CARE IN CONVERSATION
Travel Stories: What Happens When You Need Medical Care on Vacation
By Alex Santiago
Last summer, I decided to take a solo trip to the exotic island of Puerto Rico. I wanted adventure, relaxation, and maybe a little bit of sunburn to show off back home. What I didn’t count on was the bureaucratic nightmare that came with using health insurance outside of the United States.
Day one was perfect. I arrived at my beachfront bungalow, dropped my bags, and ran straight into the ocean. The water was crystal clear, the sun was shining, and I felt like a human dolphin. But then, my gracefulness was abruptly interrupted when I swam straight into a jellyfish. I came out of the water looking like I was auditioning for a role in a horror movie.
As I hobbled back to my bungalow, I remembered my travel health insurance and called the international assistance hotline. They assured me that I was covered and directed me to a nearby clinic. At the clinic, however, the staff looked at my American insurance card like it was a rare artifact. After several phone calls and a lot of hand-waving, they finally agreed to treat me, but only after I paid upfront. "Insurance reimbursement later," they said.
With my wallet considerably lighter, I decided my bad luck was behind me. Oh, how wrong I was.
Determined to turn my luck around, I signed up for a local cooking class. What could go wrong with learning to make some traditional island cuisine, right? As it turns out, plenty. In my enthusiasm, I managed to slice my finger instead of the onion. As I bled all over the cutting board, the instructor calmly handed me a bandage and suggested I might want to sit this one out.
Off I went to the clinic for the second time. By now, the receptionist just sighed and handed me a stack of paperwork. "The usual?" she asked. I nodded sheepishly, wincing as I handed over my credit card once again.
Finally, on my last day, I decided to keep things simple and just relax on the beach with a good book. No scooters, no cooking, no dangerous marine life. It was going well until a particularly aggressive seagull decided my sandwich was its next meal.
As I boarded my flight home, the clinic staff waved me off like I was a beloved, accident-prone relative. The irony was that while I did have insurance, the out-of-pocket expenses were starting to look like a second vacation cost. I couldn’t help but laugh. My adventure hadn’t gone as planned, but at least I had some unforgettable stories and a newfound wariness of the pitfalls of international health insurance.
So, if you ever find yourself planning a trip to Puerto Rico, remember to pack sunscreen, bring a sense of humor, and most importantly, make sure you understand the ins and outs of your health insurance before you leave home and, when appropriate, consider travel insurance.
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