Medical emergencies on the trail

[ncwep]

Hola! I will be walking my first Camino (the Frances) starting on May 1. I'm wondering about the availability of medical help should an urgent medical situation arise on the Camino Frances on the trail between towns, and in the very small towns? Thanks for any input!

 

[Bradypus]

You will be walking in peak season and rarely out of sight of other pilgrims. Mobile phone coverage along the Frances is pretty much continuous and a call to the 112 emergency number (or using the AlertCops app) will put you in direct contact with first responders. Very little of the Camino Frances is inaccessible to 4WD vehicles and in the remote chance that you are hard to reach helicopter rescue services will be called. The Camino Frances is not remote and Spanish emergency services and medical care are of very high quality. You should be aware that rescue services and medical cover are not necessarily free and make sure that you have adequate travel insurance.

 

[ncwep]

You will be walking in peak season and rarely out of sight of other pilgrims. Mobile phone coverage along the Frances is pretty much continuous and a call to the 112 emergency number (or using the AlertCops app) will put you in direct contact with first responders. Very little of the Camino Frances is inaccessible to 4WD vehicles and in the remote chance that you are hard to reach helicopter rescue services will be called. The Camino Frances is not remote and Spanish emergency services and medical care are of very high quality. You should be aware that rescue services and medical cover are not necessarily free and make sure that you have adequate travel insurance.

Thank you Bradypus, that's good to know!

 

[Saint Mike II]

You will be walking in peak season and rarely out of sight of other pilgrims. Mobile phone coverage along the Frances is pretty much continuous and a call to the 112 emergency number (or using the AlertCops app) will put you in direct contact with first responders. Very little of the Camino Frances is inaccessible to 4WD vehicles and in the remote chance that you are hard to reach helicopter rescue services will be called. The Camino Frances is not remote and Spanish emergency services and medical care are of very high quality. You should be aware that rescue services and medical cover are not necessarily free and make sure that you have adequate travel insurance.

Hola Brad - your comments about "adequate travel insurance" I have bolded, hope you do not mind. If you cannot afford travel insurance then you cannot afford to travel.

 

[C clearly]

If you cannot afford travel insurance then you cannot afford to travel.

I have good travel insurance and definitely recommend it. However, I'm not sure that this type of statement is something we need to assert to strangers.

 

[Former member 102963]

I have good travel insurance and definitely recommend it. However, I'm not sure that this type of statement is something we need to assert to strangers.

100% right! Never take the medical aspect of travel insurance lightly. Check the small print! It’s a minefield.

 

[VNwalking]

This:

I have good travel insurance and definitely recommend it. However, I'm not sure that this type of statement is something we need to assert to strangers.

Same.
And this as well:

Check the small print! It’s a minefield

You might think you have travel insurance...but...maybe, maybe not.

I have only once needed reimbursement for emergency care - about 4 expensive stitches in the US - and it was declined, because I went to private urgent care as opposed to a hospital E.R.
Allianz, bless them...

The experience has made me simultaneously wary and annoyed. Now I read the fine print.

 

[Former member 102963]

Yep and don’t make the mistake of thinking once the policy is bought that’s it! If your health situation changes even in a small way you need to notify your insurers, and they may reassess cover and premiums!

 

[VNwalking]

Yep and don’t make the mistake of thinking once the policy is bought that’s it! If your health situation changes even in a small way you need to notify your insurers, and they may reassess cover and premiums!

Oh, geeze. I never thought of that. Major things, yes. But like if you get a mild case of covid?

 

[Former member 102963]

Oh, geeze. I never thought of that. Major things, yes. But like if you get a mild case of covid?

Not sure! So practical example. I have high blood pressure. When you fill out the application form it says 1) do you have high blood pressure’… yes…2) is it medically controlled… yes, 3) have you changed tablet dosage in last three months…. No. I then pay a small premium.

But I changed my dosage yesterday so I think I need to inform my insurers as to whether my policy need a change of ceryication and/or whether premiums change. Answer waited.

I am a UK policy holder btw!

Other things to be wary of. If you have a max trip clause on a year policy, say 60 days, and your plane ticket is over that, but you plan to change it to be under 60 days, the fact that you are showing intent to stay over sixty days can invalidate the policy within the 60 days. If you can follow that! Not sure what that means for one way tickets!

