Travel medical insurance isn’t typically put on the vacation to-do list for California travelers spending a week or less in the tourist areas of Mexico: Ensenada, Mexico City, Tulum, Cancun and Playa Del Carmen.
Taking a trip to Mexico is as easy as flying to New York for Californians. Round-trip flights from Los Angeles to Mexico City are less than four hours long and can be as low as $200. Cruises out of Long Beach leave daily to Ensenada, and as many flights land in the resort capital of Mexico, Cancun, from Southern California each day.
For many, insurance to such a close destination is an unnecessary cost.
One such traveler this year was Victorville father Manuel Contreras. What was supposed to be a short, casual trip to Cancun with friends turned into a nightmare for the Contreras family.
According to the GoFundMe Manuel’s son Gabriel Contreras created, his father suffered a series of strokes on his vacation, placing him in a coma for over a week.
Cancun maintains a constant humidity of around 80% annually, Weather Atlas reports, a huge spike compared to Victor Valley’s humidity which averages 23% in the summer.
When coupled with the intense heat of a Cancun dry season, the humidity is enough to shock the nervous system and wake medical histories out of remission, including accelerating the progression of cardiovascular disease, like strokes, the American Heart Association reports.
Gabriel wrote that he and his siblings were “desperate” to bring their father home to California “so he can receive the urgent care he needs.”
“Unfortunately,” Gabriel wrote, “international medical transport is extremely expensive.” They were quoted $30,000 to fly their father to a hospital in the United States where he would “receive proper treatment.”
The Contreras family raised the $30,000 necessary to fly Manuel back to Victorville, but unfortunately, it was not in time.
A close friend of the Contreras family, Andrea Martinez, confirmed the death of Manuel on Wednesday, June 11, to the Daily Press. She was grateful that some of Manuel’s family was at his side when he died in Mexico.
“We are all still shocked.”
Martinez said the Contreras family is actively trying to fly Manuel stateside for a “proper memorial.”
“The funds will now go toward covering his funeral expenses and bringing his remains home,” family wrote on the GoFundMe. “Thank you for your continued love and support during this incredibly difficult time.”
Medical care abroad
The U.S. Embassy recommends learning what medical services your health insurance will cover overseas before going abroad. Travelers can find lists of doctors and hospitals in the country they are visiting on the website of the U.S. Embassy in the country of destination.
Although many health insurance companies will pay “customary and reasonable” hospital costs abroad, the U.S. Embassy reports, very few will pay for medical evacuation back to the United States, which can easily cost $10,000 and up depending on the location and medical condition of the patient.
The Embassy recommends that U.S. citizens purchase medical evacuation insurance if traveling overseas, especially for citizens who have Medicare and Medicaid, which do not pay for medical care outside the United States.
If an American citizen becomes seriously ill or injured abroad, the embassy can only assist in locating appropriate medical services and informing family or friends.
Payment of hospital and other expenses is the sole responsibility of the traveler.
If your health insurance policy provides coverage outside the United States, remember to carry both your insurance policy identity card as proof of such insurance and a claim form.
Types of travel insurance
According to the CDC, there are three types of travel insurance: trip cancellation or travel disruption insurance, travel health insurance and medical evacuation insurance.
Trip cancellation insurance
Trip cancellation insurance covers the financial investment of the trip, such as flights, cruises, or train tickets.
Customers must carefully examine the policy to make sure it covers cancellations fully. Depending on the policy, trip cancellation insurance might not cover any medical care needed overseas, facilitating the need for a separate travel health insurance policy.
Trip cancellation insurance may allow travelers to make last-minute cancellations or changes to the itinerary in the event of a disease outbreak, but be sure to check the fine print of the policy.
Travel health insurance
If you need medical care in another country, you will likely need to pay out-of-pocket for any services, the CDC reports.
Even if a country has nationalized health care, it may not cover people who are not citizens. Travel health insurance is especially important for travelers with existing health conditions, who are traveling for more than six months, or are doing adventure activities such as scuba diving or hang gliding.
Check if your current health care covers emergencies that happen while traveling. Ask if your policy has any exclusions, such as for preexisting conditions or adventure activities.
If your health insurance coverage is not adequate, consider buying a short-term supplemental policy. Look for a policy that will make payments to hospitals directly.
Medical evacuation insurance
Medical evacuation insurance covers emergency transportation from a remote area to a high-quality hospital, which could otherwise cost more than $100,000.
If you are traveling to a remote destination or to a place where care is not likely to be up to U.S. standards, consider buying medical evacuation insurance. This can be bought separately or as part of your travel health insurance policy.
This is the insurance type that would have benefited Manuel during his trip abroad. Instead of the time it took to raise funds to bring him home, he may have been transferred instantly with medical evacuation insurance.
McKenna is a reporter for the Daily Press. She can be reached at mmobley@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Victorville father of 3 suffers series of strokes, dies while vacationing in Cancun
Reporting by McKenna Mobley, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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