vary depending on which hospital and ambulance service.
As she wants to return, then I think it's best to find out how much the bill is for and work out how to pay it.
Probably best to advise her to not get any more treatment while she is there.

cena

Effects wrote: »

Prices vary depending on which hospital and ambulance service.
As she wants to return, then I think it's best to find out how much the bill is for and work out how to pay it.
Probably best to advise her to not get any more treatment while she is there.

I doubt she well be going back.

intellectual dosser

cena wrote: »

we totally forgot about the travel insurance till yesterday. First time to forget it

When was the last time your mother got travel insurance? Has previous cover definitely expired?

volchitsa

cena wrote: »

we totally forgot about the travel insurance till yesterday. First time to forget it

Okay fair enough I can totally understand that happening by mistake. Like someone discovering the night before they leave that they've forgotten to renew their passport - these (apparently) mad things happen to the best of us. Or indeed forgetting to renew their car insurance (my aunt was driving around for months without car insurance because none of her children thought to check that she had remembered - her husband had always done it and after his death it just wasn't on anyone's radar. Luckily she didn't have an accident but it certainly gave them all cold sweats when they realized.)

I was assuming your mum had knowingly taken a "calculated" risk (though that's the wrong word, "stupid" would be better) to do without it because, you know, paying out for something she doesn't expect to need is so annoying.

cena

intellectual dosser wrote: »

When was the last time your mother got travel insurance? Has previous cover definitely expired?

It expired last December. When we were both over there.

jim o doom

markjbloggs wrote: »

that is soooooooo Irish

Yes so very Irish for a person to ask if an injury was caused by a third party, who could pay for the likely very expensive medical bills that are about to follow.

I mean, people who are responsible for accidents and injuries, they should just get off scott free while the injured party needs to pay thousands. Compensation culture! :rolleyes:

PM me nudes

OP don't forget that hospitals in the US are more often than not willing to be paid a sum that is substantially less than the bill they give when it is being settled away from insurance, so don't be afraid to "make an offer" when the bill is received.

splinter65

cena wrote: »

I know it won't be cheap.

Why did she get an ambulance?