Stress this is based on my insurer and a UK resident. And don’t forget the impact of being away on your house insurance…. Sorry I know ignorance is bliss!

 

[VNwalking]

Thanks for the clarification.

If you can follow that!

Yes, I think so. Be careful of a disconnect between your policy as purchased and your discernable intention.

Not sure what that means for one way tickets!

Grf. Never thought of this either. I am a rolling stone, so more often than not fly with a one-way ticket. Good to know to be vigilant about small print.

 

[Former member 102963]

Thanks for the clarification.

Yes, I think so. Be careful of a disconnect between your policy as purchased and your discernable intention.

Grf. Never thought of this either. I am a rolling stone, so more often than not fly with a one-way ticket. Good to know to be vigilant about small print.

You gonna hate me! I have been nomadic for 3 years with no fixed base. One of my challenges is residency. I am a legal resident of Uk but spend little little time here. Most policies ask for you to be physically resident for 6 months! How they check I don’t know, but am paranoid and pretty sure sometime keeps driving past checking if lights are on. Anyway lucky I found an insurer who doesn’t care about physical location just where you are a legal resident!

Don’t want to go over the top here. But check your policy. It’s even more important than ATM fees!

Things may be very different in USA and Canada!

 

[VNwalking]

How they check I don’t know

Electronically, with location data?
Just a wild guess.

Anyway lucky I found an insurer who doesn’t care about physical location just where you are a legal resident!

Mind if I PM you? This sounds like me.

 

[Former member 102963]

Electronically, with location data?
Just a wild guess.

Mind if I PM you? This sounds like me.

Sure I will get back to you quickly. Catching a flight in a couple of hours but only a 2 hr sector!

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Hola! I will be walking my first Camino (the Frances) starting on May 1. I'm wondering about the availability of medical help should an urgent medical situation arise on the Camino Frances on the trail between towns, and in the very small towns? Thanks for any input!

I had a medical emergency in a tiny little hamlet called Hospital (I know) a little way past O Cebreiro. This is way out in the sticks, not a decent sized town for miles. Within ten minutes two local first responders had come to my aid. They were fully equipped for most emergencies.

They decided that I needed hospital care and within another ten minutes an ambulance was there to drive me to the emergency hospital in Lugo, one hour away.

I don't know about where you live but where I live if I had that same emergency in a similar remote area of my country then I would expect to wait around an hour for a first response and probably another thirty minutes or more for the ambulance to arrive.

 

[dfox]

Electronically, with location data?
Just a wild guess.

I think insurance companies will validate your eligibility only when one makes a claim.

 

[ncwep]

I had a medical emergency in a tiny little hamlet called Hospital (I know) a little way past O Cebreiro. This is way out in the sticks, not a decent sized town for miles. Within ten minutes two local first responders had come to my aid. They were fully equipped for most emergencies.

They decided that I needed hospital care and within another ten minutes an ambulance was there to drive me to the emergency hospital in Lugo, one hour away.

I don't know about where you live but where I live if I had that same emergency in a similar remote area of my country then I would expect to wait around an hour for a first response and probably another thirty minutes or more for the ambulance to arrive.

This is very comforting to know....thank you!

 

[RRat]

Hola Brad - your comments about "adequate travel insurance" I have bolded, hope you do not mind. If you cannot afford travel insurance then you cannot afford to travel.

Travel insurance or health insurance? For those of us from the USA make sure you have sufficient credit available (est. $10,000) on your credit cards to pay for your medical care at time of service. Foeign travel health insurance will hopefully reimburse after you submit a claim. It's not like here in the USA where you present your health card and the care giver bills the insurance minus you copay or deductible. Typically not expecting payment at time of service. Medicare for the most part, does not cover outside USA. Any USA folks out there that can confirm?

 

[ncwep]

You will be walking in peak season and rarely out of sight of other pilgrims. Mobile phone coverage along the Frances is pretty much continuous and a call to the 112 emergency number (or using the AlertCops app) will put you in direct contact with first responders. Very little of the Camino Frances is inaccessible to 4WD vehicles and in the remote chance that you are hard to reach helicopter rescue services will be called. The Camino Frances is not remote and Spanish emergency services and medical care are of very high quality. You should be aware that rescue services and medical cover are not necessarily free and make sure that you have adequate travel insurance.

