Audrey and Hal took their grandchildren to a remote island in Indonesia for a bucket list trip. While they were exploring a local park, Hal slipped on the grass, broke his hip and badly injured his head. Hal had to be airlifted out to the closest medical facility, which was in Jakarta, over 100 miles away.

Cost of the air ambulance: $8,000.

Some of the locals had helped Audrey call for emergency help because she did not speak the language and was struggling to communicate. • Once she knew that Hal was safely on his way to the medical facility, Audrey called MediAssist (our 24/7 emergency travel assistance team) because she did not know what to do next.

The MediAssist representative that Audrey spoke to was able to connect with the Air Ambulance provider and determine where they were taking Hal. Not only did she arrange to pay the air ambulance, MediAssist also made the arrangements for Hal at the hospital before he had even arrived. There was no delay in his treatment and Audrey did not have to pay a sizeable deposit, because the hospital knew that Blue Cross, a globally recognized company, could be trusted to pay these costs.

While Hal was in the hospital getting their treatment, MediAssist advised Audrey to keep her receipts for the hotel and meals so that she could submit for reimbursement.

Hospital Deposit: $5,000; 5-day hospitalization and surgery: an additional $15,000; Costs for new hotels and food in Jakarta: $3,000.

Once Hal was stabilized and ready to go home, MediAssist helped Audrey with purchasing new tickets to get the family back home. Once they were back, Audrey was able to cancel the remainder of their flights and she submitted these to Pacific Blue Cross for reimbursement.

Cost of unused transportation and hotels: $8,000

Although their once in a lifetime trip was cut short, Audrey and Hal were grateful that they had purchased their Pacific Blue Cross Single Trip Medical Plan and added the trip cancellation and interruption option. Without this comprehensive coverage, the out of pocket cost for Hal’s injury and their cancelled flights and hotels would have been over $39,000.

And because they chose Pacific Blue Cross, the recognition of our brand prevented Audrey from having to pay a sizeable deposit at the hospital because they trusted us when we guaranteed the payment.

Hal has since made a complete recovery, and Audrey tells us that they are planning a new vacation with their grandchildren as soon as possible - and for their peace of mind, Pacific Blue Cross travel insurance will be at the top of their list wherever their adventures take them!