Anybody traveling to WDW this fall

[Carolynleanne]

I'm leaving for Disney on October 4. I cancelled my pass back in July because my mom was diagnosed with cancer in June and I didn't want to put her at risk. Sadly she passed away last Thursday. I need something to take my mind off things and go remember the great time we had when I took her 2 years ago so I booked a memorial trip.

I'm so sorry

 

[MegEliz]

I'm leaving for Disney on October 4. I cancelled my pass back in July because my mom was diagnosed with cancer in June and I didn't want to put her at risk. Sadly she passed away last Thursday. I need something to take my mind off things and go remember the great time we had when I took her 2 years ago so I booked a memorial trip.

I'm so sorry to hear about the passing of your mom. I hope that you have a wonderful trip. May I ask where you're traveling from? I'm in Vancouver and noticed that there are lots of flights available from here.

 

[gskywalker]

If annual passes come up for sale (we cancelled ours) then we will be there at Christmas and New year's.

 

[pigletto]

Do you have a link? My link provides the opposite info so I’m confused.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coron...-positive-passengers-since-february-1.5092178

Here’s a list of all the flights with confirmed cases of Covid , put out by the government. I’m not sure what that poster was referring to.
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-hea...ure-flights-cruise-ships-mass-gatherings.html

 

[ellbell]

I'm very sorry about your mom. ((hugs)) to you. Losing a parent isn't easy, and especially made harder during COVID times. Take care and stay safe on your trip.

Thank you so much. Inplan on takimg every precaution.

 

[ellbell]

I'm so sorry

Thank you

 

[ellbell]

I'm so sorry

Thank you

I'm so sorry to hear about the passing of your mom. I hope that you have a wonderful trip. May I ask where you're traveling from? I'm in Vancouver and noticed that there are lots of flights available from here.

Thank you. I'm in Hamilton, Ontario so will be flying out of Toronto. There are initially a lot of flights but because tourism hasn't picked up to the extent that was expected flights have been cancelled and westjet isn't flying south at all. My direct flight was cancelles and I had to rebook to one that flies to chicago and then transfer to orlando which doubles the flight time and gives me an hour amd a half layover. Not ideal but given the circumstances I'm ok with it.

 

[friedela]

The riots and out of control violence and protests in the US will keep us on the Canadian side for a very long time. So no. Sadly

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Especially in the US. That may cover 1 day in hospital.

Please don't believe all of the American medical "data" that the Canadian media shares. At least some (and I suspect, perhaps the largest percentage) is overblown, overstated, or a minority experience intended to sensationalize. I am a Canadian, living in the USA, and just had a major surgical procedure 3 weeks ago which had me hospitalized for 3 full days. My total bill, including the surgery and the hospital care that followed, was under $30,000 US. A lot of money, for sure, but nowhere near $250,000 for one day. There ³is a very definite "spin" on what the Canadian media has to say about American health care.

 

[Sue M]

Please don't believe all of the American medical "data" that the Canadian media shares. At least some (and I suspect, perhaps the largest percentage) is overblown, overstated, or a minority experience intended to sensationalize. I am a Canadian, living in the USA, and just had a major surgical procedure 3 weeks ago which had me hospitalized for 3 full days. My total bill, including the surgery and the hospital care that followed, was under $30,000 US. A lot of money, for sure, but nowhere near $250,000 for one day. There ³is a very definite "spin" on what the Canadian media has to say about American health care.

Having said that, the same bill in Canada would have been significantly less. But, I wasn’t saying $250,000 for 1 day. I was thinking if you contracted Covid while in the US and needed ICU it would easily go above that.
In my 20’s I lived and worked in the US for an ophthalmology group. Part of my job was insurance billing. I also worked for an ophthalmology group in Canada later on and the difference in price structure was crazy. So I’ll respectfully disagree with you that it’s overblown.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Having said that, the same bill in Canada would have been significantly less. But, I wasn’t saying $250,000 for 1 day. I was thinking if you contracted Covid while in the US and needed ICU it would easily go above that.
In my 20’s I lived and worked in the US for an ophthalmology group. Part of my job was insurance billing. I also worked for an ophthalmology group in Canada later on and the difference in price structure was crazy. So I’ll respectfully disagree with you that it’s overblown.

But, you DID say it "may cover ONE day in the hospital". I quoted your post. Perhaps not what you meant, but certainly what you said.

Living in Canada, I had no idea what my medical care cost. Who knows what the final bill was for my brain surgery years ago? Given the exorbitant bonuses that our local hospital VP's received, I'd say that they were being funded very well in order to afford multiple 6-figure payouts. The major difference here is that you actually KNOW (well, that and you have choice). I have a few nurse friends in Ontario and I know what they are being paid by the hour, so I'm pretty sure medical care in Canada is also more than people realize. Its just easier to consider it to be "free" when its funded via taxes.

 

[badiggio]

Any way you want to spin it,coverage in canada is easier and cheaper to the individual.

 

[Sue M]

But, you DID say it "may cover ONE day in the hospital". I quoted your post. Perhaps not what you meant, but certainly what you said.

Living in Canada, I had no idea what my medical care cost. Who knows what the final bill was for my brain surgery years ago? Given the exorbitant bonuses that our local hospital VP's received, I'd say that they were being funded very well in order to afford multiple 6-figure payouts. The major difference here is that you actually KNOW (well, that and you have choice). I have a few nurse friends in Ontario and I know what they are being paid by the hour, so I'm pretty sure medical care in Canada is also more than people realize. Its just easier to consider it to be "free" when its funded via taxes.