Travel insurance or health insurance? For those of us from the USA make sure you have sufficient credit available (est. $10,000) on your credit cards to pay for your medical care at time of service. Foeign travel health insurance will hopefully reimburse after you submit a claim. It's not like here in the USA where you present your health card and the care giver bills the insurance minus you copay or deductible. Typically not expecting payment at time of service. Medicare for the most part, does not cover outside USA. Any USA folks out there that can confirm?

I understand that regular Medicare does NOT cover out of the US. However, I have a Medicare Advantage plan that covers $25,000 for medical events overseas. I have chosen to purchase an additional travel medical policy because I want to be protected for more.

 

[Bradypus]

Travel insurance or health insurance?

Here in the UK the two are almost always sold as a single combined policy. Very unusual for travellers to buy a standalone medical policy. Most insurers have three different price bands depending on the destination. Europe, Worldwide except USA, Canada and Caribbean, or Worldwide. No great surprise that policies which cover North America are considerably more expensive.

 

[Former member 102963]

Here in the UK the two are almost always sold as a single combined policy. Very unusual for travellers to buy a standalone medical policy. Most insurers have three different price bands depending on the destination. Europe, Worldwide except USA, Canada and Caribbean, or Worldwide. No great surprise that policies which cover North America are considerably more expensive.

I am from UK but only buy medical insurance. Once I have bought that I can choose to then ‘opt in’ to all the usual travel stuff (trip cancellation, baggage loss) in a modular fashion which I never do.

 

[JohnRRogers]

I understand that regular Medicare does NOT cover out of the US. However, I have a Medicare Advantage plan that covers $25,000 for medical events overseas. I have chosen to purchase an additional travel medical policy because I want to be protected for more.

May I ask what insurance company you went with? I am also in the US with a part B Medicare plan but I would like to get additional coverage. The plans I am seeing seem to include some sort of trip cancellation coverage that I’m not interested in.

 

[Rick M]

I understand that regular Medicare does NOT cover out of the US. However, I have a Medicare Advantage plan that covers $25,000 for medical events overseas. I have chosen to purchase an additional travel medical policy because I want to be protected for more.

A little perspective seems to be in order here. A few years back, one of my wife's coworkers went to Mexico for a winter holiday. In a night of questionable judgement, she fell off a stage at a nightclub, and awoke the next morning in a hospital. After treatment that amounted to a concussion watch and detox, she was released from the hospital the next day with a bill for US$42,000 from the hospital. My reaction upon hearing this story was "Gee, why wasn't it $42,000,000?".

Last year, I came upon an American pilgrim who suffered a medical event on the trail early on. He was attended to, to his good fortune, by a pair of student paramedics who happened to be walking Camino at the same time. He was transported to hospital in Pamplona. His treatment involved some tests, pokes, prods, meds, and rehydration. He was released from hospital the next morning (and completed his camino BTW), and presented with a bill for 450 euros.

The public Spanish medical system does not engage in the same peak pricing policy for emergency treatments that some other jurisdictions do. It's easy to imagine a serious problem that would burn through a $25,000 insurance policy in Spain, but it would need to be quite serious. In other jurisdictions, it hard to imagine anything beyond a sore throat that would not quickly exceed $25,000. Medical treatment is a lot cheaper in Spain than most Americans expect.

By all means, buy medical insurance! But also understand that the total risk you are insuring against is quite possibly smaller than you think it is.

 

[JohnRRogers]

Thank you.

 

[trecile]

May I ask what insurance company you went with? I am also in the US with a part B Medicare plan but I would like to get additional coverage. The plans I am seeing seem to include some sort of trip cancellation coverage that I’m not interested in.

I bought my policy through squaremouth.com for my Portuguese Camino last year. Squaremouth has an option where you can choose not to have cancellation coverage, which makes the cost of the policy lower. Since I primarily wanted it for medical coverage I chose that option. I went with a plan from AXA which cost me $105 for 6 weeks of coverage, and it was my primary medical coverage as my regular health insurance would not cover me while abroad.

I ended up breaking my wrist and had two surgeries. I paid the charges up front, and AXA reimbursed me 100%.

 

[C clearly]

Here in the UK the two are almost always sold as a single combined policy.

