Medical Insurance For Marine Crew

By Ray Sondeo

While technological advances in marine travel have improved the safety of crew members but marine healthcare continues to pose special challenges. Yacht crews spend extensive time in international territory with periodic stays in the home country. Discerning mariners protect themselves with good yacht crew insurance that travels with them worldwide.

Yacht crew health insurance addresses the specific needs of mariners offering worldwide coverage. The Yacht Crew Insurance plans have international benefits enabling marine crew members to obtain healthcare no matter where they travel and live. These marine crew health insurance plans have generous benefits overseas as well as in the home country.

Applicants for yacht crew health insurance can be of any citizenship as long as they are members of a marine crew spending extensive time in international waters. These marine crew insurance plans are designed to cover many risks, they include coverage for complicated hospitalizations and rather simple out-patient visits. Prescription drugs are often a part of the standard benefit package.

A yacht crew health insurance may require the naval vessel to spend a certain minimum amount of time in foreign waters; the minimum time may be 6 months for some plans or longer for others. The yachts or ships can be in domestic waters or docked at domestic ports for some part of the year.

Along with the typical benefits offered by common health insurance plans, the marine crew health insurance plans also offer coverage for medical evacuation and repatriation. Medical evacuation refers to the transport of the sick or injured in specially equipped airplane/vehicle to a medical facility. Repatriation refers to the packing and transporting the remains of a crew member from the vessel to the home of the crew member on the mainland.

Very few Yacht Crew Insurance can cover pre-existing illness or sicknesses. Most of the plans will either grant coverage conditionally excluding these sicknesses permanently or for a certain number of years. The exclusion period can vary with the company and the sickness of the individual.

Marine crew insurance policies are underwritten by specialty insurance companies that have experience with international risks. These underwriting insurance companies are well equipped to deal with global financial risks and invariably carry a sound financial rating. It follows that the marine crew health insurance companies have multi-lingual staff 24x7.

Dental and Vision coverage on Yacht Crew Health Insurance plans are usually optional. At additional price one can purchase these options. Routine care, filling and root canals are covered under the dental option. The vision option would include a periodic eye exam and contact lens/spectacles supply.

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