Medicare Coverage Tips For RVers

Above, the air ambulance helicopter that flew me to Twin
Falls, Idaho from Wells, Nevada. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

When I had my heart/artery episode back in 2018 at Wells, Nevada, I was covered by MediCal at the time. So all of my medical costs were covered by it. This also included the air ambulance helicopter flight to Twin Falls, Idaho.

Currently, I am on Medicare and, so far (thankfully), I have not had any medical emergencies either at home or on the road.

RV Travel has posted an article with Medicate coverage tips for RVers in case a medical emergency occurs while traveling in the RV.

It starts with:

As an RVer who is retired, one of the most critical decisions you’ll face is choosing the right healthcare coverage—specifically Medicare Part C (also known as Medicare Advantage). If you plan to travel out of your home state in the coming year, it’s essential to carefully review and consider your many options. Here are some Medicare Part C tips for RVers like you and me. 

To read more, go here. 

Poll: Have You Ever Been Transported By Ambulance?

Above, the air ambulance that transported me to the hospital in Twin Falls. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky

Having a medical emergency at anytime has be one of the scariest things that can happen to anyone, whether they are at home or somewhere on the road.

It happened to me once seven years ago in Wells, Nevada. I had an arterial blockage (that I was unaware of) that caused a heart attack. Fortunately, I was lucky to have the episode when and where I did. I had to be airlifted to Twin Falls, Idaho and had to stents put into the artery. I was treated quickly enough to avoid any heart muscle damage.

RV Travel has a poll question, "Have you ever been transported by ambulance for a medical emergency?"

It begins with:

The late afternoon sun filtered through the windshield as Sharon and Mark pulled into a quiet campground just outside Sedona. They’d spent the last few days winding through desert roads, soaking in red rock views and open skies. Life on the road had its share of surprises, of course—flat tires, last-minute detours—but they hadn’t expected this one.

It started with a strange pressure in Mark’s chest. At first, he brushed it off as indigestion from the diner pie they’d split earlier. But within minutes, he was pale and sweating, his breathing ragged. Sharon didn’t hesitate. She called 911, her voice steady despite the panic bubbling beneath. Within what felt like moments, an ambulance arrived, its siren slicing through the stillness of the campground.

To read and take part in the poll, go here. 

Medical Insurance and RVing

Above, the St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center in Twin Falls, Idaho. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I had my medical emergency four years ago at the Wells Fun Run in Wells, Nevada, I had to be flown by helicopter to St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center in Twin Falls, Idaho to have two stents put into a coronary artery.

Along with the procedure of putting the stents in and the stay in the hospital, I also had to be flown by air ambulance. The air ambulance alone cost around $55,000+. (I now have air ambulance coverage since I live in a rural area and usually patients are transferred from Gallup to Albuquerque. The coverage is good anywhere,)

Above, the air ambulance helicopter that took me to Twin Falls, Idaho. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

Fortunately for me, I had Medicaid at the time which covered all the aforementioned costs. 

Does your medical insurance coverage also include out-of-network medical treatments while RVing?

RVer Insurance Exchange has an article comparing insurance coverages with different scenarios on what each insurance covers and what they don't.

They begin with:

Improper Insurance Coverage Can Have Devastating Financial Repercussions

Have you secured health insurance coverage for the year yet? If you have, congratulations! You are among the over 297 million Americans who have some type of health insurance coverage. You have taken the first step in mitigating financial risk and giving yourself peace of mind. But, do you understand how your health insurance plan works? Does it have network restrictions that could leave you vulnerable while you’re on the road? What does it (or you!) pay for a specialist’s visit, urgent care visit, or ER visit?

Understanding your plan’s benefits is almost as important as having coverage itself. If you do not use your plan properly, you will be on the hook for outstanding medical bills, causing stress and major financial burden. As a licensed health insurance agent working with the RVer Insurance Exchange, it is my job to not only provide health insurance options, but to help RVers and travelers understand how the plan they are purchasing actually works.

