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Travel Insurance - Medical Expenses During a Trip Overseas

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ashina74

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? FL

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? FL

We recently had our elderly grandmother visiting us from overseas. We decided together to go on a short cruise. Unfortunately the cruise ended up to be nightmare as one morning our grandmother did not feel well. she was treated on the ship medical office and was advices to be checked up by a local hospital.

The medical staff on the ship ordered an ambulance to transfer our grandmother to a local hospital 25 minutes away from port. The hospital we were transferred to was really a third world country medical facility and looked very bad so our grandmother did not want to stay there. Only after few hours of arguing with the local doctors we were able to get a release and return to the ship.

Throughout the whole process we felt like the locals (hospital doctors and ambulance driver) were trying to rip us off financially. We were asked for a credit card few times in advance even before treating our grandmother. Without any other choice and being in a foreign country we didn't know what to do so we had to comply.

Overall, we ended up paying these different charges on our credit card from the ship, the ambulance company and the medical facility. The ambulance company already charged our card for $500. Recently, we were surprised to be contacted by their billing system company in the U.S which is now requesting us to pay an additional charge as they say that the $500 they already charged was just an initial charge???

Can we refuse or dispute to be charged for additional amounts that were never disclosed or explained to us?

Can we file a claim with our credit card company since we have a travel insurance coverage?

Can we get some help from the cruise line as they were Is there anywhere we can get help with this matter.

Your help is greatly appreciated.
 


Dave1952

Senior Member
Some of what you posted is not clear to me and you mention travel insurance only in your title. Here's what I understand. You went on a cruise ship with your grandmother. She became ill and went to the infirmary. The infirmary felt that they could not treat your grandmother and that she needed to be seen by a hospital. She was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. She was seen by local physicians but refused being admitted overnight (?) and left the hospital after several hours. It's not clear how she traveled back to the ship or what happened after that.
You want to dispute various bills but you aren't clear as to why. She was seen by the infirmary staff. Did you get a bill? Why shouldn't you pay it? She rode over 25 mi. in an ambulance. Any problems with that bill? She entered the hospital (probably through the ER). ER visits are expensive. How's that bill?
And finally, getting back to the title do you have travel insurance? Any problems with that?
 

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