You are right. 1 day was maybe a bit on the sarcastic side but I was thinking in terms of ICU and Covid care, not a scheduled hospital stay. And because I worked in ophthalmology on both sides of the border I did have insight into what the cost of procedures were in the US vs Canada and can say with certainty that the fee schedule in the US was significantly higher.

 

[vegs1]

Please don't believe all of the American medical "data" that the Canadian media shares. At least some (and I suspect, perhaps the largest percentage) is overblown, overstated, or a minority experience intended to sensationalize. I am a Canadian, living in the USA, and just had a major surgical procedure 3 weeks ago which had me hospitalized for 3 full days. My total bill, including the surgery and the hospital care that followed, was under $30,000 US. A lot of money, for sure, but nowhere near $250,000 for one day. There ³is a very definite "spin" on what the Canadian media has to say about American health care.

If a Canadian was in the U.S. and contracted a serious case of Covid19, the hospital bill could be astronomical if they needed to stay in hospital for any length of time or if a ventilator was required. To minimize the costs to travellers is not right. I have worked in the travel industry for years and spent many of them in the travel insurance business. I have seen the bills and the denied claims when people don’t have enough coverage, misunderstand their policies or don’t understand about pre existing conditions. My own husband had a serious injury which required surgery and an overnight stay. Nothing too serious but the bill for just that was $11,000 USD and that was over 10 years ago. Fortunately, we did have insurance with full coverage.

All travellers should be aware of their out of country travel policies and what they cover. Yes, $250,000 CDN could be enough depending on what you need but for any lengthy stay or serious stay, it very well may not be. Those prices in USD once converted don’t go far for us.

 

[pigletto]

*editing because it’s just too much personal info.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

If a Canadian was in the U.S. and contracted a serious case of Covid19, the hospital bill could be astronomical if they needed to stay in hospital for any length of time or if a ventilator was required. To minimize the costs to travellers is not right.

Perhaps you need to go back and re-read what I posted. I did not minimize the cost to travellers whatsoever. I simply clarified a statement that one day in an American hospital would equal or exceed $250,000. That statement was inflammatory and inaccurate.

As travelling Canadians, we ALWAYS had travel insurance when we left our home country. I wouldn't recommend anyone cross the border without it.

I have worked in the travel industry for years and spent many of them in the travel insurance business. I have seen the bills and the denied claims when people don’t have enough coverage, misunderstand their policies or don’t understand about pre existing conditions.

As have I. For 18 years before I left Canada, I worked for a company that sold travel insurance and processed claims for out of country care.

All travellers should be aware of their out of country travel policies and what they cover. Yes, $250,000 CDN could be enough depending on what you need but for any lengthy stay or serious stay, it very well may not be. Those prices in USD once converted don’t go far for us.

Again, I am not (and DID NOT) dispute that overall level of coverage. My post was to dispute the comment that the stated sum could be met or exceeded in one single day of care.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Any way you want to spin it,coverage in canada is easier and cheaper to the individual.

Have you ever been seriously ill in Canada? Unfortunately, I have.....and while our provincial health coverage covered the costs, that was the ONLY thing that was easier.

The waiting list for an MRI was more than a year long at that time, and the closest machine was more than an hour to the east of us, or more than 2 hours to the west.

The only hospital that could finally treat me was 2.5 hours from my home. Because I was having grand mal seizures, my license was automatically revoked....so now not only did I have to travel ridiculous distances, even during miserable weather, for treatment to save my life, I also had to find someone who could provide me with transportation.

During that time, I had no family doctor (and we didn't for a full five years) because there was a doctor shortage in our area.

And I had a brain tumor.

Let me assure you, there was nothing "easy" about that whole experience.

[I won't even bother to explain the differences in the treatment and hospital experience here in the US, because I can guarantee it will fall on deaf ears. What I will say is that I have PERSONALLY experienced both systems, so I know first-hand the financial and medical impact of both. Based on two major surgeries, both from a medical standpoint and the financial one, I'd take my experience here in Michigan over Ontario ANY day. That's not a "spin", that's a fact.]

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

You are right. 1 day was maybe a bit on the sarcastic side but I was thinking in terms of ICU and Covid care, not a scheduled hospital stay. And because I worked in ophthalmology on both sides of the border I did have insight into what the cost of procedures were in the US vs Canada and can say with certainty that the fee schedule in the US was significantly higher

Then you will also know that the fee schedule is deeply discounted for those with insurance coverage. Insurance companies don't pay anywhere near the full book costs of any procedure.

 

[Sue M]

Then you will also know that the fee schedule is deeply discounted for those with insurance coverage. Insurance companies don't pay anywhere near the full book costs of any procedure. At least that’s how it was when I was there. I haven’t lived in the US for many many years.

No, they (insurance) don’t pay entire bill doctor bills, so the patient pays the rest in the US unless the doctor accepts insurance assignment.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

No, they (insurance) don’t pay entire bill doctor bills, so the patient pays the rest in the US unless the doctor accepts insurance assignment.

Which is why the person with insurance needs to follow the policy instructions, which states that you need to call the insurance provider before seeking care and they will direct you to the appropriate local hospital (and there are FAR more hospitals south of the border than you will find in Canada, so despite being told where to seek care it is unlikely you would have to go far). If you buy your travel coverage from a licensed insurance agent (versus an online plan), your agent will make sure you have that handy toll free number on a wallet card so you are prepared in the event that care is required.

In the almost 4 years of living stateside, we have never yet had a medical provider not accept the insurer's discounted payout. The occasional small co pay ($20) or deductible has been assessed, but that's it.