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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | AUGUST 2024 17 to come and see me and help me get out of the hospital to my waiting transportation to the airport. Unfortunately, it took too long, and I missed the f light arranged by my insurance travel department. I had to be transported to the nearby airport hotel and finally was able to board a plane the next day. I came straight to Kaiser, my wonderful hospital in Riverside, California. At my U.S. hospital, I was in a soft bed, had as many pillows as I wanted, and had a new-technology blanket that blew warm air on me and kept me warm without weight. And I had a (magical!) button to press if I needed anything else. For shame, Rome, the home of Leonardo da Vinci, with so much to be proud of, with millions of dollars pouring into that city every day, no one should be treated like that in a hospital. Not tourists and not Italian citizens. There should be some consideration for comfort and fear and nutritious food. There should be some attention to a patient, especially a foreign patient with language issues. I was shocked. After I got home, had my surgery, and started feeling better, I started thinking about how this could have been better. I looked at Rome hospitals on Google. The one I was sent to had mostly one- star reviews by those with experiences similar to mine. I spoke to our tour guide, a citizen of Rome, and he told me that the healthcare system in Italy was in crisis; if you couldn't afford private insurance, as he could not for his family, this is the care you receive. He called it "third world." However, other hospitals in that area were rated much higher, and there was even one called the American Hospital. It never occurred to us to request a specific hospital. From now on, when I plan a trip outside the U.S., I will research healthcare, as well as specific hospitals with emergency rooms. Luckily, I am a member of DAN — Divers Alert Network (you don't need to be a diver to join). Membership with this organization at less than $100 a year for a family, covers extraction services and is available to everyone. The other travel insurance coverage I had was through a high-end credit card but I only needed extraction. When I realized how difficult it was going to be to f ly home with the fixation apparatus installed on my leg, I called DAN. From that moment forward, I didn't have to worry about anything else. They arranged everything including the Business Class seats home. I paid nothing. Based on my experience, I highly recommend that you explore insurance options to ensure you have adequate coverage when traveling. Medicare itself does not cover international medical but senior advantage programs might. Kaiser Senior Advantage does but I did not incur any medical costs. After this experience, we have added annual travel insurance at $834 for a year through DAN. Consumer Reports covered travel insurance in their magazine recently and made some good points: 1) look for coverage that has a 24-hour travel assistance department; 2) they suggest looking at sites like Squaremouth to see comparisons on exclusions, coverage limits, deductibles, and costs; they recommend getting multiple quotes; 3) be sure medical evacuation to the U.S. for medical care is included; and 4) be sure you have adequate coverage — at least $100,000 for extractions and $50,000 in emergency medical coverage. My new policy covers extractions up to $250,000. Hallway from hell Headed home

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