To read more, go here. 

Return To Bella's In Wells

Above, Bella's Restaurant and Espresso this year. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yesterday, Mitch Geriminsky and I headed out of Ely, Nevada to go to Buhl, Idaho early in the morning.

Along the way, we stopped at Bella's Restaurant and Espresso in Wells, Nevada, the scene where I had my heart attack last summer.

Above, yesterday at Belle's. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

It looked the same to me as it did last year. One interesting thing about this trip, I only recognized very few places on the road between Wells and Twin Falls, Idaho (where I had the stents put in). I must've been either asleep or out of it during that ride.

I managed to accomplish a couple of things at the stop at Bella's: I was able to finish a meal and walk out of the restaurant (instead of being carried out).

Above, the air ambulance helicopter last year. Photo by Mitch Geriminsky.

I parked The Beast at the area in the restaurant's parking lot where the air ambulance helicopter landed to take me to the hospital in Twin Falls.

Above, The Beast yesterday at Bella's. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After breakfast, we headed off to Buhl, Idaho to Bill Wilson's, a 120-mile drive.

Exactly What Happened

Above, the day before the heart attack. From left, Mitch Geriminsky, Bill Wilson and myself.

Diane, my "honorary sister", asked me how the heart attack happened in an email last night. She's a deputy district attorney.

She emailed:

What exactly happened anyway?  You felt it suddenly come on, or you just went down without warning?   We have that happen at court not infrequently, and if another heart patient is there, they put their nitro under the person's tongue to save them until the ambulance gets there.  Many times, the person has no idea they have heart problems, and that is their first clue.

That's what happened to me. I had no history of heart problems before this.

I replied:

Well, three of us sat down at a booth for a late breakfast/early lunch. Mitch was opposite of Robert and myself. I was on the inside. We ordered and the food was delivered. I felt a tightening of my chest, mixed with a feeling like heartburn. I excused myself from the table as I felt being confined and I thought I would try to walk it off. I did but it didn't help. The pain got worse (felt like and elephant sitting on my chest). I started feeling dizzy. I sat down and put my head between my knees so I don't pass out. I signaled to Mitch to call an ambulance. He already knew what was happening as he has seen others have heart attacks and called an ambulance. I was taken to a back room and the ambulance EMTs started working on me. They cut off my prized Mustang Hawaiian shirt, which pissed me off. They told Mitch that I could be taken to a hospital in Elko or to a much better one by helicopter to Twin Falls, Idaho. He opted for Twin Falls.  

I didn't feel better until I was in the helicopter and given a second nitro. As soon as we landed at the hospital, I was immediately taken to the operating room and the stent procedure was started. 

Mitch earlier went to the restroom at the restaurant and when he came out, he took a photo of Robert and me at the booth. This was only minutes away from the heart attack. There was no indication in the photo that trouble was about to begin. 

It is strange that since this happened, others I have talked to (one was a fellow Clamper at Twin Arrows Casino in Arizona and the other is the post office clerk down at the local Flying J) had mentioned feeling chest discomfort in the past. I told both to get checked, just in case.

Chances are, the pains were probably nothing, but they also could be something that may strike big time like mine did. The peace of mind from getting checked is worth the doctor's bill alone. Don't ignore those pains!

I was lucky to be where I was when the attack happened and with people who knew what to do.

What A Day!

Thus far, all my vital signs are reading just fine.

I was told that there was no heart muscle damage from the heart attack of yesterday. I was lucky it happened when and where it did, otherwise, I might be pushing up daisies right now.

I was with friends at the time and they knew that something was wrong.

Here's a couple of photos from when I was being put aboard an air ambulance (photos by Mitch Geriminsky):

Later...

Above, after the stent surgery.

The oddest thing about all this, my cousin Ralph was found dead from a heart attack exactly one year ago yesterday.