No, but I thought about it after I got bitten by a centipede that was in my shoe. I turned my toe black. Of all the things you can freak yourself out over I'd say worry about the ticks. They only start coming out at the end of summer, for me in New England.
Good news is you are probably safer on the trail, as you won't be driving.[/QUOTE] I think you got that right.
ain't got nothin' to do with liberal or conservative. when i had my major heart attack and emergency quad by-pass a hospital official gave my girlfriend a form for me to fill out when i got home. 90% of my bill was written off. now i'm in the VA systemQuote:
Originally Posted by max patch
I ended up overnight at Carlisle Medical center. Lots of hikers go to the dr. Easy to get hurt, Lyme Disease, bad poison ivy and other things
Quote:
Originally Posted by JAK
Safer from what? Certainly not from issues that creep up hiking a trail for weeks on end.
GAME 2007 - I went to the Dr for calf injury and was in the hospital overnight for severe gallbladder attack. Also had a sprained ankle but doctored it myself.
MEGA 2010 - I went to the dr for ankle issue so I could hike. Had a knee issue also but doctored it myself. Same with severe coccyx bruise from a fall, only b'c I ran into a dr on the trail
2011 - I went to the dr multiple times for tick bites from general hiking
Dr visits for driving over 29 years? Once from an accident at age 19.
Lol there was this kid who thought he was having heart trouble,
because he heard a grouse making that motor noise.
He went to the doctor and was told he had an irregular heart beat!!!!
I had to persuade him that I heard it before, when he wasn't around
Not done a long hike but have spent significant time out of the country over the last 35 years travelling in the US.Quote:
Originally Posted by JAK
Each province regulates what their respective provincial health plans will and will not cover in the way of out of province
medical care.
Ontario for instance (the only province I'm familiar with!) will only allow claims for a visit to an ER or hospitalization - not a walk-in clinic or doctors office. The payment plan is just plain laughable - $50.00 for the ER visit, $200 a day for regular hospital bed and $400 a day for Coronary care, ICU etc beds. No coverage for ambulance, meds, etc. etc. etc.
There are similiar limits (although not as bad) for when one is travelling out of province but still within Canada!
I wouldn't think of travelling outside of the province without carrying additional coverage to take up the slack for what my OHIP doesn't cover.
Cost varies widely depending on your age and health status. My last trip out of province was for 3 weeks travelling to Alabama and back by car. My cost at age 60 was $2.00 per day, my travel partners was $10. I don't take any prescription drugs and am in excellent health, my partner was on bp meds, cholesteral meds and smoked. Cost also varies by which company you use for out of province coverage.
The good news is that none of them ask you if you're doing something 'dangerous' like backpacking or mountain climbing!!
If you don't have health insurance, at least be honest enough to pay the bill after you need a Dr. Relying on hospitals to 'write off' your bill is dishonest and screws everyone else who pays for insurance.
i had all intentions of paying. wasn't relying on anybody. the hospital offered to help me without me asking. i screwed no one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nutbrown
You may not have intended to screw anyone, but the fact is that when one person doesn't pay the bill, the hospital jacks up the price for others who have insurance. Maybe it wasn't what you intended, but it happens.
You should buy insurance, it helps pay for the ones who don't.
If Lone Wolf is to be considered dishonest or dishonourable then I think we are all screwed.
Thanks Old Boot for the situation from Ontario. Will look into using travel insurance more often.
Would be nice to have a little more clarity about costs and coverage in the USA, but not sure its possible.
What's it like for Americans going the other way, to Canada? Just curious.
Is it really that simple? I don't think it is. If everyone is too willing to buy insurance that also drives up costs. There is no perfecr system because of the inflexible demand curve, and the unlimited greed curve.Quote:
Originally Posted by Don H
The best way to find out what your province covers is to google it - for ontario it was 'OHIP out of country'. To find out what insurance companies are available in your province and what their costs are, again use google then play with their charts or start applying for coverage (Just dont commit by supplying payment info...lol) OR call a couple of them with proposed trips (make one up if necessary). You're likely to come up with one that is superior in coverage and costs. If you travel often outside of the province, some have annual policies available.Quote:
Originally Posted by JAK
I just read up on what OHIP does and does not cover for out of province but inside Canada and it's not as bad as I thought. They don't cover ambulances but do pay whatever rate the other province allows to be charged. Oh and they don't pay for Quebec doctors for some strange reason...lol. YMMV as you're not in Ontario. Coverage for travelling inside Canada should be really reasonable.
I always have to call for rates now since I'm way too healthy for their on-line rate charts. It sucked the last time I tried since I'd spent 15 minutes filling out their on-line health questionaire and then had it bounce back on me with 'rate not available, please call us at 1- 800...sigh.
As for Americans travelling to Canada, the situation would be completely different, depending on whether they have insurance or not. However, since our hospitals are all government funded and controlled, the bill would not likely be written off as easily since they don't have the option to absorb the uninsured into their budget. All the web-sites for 'foreigners' travelling in Canada have strong warnings about the necessity of obtaining health insurance to cover emergencies while travelling in Canada.
TAKE INSURANCE WITH YOU! i've been in many outdoor situations and never had any problems. i checked in with the doctor before the start of my thru-hike and got a perfect bill of health. started my thru-hike a couple of days ago and felt great. coming out of woody gap something went wrong with my heart and i went to the floor hard. i was helped out of the trail by some day hikers. now after a trip to the hospital er (thanks to the guys at the hiker hostel for help during my time of need) i'm back in texas recovering and seeing a cardiologist to determine what exactly went wrong. you never need insurance until you need it. then you wish you had it.
now i'm stuck at home hoping to be back with the pack in march or going sobo.
My High deductible plan was only $2500. cheap. considering my ACL reconstruction surgery racked up nearly $60,000 with x-ray, MRI, surgeon, anesthesia, surgery, 3 follow up appointments, and 6 months of twice weekly physical therapy. Even $5000 or $8000 would have been a deal, too. "Catastrophic" coverage = high deductible. generally, a lower premium cost monthly, but nothing covered until deductible met. plus, you qualify for a HSA account - tax-deductible money you can use on healthcare expenses.
You only need it if you are taking your Cat on the hike!Quote:
Originally Posted by ncmtns
They each have a claws for that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nutbrown
Amen! Be responsible
No, not all hospitals will treat you if you don't have insurance. And those forced to do so by law it's ONLY to a certain extent to save your life (or stabilize a patient). Any more than that is simply charity.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lone Wolf
The above statement is amazingly irresponsible. When someone is treated and can NOT pay, we ALL end up paying for it, not just those paying for insurance. This is part of the reason our health care costs are so tremendously high. Hospitals don't suffer profits, but ALL paying patients suffer higher fees.
Sorry, I know this is not the intent of this thread, but wow!