The Latest Facts About Cuba’s Travel Insurance Requirements
The Cuban government requirement that all visitors must have travel insurance to enter the country after May 1 has left many travelers, travel and insurance agents, and tour operators confused. Part of the reason for that confusion is that statements coming out of Cuban government sources were not consistent.
I finally tracked down the appropriate government sources and I can now verify the following.
Though the initial government announcement said immigration officials would require visitors to have proof of travel insurance purchased in their home country that would cover medical expenses in Cuba, some large Canadian tourism companies subsequently said they had been told by the vice minister of tourism that provincial health cards such as OHIP would also be acceptable for entry to the island.
A representative of GoCuba, the government’s official tourism board in Canada, confirmed to me that either provincial health cards or proof of private travel insurance would be acceptable for entry to the island, even though it was clear to the Cuban authorities that provincial insurance would not pay Cuban health care providers and would necessitate travelers paying their medical bills before leaving Cuba. The representative, speaking on behalf of the Director of GoCuba, said visitors should understand that their provincial health cards would only allow their entry, but their government plans only pay a small share of the visitors’ medical expenses and only after they file claims for reimbursement. Private travel insurance, however, pays legitimate claims directly to Cuban health care hospitals and providers in most cases.
The Cuban representative said that those with neither private travel insurance nor provincial health cards would be required to buy insurance from Cuban companies on their arrival. I have seen the benefits offered by those plans and they are clearly inadequate.
One large tourism company, Signature Vacations, advised its clients in an Important Notice that: “ There have been reports that as of May 1, 2010, the Government of Cuba will require arriving visitors to provide proof of coverage for medical expenses. While this is true, this does NOT mean that additional medical insurance is mandatory for Canadians visiting Cuba. Following meetings with senior Cuban officials, Signature Vacations is pleased to advise that any Canadian provincial health card is sufficient proof of the required coverage.”
From this, a casual reader could easily get the impression that provincial health insurance will provide direct coverage of medical expenses in Cuba and that private insurance is not necessary. This is not so. Provincial government agencies do not pay out-of- country hospitals, doctors, clinics or any other medical emergency bills, in Cuba or any other country. They only reimburse beneficiaries for costs they’ve already paid out. So if you don’t have private, supplemental travel insurance with you when you go to Cuba, you better take plenty of cash to pay those medical bills if you have an emergency.
You must also understand that Canadian government health plan reimbursements for out-of-country emergency services are paltry; they admit that. British Columbia, for example, pays only $75 per day for out-of-country hospital inpatient costs, nothing for outpatient services, nothing for land or air ambulance and nothing for air ambulance repatriation to a hospital at home. Air ambulance from Cuba to eastern Canada is about $25,000—more to the West.
OHIP pays up to $200 a day for hospital inpatient, $50 for outpatient service, nothing for ambulance or air ambulance repatriation, or hotel doctors and it too does not pay out-of-country providers directly. You must file your receipts and wait. OHIP, in fact, openly admits that it reimburses only a very small portion of out-of-country medical expenses, and it strongly urges travelers to buy private supplemental health insurance when traveling out of the country.
The bottom line is simple, even though the Cuban government, by putting out conflicting statements,
has bungled its message. Proof of provincial insurance only allows you to get into the country without having to buy the Cuban bare bones insurance. It does not provide coverage. Only private, supplemental travel insurance does that.
Don’t get caught in the propaganda swirl. Do as you have always done. Buy your insurance before you go and let the hair-splitters deal with Cuban immigration officials.
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My VHI Private Healthcare membership covers me when I am abroad for up to 180 days for:-
In-patient hospital costs of up to €100,000.
A 24hr medical telephone service.
Will find a local GP for me and direct me to the most appropriate local hospital or clinic.
Will monitor and manage my ongoing care.
If I forget my prescription, or lose my medication, will assist me in getting a replacement.
Will arrange for an air ambulance home if medically necessary.
Does this satisfy Cuban travel insurance requirements?
Mr. Earley,
Yes, it will satisfy Cuba’s requirements. Actually the Cuban authorities appear not to be asking many tourists for proof of coverage even though they have established the requirement, but you still must have such proof just in case.
Milan