02/05/2021
This is a long post, but worthy of your time. It is from another travel advisor who had a client hospitalized in Mexico in Riviera Maya Mexico. it is for reasons such as this I always recommend travel insurance for international travel.
********************************************************
For those of you who didn't see my original post in the Ranting Group. I had a client who went to Mexico and was hospitalized with Covid. She took a covid test prior to departing, but the results were delayed, so she obtained a rapid test that was negative. She was in high risk category, but doc authorized her to travel, and she wanted to be cautious.
Two days after arrival, she received a call that the original results were positive. Shortly thereafter, she started feeling ill, and within an hour, was having difficulty breathing.
The resort had their on call doctor see her, he contacted an ambulance, and she was taken to the hospital. She was in ICU on oxygen, and then 2 days into her stay, she was placed on a ventilator, which she has remained since that time (unsure if she is still on the vent or not, I don't have clarification on that). Her mother was moved to another room at the resort, and her nephew flew down and had his own room at a reduced cost.
After a long battle of getting medical approval, I just wanted to update that MED EVAC is transporting her to Indiana today!!! To say I feel some relief is an understatement.
Thank you to all who prayed for her. She's still obviously not recovered, but at least she will be closer to home and her family can return back to the US. Her mother said they were treated very well by the resort and also at the hospital. However, they did have some language barriers with doctors and medical staff, which, at times, created confusion.
So a couple things I wanted to mention, is to make sure people are offered and that you at least recommend insurance. Also, have client check their health insurance prior to departing. (my client is government employee, so fortunately, she has some coverage). The VE insurance was only coverage for $25k, which was used in about 2 days, and family paid a huge chunk up front. The standard insurance won't necessarily transport a client unless they are in an area where they cannot receive appropriate care. So just be aware that is why there may also be a need for Med Jet.
Hopefully none of you encounter this situation, but just wanted to put out a reminder, and also an update to those who saw the original post.
Just my reminder, BUY the Med Jet policy!!
