World Nomads Vs Medjet Assist
 

I am starting to plan for a trip to Central and South America. I have looked at World Nomad insurance which is about $2,500 dlls and Medjet Assist which is around $1,000 with motorcycle coverage for both of us.
Checking a little World Nomads seem to be less than helpful when it comes to a claim.
Does anybody have experience with Medjet Assist?
As we live in Mexico options don´t seem plentiful. I am not worried about coverage for minor problems like a toothache or a stolen bag but do want to cover a major event. I wseem to remember Grant Johnson saying you can´t afford not to have medical insurance.

Thanks in advance.

Garry
Ps Anybody coming to Mexico City is welcome to stay up until we leave in Jan (hopefully) 2014

World Nomads Vs Medjet Assist
 

About time you started riding :)

I am using WN but cannot comment on claims. It is expensive though I know that

It is about time we started travelling but we won't start until next year.
I have figured out that MedJet only covers the cost of sending you back home whereas WN covers more and costs more too.

in 2012 my wife had an acute appendicitis when travelling in Chile. I foned WN but they said I had to pay the hospitalbill myself and afterwards send in all the bills; WN did not pay the hospital directly.
So we did. About 6 weeks later we got a complete refund. No complaints about that last part.
But,If we wouldn´t have had the money they would not have operated her. (the med said afterwards she could not have waited for another day) in a country like Chile we were lucky and could afford paying the hospital bill on forehand( aprx 4000 US) but I wonder what would happen in e.g. the US, where surely my wallet is not fat enough to pay the hospitalbill?

Thanks for the info. I have spent quite a bit of time looking for a good option and so WN seems like the best. Any further feedback greatly appreciated.

Garry

World Nomads Vs Medjet Assist
 

I guess one thing to say then, if you use WN and need to pay up front before the refund, then maybe it would be wise to organise a couple of back up credit cards. These cards would never be used except for medical expenses

Very smart thinking about the credit cards. I am still searching for something better and or cheaper and have plenty of time to shop around.

Link to Your trip?
 

Hi Garry,

I'm heading to Mexico in about February next year. Do you have a thread about your route and journey you can direct me too?

Thanks,
Paul

Hi Garry,

we got both MedJetAssist and also supplementary medical insurance, because as you say MJA only covers evacuation of you and your bike.

Good luck with your plans!

Paul,
I don´t have a planned route yet as we have just started planning. I don`´t think we will have a blog but may use Facebook to post pics and a little write up. As others know I don´t want to spend hours writing about the trip instead I´d prefer tp spend time talking and more importantly listening to the locals. There a lots of stories in the Travellers Stories section which should give you an idea of where to go. If we are still around in Feb, which I hope we aren´t you are welcome to stay with us, if not contact me any way and I´ll try to set something up for you to stay somewhere.
Gene,
We are still searching for insurance. I will check locally as to what is available as WN doesn´t sound great. MedJet seems to be highly recommended. What company did you use for the health coverage?

Garry

We used Blue Cross, but they just resell insurance in different geographies. In Canada, they are underwritten by Manulife Insurance, a reputable organization, so we went with them.

When shopping, I would find out who actually underwrites the insurance, then google that company and "claims", "problems" and "review". In Canada, WN is underwritten by a company called "Travel Guard", when we googled them, we didn't find very favorable reviews for their claims process, so we didn't go with them.

Garry, note we have now worked out an arrangement with Global Rescue, same concept as Medjet, but cover ANY nationality ANYwhere, and fly you home. Medjet was great for Americans, but poor or not available for others.

ALSO as you have seen, you need regular medical coverage too. This is ALWAYS the hardest part of preparing for a trip. Please be sure to let us know what you come up with in the end. I assume you've checked the links page medical section?

By the way, I ABSOLUTELY stand by the comment Garry attributed to me, "you can't afford not to have medical insurance". Running HU, I have heard far too many stories of people travelling without, and when the shit hits the fan, it's really ugly. The costs can be staggering when injured in bad places. Remember it's a motorcycle, and that's your biggest risk right there. Six figure numbers have been heard too many times...

It looks like we will go with WN. We were planning on starting the trip in January 2014 but it now looks like it will be in September 2013. That will give us 18 months as I need to be back in Mexico in Feb 2015.
We are thinking a relatively quick trip down to Ushuia to be there by Dec or Jan and then a much slower return.

Thanks Garry, good to know!

Try to be in Viedma for the Travellers Meeting first weekend in December, and Ushuaia for Christmas! Also keep an eye on what's happening in Brazil for events, next to be announced in a couple of months.

have a great trip!