Hey First name / friend

 

I was working on a blog post about ski towns this morning.   I added a comment that Jackson Hole, Wyoming has an incredible hospital.

 

 

In 2015 I wanted to do something special for my Dad, Sam and the boys.  Charlie was graduating from high school and heading off to college.  Sam loves to fly fish, everyone loves Yellowstone.   Dad was getting older and loves to travel out west.   I gave them a trip to Jackson Hole Wyoming for Christmas. 

Trips are always the best gifts.  

 

Flights, rental car, cool cabin, accommodations inside Yellowstone Park, hiking in the Tetons, (Dad was a big-time hiker) private guided fishing trips on the Snake River.  

 Dad was so excited.

 

I had mentioned the bedroom layout in the cabin to Sam (we have stayed there before), BECAUSE I AM A CONTROL FREAK. 

 

 

And, as I was waving goodbye as they got in the Uber for the airport:

 

“ DO NOT HURT  GRANDPA”.   No clue why I said that.

 

That night, at 2:00 AM:  A phone call from a frantic and incredibly upset Sam telling me Dad was badly hurt, they were waiting for an ambulance.    

 

My father had fallen OUT OF THE LOFT.  Like, from the second floor to the first, and landed on the coffee table in the great room below (right in front of a sleeping Connor).   He had a bleeding head injury, broken ribs and cracked vertebrae in his back.  And he was 83.   

The National Park Service had responded to the 911 call and were first on the scene.  Yes, it was a “scene”, Dad had been knocked out, was refusing all help. Once a Marine, always a Marine.  

 

Lucky “break” number 1, pun intended.  Dad survived.

 

So now what…well, if I had travel insurance I would have called the carrier.  But it wasn’t insured. Bad me. The cabin was remote.  Driving back and forth to the hospital was not an option.

 

Lucky break number 2 : They were in the USA, so Medicare and Dad's health insurance  was accepted.  

 

Lucky break number 3:  Some of the best orthopedists in the world are in Jackson. They seem to like to ski, so the care is world class. 

 

 If you feel the need to maim yourself, do it in Jackson Hole. 

 

Lucky break number 4: The hospital was willing to release Dad if he stayed nearby.  I found a 3-bedroom one level condo in Jackson.  Boys were beyond thrilled, it had flat screen TV’s, fantastic Wi-Fi, and you could walk everywhere in town.

 

 

 

It was an additional $8,000 for the last-minute condo rental.  Summer in Jackson is popular.   Dad was only released to stay adjacent to the hospital, and alternate accommodations would likely have been reimbursed by travel insurance.   The cabin was non-refundable, so that was a lost cost. 

 

Cancelled activities are covered by travel insurance.  Dad missed all of them.   

But most importantly, we needed the medical coverage to get him home.  

Dad could not have flown home commercially to Savannah at the end of the week.

I priced flying private, it was $20,000.   Yikes. 

 

Lucky break number 5: Dad already had plans not to fly back to Georgia; he was meeting Mom at my sisters in Sonoma.   There is no way he could have made an all-day 3 connection flight back to Savannah in his condition. He was able to tough it out and fly a short flight to Sonoma and spend a few weeks recovering before flying back to the East Coast.  

 

Everyone needs travel insurance, especially if you are leaving the USA. 

I can find plenty of things I would rather spend money on, but travel insurance is a non negotiable.   Personally I have a basic annual policy, and then I add additional coverage for more far flung or expensive trips.   

 

 

I am not an insurance agent, but through GTN we have 3 excellent companies that I highly recommend for insurance.    

 

I love to Geek Out on insurance, so if you have any questions give me a call.