Hi, I'm from England and is very confused by the medical insurance we need. Where is everyone getting theirs from and how much is costing? Please help :s Lauren x
hey englishrose, i booked my medical, travel and content insurance all with STA travel, along with my flight. and i booked it for the year so i know im defiantely covered for everything before i go out. didnt think the Disney one would suit me and would prob confuse me lol! and STA travel also give u a 10% discount when u book flight and insurance together. here is a link to them and a link to FAQs. good luck with everything! and im sure il see you over there! i start 7th december!!!! just in time for christmas! xox insurance - http://www.statravel.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/uk_division_web_live/hs.xsl/blue-travel-insurance-cover.htm FAQ - http://kbp-statravel.kb.net/?cid=1&...0iTKw40Ym42hKr57aP7lWob0UtiO?WT.svl=FAQ_link2
Hi Lauren! Its backpackers insurance we need, as they cover you for long stays abroad and for working, not just holidays. (Although you may need to check this with the individual companies, there are a good few mentioned on these forums who cover you for working the year but I think some companies may only cover backpacker style temporary work. Check company policies or ring them to confirm if you're not sure) Like emz, quite a few people have gone with STA as its safe and convenient and with a good company. They are around the £300 mark for the year though, not sure of exact prices. Insure & go is another popular choice but theyre also over £300. Im a sucker for a bargain and so decided to shop around to see what other prices I could find. Also, some backpacker policies dont let you return to the UK during the time youre covered, and if you do come back your policy ends. Not an issue for most people but if you think you may need to come back for a short visit (I might be coming back for a wedding, for example) then its something you should be aware of, as neither STA or insure and go allow a visit back to the UK. I did hear from someone that STA's policy doesnt cover dental stuff, but I havent checked that myself. So in end I went with direct-travel, who a couple of other people have gone with as well. You can get 12 months now, and then extend later for the extra 30 days travel if you want to. They do cover us working abroad but not personal liability while at work, which is something to do with legal cover. They have four options and even the top one is under £200 for the year! So quite a saving. I'm pretty sure all of them will cover what we need, but you can pay extra to be covered for more things, like if you lose your passport or your luggage gets delayed or something. I got option 3 (with 4 being highest/best). Oh, and the excess is £100, I wanted to get an excess waiver, but direct-travel dont offer that with their bp policy. Here's the website if you're interested: http://www.direct-travel.co.uk/backpacker-insurance I hope that helps! I found searching for insurance pretty confusing too, glad I've finally got it sorted, especially with less than 3 weeks to go! I'll see both of you out there xx
loads of good advice there sophie - i didnt know abt the direct insurance one, but between the STA and insure&go i just went with STA because i was booking my flight with them aswell over the phone. STA insurance has Emergency Dental Treatment cover on the Standard and Premier ones but not the Budget offer. Im glad i ot it all sorted too... im up to date with everything atm and just waiting on visa forms etc. i know 3 weeks till you go sophie, omg so soon! when do u think the mickey notsoscary halloween ride will be over? maybe you will get there in time to see it... actually i dont even know if its there all year, but i think its just a seasonal ride. im looking forward to the Christmasy feel at Disney, im sure its overwhelming and will help with missing out on a Christmas at home! xox
ha...what sophie said about insurance. just don't do what i did...and get more "ill" before you go...cos I'm going to end up double insured. Because I'm worth it... x x
Hey guys, i would recommend the highest level you can afford/the insurer provides. You will find out (hopefully not the hard way like i did) that UK insurance for travelling and working only really covers you for inpatient medical problems. E.g if you trip and brekd your arm (i hope nothing bad happens to any of you) then you will be covered within reason to go to the ER and any care in wards afterwards. If you need outpatient help, like you have a bad chest infection or rash on your skin, something small, then your insurance probably wont cover it, and if it does, you generally have to pay for the outpatient stuff out of your own pocket and claim it back from your insurer, if youre covered that is! Therefore dont totally rule the Disney insurance, because at the lowest level of $6 a week, you can visit the 'Center for Living Well' in the Epcot car park for a fee of only $15 plus around $2 for each medication (this is also covered by Disney insurance to make it cheaper), which is like visiting the doctor in the UK and scheduling an appointment with your local surgery. I had both while i was out there, insureandgo gold backpackers insurance in case of something very bad happening and Disney insurance for the minor things like just needing to see the doctor for something small. If anyone else has questions im happy to help and share in my own experiences of trying to use medical insurance and using Disney insurance too. There is not much info on any of this before you go, and its handy to know!
Thanks for that info slider- very, very useful...esp for me who is crapping bricks about getting ill while away. Yeah I heard somewhere else that Disney had their own health centre that was pretty good for run of the mill type stuff! Tell me about the not knowing much about insurance/ healthcare...that's why I went for the STA standard not premier, cos the woman on the phone said that with either one, you're only really covered for emergencies! You don't by any chance know how much a blood test would cost at the Disney Health Centre/ if you can get them there? x x x
I did know of a couple of cast members who needed blood tests throughout the year, and i think it was pretty reasonable, but only with Disney insurance at the Center for Living Well. I dont think it puts you back any more than $60 but let me check with my friends who had it done, watch this space....
Thanks guys, feeling a little less confused i will defo be looking into those links thanks so much. Can't wait to meet you all Lauren x
Hey there! I don't go out until March 2011, but was starting to look into insurance already... I now, I am very excited already! I'm so glad that I found this thread because I was worried/ confused about insurance already! Thanks for all the help, hope that everyone's been having a good weekend! xx
hey i used the yummyjobs recommended one for the first 3 months and then disney afterwards. had no prob with disney one - had to use it 2 times for drs appointments and prescriptions - went to 2 different drop in centres so the price varied but i ended up paying like $30 towards the meds which would have cost a lot more without it (meds were antibiotics, antinflammataries, eye drops and somethign els ei cant remember but basically stuff for chronic chest infection and then a second chest infection plus eye infiection meh) the drs appointments at the drop in centres if ur paying range frmo around $65 - $200. as already said lots of insurance u pay then claim back - if your only making like $150-$200 a week thats quite a bulk form ya pay without even covering any other costs when i get back (hopefully!) i would go with disney again - very easy to use and recognised pretty much every where and can also be used out of state as well if u go on any trips
Thanks for all the advice guys, I'm already panicking a little about this stuff and I don't go until September! Can I just check, does anyone know if I got the first 3 months (before the Disney insurance is available) with STA rather than a whole year, is the 10% discount with flights still available? xx