Yes, and I think that the travel medical coverage is the key cost and need, with the other "travel" parts (lost luggage, cancellations, etc.) being almost a bonus addition to the medical. People often talk about "travel insurance" without understanding the important distinction.

I have good medical coverage that covers travel, from my former employer, so I never buy any additional insurance for travel. I choose not to insure my luggage or ticket or possible costs from delayed travel.

 

[Bradypus]

I have good medical coverage that covers travel, from my former employer, so I never buy any additional insurance for travel. I choose not to insure my luggage or ticket or possible costs from delayed travel.

From conversations with Americans on the Camino I understand that we Brits find insurance much cheaper to buy. I am 60 years old and declare osteoarthritis as a pre-existing condition. I usually buy an annual policy covering all of Europe which allows a unlimited number of journeys during the year provided no one trip is over 60 days in length. Medical cover is the only part that interests me. The policy I have now covers medical expenses including repatriation if necessary up to £8 million. I renewed my policy in December for just over £30.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

I have good medical coverage that covers travel, from my former employer, so I never buy any additional insurance for travel. I choose not to insure my luggage or ticket or possible costs from delayed travel.

I have a supplemental Advantage policy through Aetna, which covers up to $25,000 overseas, which is somewhat "better than nothing". I always purchase additional travel insurance for medical coverage when I travel out of the country. I am not as concerned about loss of airfare, luggage, trip cancellation, etc., and most of my bookings have free concellation. It's the potential for a medical emergency/catastrophe while abroad that is of a higher concern for me.
So far I have never needed to make a claim, but would not look forward to the process for reimbursement, which is often a headache from what I read.

 

[hikentravel1234]

Hola! I will be walking my first Camino (the Frances) starting on May 1. I'm wondering about the availability of medical help should an urgent medical situation arise on the Camino Frances on the trail between towns, and in the very small towns? Thanks for any input!

I never used medical insurance until I got older. I researched it about eight years ago and for me, evacuations, if needed, what is the most important. At that time I felt that Travel Guard was the best. My sister recently had an accident, including surgery and hospital. stay in Germany. She has found applying for the money back to be a minefield. However, she looked at other companies and ultimately decided to stay with Travel Guard because she has figured out the maze of paperwork and steps that need to be done.

I have multiple international trips this year, so I bought the annual insurance with Travel Guard. . It is actually relatively cheap, because it doesn't include cancellations.(I think it's just cancellations on my part, but not quite sure.).

I think the airplane insurance that you click on when you are buying tickets maybe just for the cost of airplane tickets.

So figure out what's important to you in an insurance policy before you sign on the dotted line. Googling best insurance policies can help to educate you.

 

[Former member 102963]

From conversations with Americans on the Camino I understand that we Brits find insurance much cheaper to buy. I am 60 years old and declare osteoarthritis as a pre-existing condition. I usually buy an annual policy covering all of Europe which allows a unlimited number of journeys during the year provided no one trip is over 60 days in length. Medical cover is the only part that interests me. The policy I have now covers medical expenses including repatriation if necessary up to £8 million. I renewed my policy in December for just over £30.

Also a UK policyholder. 57 years old with 1 PEC of Hypertension. It’s a worldwide policy (medical only) and includes North America. Basic policy is £165 and I pay £13 for the Hypertension. That said I can only find 1 insurer to insure me as I am not really physically resident anywhere, but my insurer only cares where your legal right of residence is, not whether you are there!

For many European countries UK folks have the GHIC card which includes ‘free’ treatment, and includes PECs, and reciprocal agreements with a number of other European counties especially those in the Balkans. Doesn’t cover private facilities or repatriation tho.

 

[ncwep]

May I ask what insurance company you went with? I am also in the US with a part B Medicare plan but I would like to get additional coverage. The plans I am seeing seem to include some sort of trip cancellation coverage that I’m not interested in.

Hi John, my Medicare Advanatage plan is with Alignment Health Plan, however this is not something you purchase just for a trip, it's my regular medical insurance plan.

 

[RRat]

Hi John, my Medicare Advanatage plan is with Alignment Health Plan, however this is not something you purchase just for a trip, it's my regular medical insurance plan.

