Sick at Sea - Medical Evacuation from a Cruise Ship

Did you see this story about the girl was airlifted from a cruise ship for an emergency appendectomy aboard a US Navy Carrier?

These stories are more common than you think. The CDC says cruisers may be subject to "exacerbation of existing chronic health conditions" as a result of changes in climate, diet, exercise, exposure to pollutants and increased stress from an unfamiliar environment. They say injuries are one of the most common reasons for passengers to seek medical care on a cruise.

In 2004, Air Ambulance Card member John Slanina came down with pneumonia while on a cruise in the Mediterranean. After spending three days in the ship's infirmary, Slanina was admitted to a hospital in Rome. He wanted to be treated by doctors at home, so Air Ambulance Card flew him home Rapid City South Dakota. The flight would have cost him $67,000, he didn't pay a dime more than his $295 yearly membership.

And you can expect cases like this to increase as cruise travel increases. In 2004, 10.8 million people took North American cruise vacations, and cruising is expected to continue to gain popularity, with an estimated 20.7 million cruise travelers in 2010, according to the CDC.

Air Ambulance Card is not a first responder in these cases. The company transports members from hospital to hospital (and no, US Navy Air Craft Carriers don't count, no matter how sophisticated the medical care!). Still, if you wind up in a port city hospital somewhere around the world... wouldn't it be nice to jet home to your own doctor.