He Fell Ill on a Cruise. Before He Boarded the Rescue Boat, They Handed Him the Bill.

Wasney had had seizures in the past, starting about 10 years ago, but it had been a while since his last one.

The Patient: Vincent Wasney, 31, who was uninsured at the time.

They also lacked travel insurance. As inexperienced travelers, Wasney said, they thought it was for lost luggage and canceled trips, not unexpected medical expenses.

Wasney had a second seizure on the ship a few hours later, back in his cabin. This time he stopped breathing, and Eberlein remembered his lips being so purple, they almost looked black. Again, she ran to find help but, in her haste, locked herself out. By the time the ship’s medical team got into the cabin, Wasney was breathing again but had broken blood vessels along his chest and neck that he later said resembled tiger stripes. Wasney was in the ship’s medical center when he had a third seizure — a grand mal, which typically causes a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions.

By then, the ship was close enough to port that Wasney could be evacuated by rescue boat. He was put on a stretcher to be lowered by ropes off the side of the ship, with Eberlein climbing down a rope ladder to join him. But before they disembarked, the bill came.

Total Bill: $2,500.22.

I was expecting quite a bit more for all the emergency care he got.

Travel health insurance is surprisingly cheap. I priced out a 1 week policy when I was traveling internationally for a trip that included emergency medical evacuation by helicopter if necessary. It was only $50.