Make sure to bring blank Form CMS-1500 and Form FD-FRM-0619-001. They're the health care and dental health care forms most USA carriers will readily accept. I complete my info on the form so the provider just has to add what they performed, their identification, and their signature. My carrier was happy to reimburse me for my care when they noticed how much less was billed for the same procedure in the USA. When I paid the provider I gave them my form and ask if the would complete and email the completed form. They did.

 

[Goyo]

You gonna hate me! I have been nomadic for 3 years with no fixed base. One of my challenges is residency. I am a legal resident of Uk but spend little little time here. Most policies ask for you to be physically resident for 6 months! How they check I don’t know, but am paranoid and pretty sure sometime keeps driving past checking if lights are on. Anyway lucky I found an insurer who doesn’t care about physical location just where you are a legal resident!

Don’t want to go over the top here. But check your policy. It’s even more important than ATM fees!

Things may be very different in USA and Canada!

Does “Big Brother” sound familiar?

 

[Goyo]

May I ask what insurance company you went with? I am also in the US with a part B Medicare plan but I would like to get additional coverage. The plans I am seeing seem to include some sort of trip cancellation coverage that I’m not interested in.

I just signed up for Medicare A & B, and am trying to decide between a Medicare Advantage Plan and a Medicare supplemental plan, like plan “G” or “N”. Also known as Medigap plans, they cover 80% of foreign travel medical emergencies “up to plan limits”. I have to investigate these “plan limits” with a fine-toothed comb cuz the is in the details.

 

[Former member 102963]

Does “Big Brother” sound familiar?

Even I’m not that paranoid!

 

[henrythedog]

I suppose that the good news for our north-American associates is that in Europe the normal sequence of events is ‘treat patient; check credit card’, not the other way round and that medical treatment is an order of magnitude less expensive than over here.

 

[C clearly]

our north-American associates

Here is a case where "North American" is not a useful term.

 

[Goyo]

Here is a case where "North American" is not a useful term.

Hmmm. Definitely not a useful term. North Americans live in the countries that stretch from Canada to Panama, including the island nations of the Caribbean. That’s a lotta territory and a lotta people.

 

[henrythedog]

Clearly I’m displaying my considerable ignorance.

I assume you have a ‘lotta’ different healthcare systems.

Travel insurance when bought in the UK tends to have a significant premium attached when it applies to what those clearly better informed than I refer to simplistically as ‘North America’. I’ve always assumed that to be because of the cost of medical treatment.

If you fall into the population I was trying to refer to, I expect you’ll know; if you don’t then you can always (as I do so often recommend) ignore me.

 

[C clearly]

I’ve always assumed that to be because of the cost of medical treatment.

Yes, i expect that is so. But I was thinking specifically that medical care is managed very differently, and has very different costs in the US (very expensive) versus Canada (less so). If the insurance companies in the UK lump them together, it is likely for their convenience.

Definitely not a useful term.

Sometimes it is a useful grouping, but not on this topic.

 

[good_old_shoes]

I think it is good to know that even in smaller towns there is often a "Centro de salud" (Public health Center) where you can see a doctor/nurse if needed. Ask the hospitaleros or any local and they will tell you where to find it.

When I needed a doctor in la Faba (very tiny village up on a mountain), the wonderful hospitalero drove me to Piedrafita because that's where the next centro de salud was located. There are usually also good taxi services available that can bring you to the next town with a doctor (it's not that expensive to take a taxi. Hospitaleros can help to make the call, or you can ask in a bar to call a taxi for you).

So, by now I know the Centro de salud in Piedrafita de Cebreiro, Fromista, Carrion de los Condes and Triacastela from first hand experience. In all cases I got excellent treatment. Even when there's no one who speaks english, they are used to pilgrims. I remember at least one had a printed document with translations of typical medical problems a pilgrim might have, and you could just point on it and they'd have an idea what was needed!

Should there be a medical problem *between* towns, there's likely another pilgrim closeby who can help/call emergency services.

It is also good to always carry a small first aid kit with essentials (space blanket, a few bandages ect., disinfectant, a pair of medical gloves, electrolyte powder, some Ibuprofen or similar ect.) to be able to help yourself or others. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around.

Buen Camino

 

[lalaone]

Make sure to bring blank Form CMS-1500 and Form FD-FRM-0619-001. They're the health care and dental health care forms most USA carriers will readily accept. I complete my info on the form so the provider just has to add what they performed, their identification, and their signature. My carrier was happy to reimburse me for my care when they noticed how much less was billed for the same procedure in the USA. When I paid the provider I gave them my form and ask if the would complete and email the completed form. They did.

This is just fantastic advice! Thank you for attaching the forms as well. It is very valuable for all who reside in the USA.

 

[Ricardo Moretti]

Hola! I will be walking my first Camino (the Frances) starting on May 1. I'm wondering about the availability of medical help should an urgent medical situation arise on the Camino Frances on the trail between towns, and in the very small towns? Thanks for any input!

Every 3 to 5 kilometers there is a hamlet, village, town or city. And in those places there is usually a place to eat and sleep and most likely a pharmacist and even a doctor in some. You will most likely note taxi phone numbers posted throughout the Way. Take a picture of them as you walk so, if you find yourself in trouble, you can always call for a ride. In many if not most of these locations there are buses that comes on a regular basis. Finally, other pilgrims will be walking and they will usually be more than happy to assist someone in need.

So there is absolutely no need to worry. This is not the deep forest, isolated and far from civilisation. Everything will be fine: don't pack your fears.

Buen Camino

 

[ncwep]

Every 3 to 5 kilometers there is a hamlet, village, town or city. And in those places there is usually a place to eat and sleep and most likely a pharmacist and even a doctor in some. You will most likely note taxi phone numbers posted throughout the Way. Take a picture of them as you walk so, if you find yourself in trouble, you can always call for a ride. In many if not most of these locations there are buses that comes on a regular basis. Finally, other pilgrims will be walking and they will usually be more than happy to assist someone in need.

So there is absolutely no need to worry. This is not the deep forest, isolated and far from civilisation. Everything will be fine: don't pack your fears.

Buen Camino

This is very comforting, thank you so much!!

 

[ncwep]

Make sure to bring blank Form CMS-1500 and Form FD-FRM-0619-001. They're the health care and dental health care forms most USA carriers will readily accept. I complete my info on the form so the provider just has to add what they performed, their identification, and their signature. My carrier was happy to reimburse me for my care when they noticed how much less was billed for the same procedure in the USA. When I paid the provider I gave them my form and ask if the would complete and email the completed form. They did.

I had a hard time pulling up a blank form 1500 at first, but finally found one that didn't have SAMPLE stamped across it. Got the dental one very easily. Thanks so much for this info!

 

[tomjane40]

Hola! I will be walking my first Camino (the Frances) starting on May 1. I'm wondering about the availability of medical help should an urgent medical situation arise on the Camino Frances on the trail between towns, and in the very small towns? Thanks for any input!

You will be fine. I took a tough fall, hitting my head on a rock, just after coming down from the Climb after Castrojerez. I was in need of stitches and an ambulance. More camino angels than I could count stopped and cared for me, others called an ambulance, and one man actually ran after the ambulance after it missed our turn. It was reassuring to me that so many people cared for me that day, and many days after. The Camino is a very special place.

 

[ncwep]

You will be fine. I took a tough fall, hitting my head on a rock, just after coming down from the Climb after Castrojerez. I was in need of stitches and an ambulance. More camino angels than I could count stopped and cared for me, others called an ambulance, and one man actually ran after the ambulance after it missed our turn. It was reassuring to me that so many people cared for me that day, and many days after. The Camino is a very special place.

Thank you for this.... it's very comforting to know that others are there to help when it's needed.

 

[Wendy Werneth]

I have been nomadic for 3 years with no fixed base. One of my challenges is residency. I am a legal resident of Uk but spend little little time here. Most policies ask for you to be physically resident for 6 months!

As a semi-nomad, I have found SafetyWing to be the best option for travel insurance. It's very easy to sign up, even if you're already travelling, and the policy is reasonably priced and includes COVID coverage. It's valid for pretty much any country in the world; the only caveat is that I can't use it to visit my country of origin (which is different from my country of residence).

 

[MARSKA]

I looked at SafetyWing - it seems you must be 39 or younger?

 

[trecile]

I looked at SafetyWing - it seems you must be 39 or younger?

You must not have scrolled down far enough on the traveler age screen. 0 - 39 was the first category. The last category is 80+.

 

[MARSKA]

Oh! I'll look again!