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Travel Insurance


jack125

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I have a question on Travel Insurance. I have had many cruises on NCL. I have Lymphoma but I am being treated for it. This year my wife and I had to cancel two cruises due to my illness and had travel protection with NCL through Berkely Travel Insurance. I was denied both insurance claims and the reason for the denial was pre-existing condition. This was a shock to me for I always buy the platinum protection plan. I find this very disturbing to now know that if you have a Cancer related claim that your chances for getting your money back with this insurance is very slim. I had permisson from my doctor to travel but unforseen circumstances happened and had to cancel my first cruise 02/11/2011 while in Barcelona due to complications with my health. I traveled back immediately home and was treated and filed a claim. I do not know if anyone else has had this problem but would like to hear back from anyone that has and their result from their insurance claim. The insurance company used the pre-existing condition to not pay either of my claims was to me just an excuse not to pay it and have filed with the NYS insurance department and have asked Berkley insurance to re-examin my claims again. I find that Berkely Insurance to be very rude and take forever to get back to you but I also found that Access America Insurance is very good to use but this was for the flights not the cruise. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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I have a long term chronic disease as well as being treated with immunesuppression drugs (although not immunesuppressed - long story) any way I got knocked back for travel insurance for our May cruise twice so things were not looking good till I faxed off 10 pages to the third one demonstrating I had been in remission for over 12 months with great pathology results, letters from Specialists etc - they covered me and actually put the pre existing disease and treatment on the policy so they can't back out.

 

The other companies would cover me for the disease but not the treatment - but I would not go that way as the slightest problem they could have blamed on the immunesuppression drugs.

 

They just hate paying out money - so they continue to make big profits.

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Hello Kate and thank you for your input. They have closed my case so they think but I have the right to re-open it and I am. The minute I mentioned Cancer on the forms that were sent to them it took forever for them and other paperwork for them to decline the clamis with the pre-existing condition. I will have to do what you did and send countless amounts of paperwork from my doctors stating that I was able and healthly enough to travel. I take steriods which the doctors depending on my condition either raise or lower. This was the case on the last vaction when we flew to Barcelona my steriods were to low and I need to have them raised that is why I had to return home to my doctors and cancel the cruise, along with being mugged outside of my hotel the day we checked in where I was robbed for over $1800 US as the taxi driver and the doorman watched. I have the police reports from Barcelona but they don't want to hear about that either. So much for a 5 star hotel in Spain. I will keep hitting them with paperwork and sending a letter the corporate NCL regarding their insurance carrier BerkelyCare whom I really dislike not only are they rude but take their sweet time and never contact you for paperwork unless you call and they say what they need. I do like access america which is the airlines and they are very fast paying a claim. Hope that I can get something like you did that would put my pre-existing condition on the policy so I do not have to go through this again if not I will use another cruise line.

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The steriods where not the problem for me - and I do take but in only a minimal dose, however I was carry enough incase I have to increase them. I have had my problem for over 30 years and work with the specialists so they know I can deal with my medication if I need to.

 

I have had 20 years of travelling in remote parts of Australia (our first love) so they have got used to me going to places where I need to look after myself if I get into difficulties. At least doing this I never had to worry about travel insurance.

 

Talk things over with your doctor about a plan of action should potiential things go wrong - it help to know prior what can happen and how to deal with it. (if possible).

 

Good Luck.

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  • 3 months later...
Guest maddycat

You shouid post your question on the cruise/travel insurance board.

Cruise/Travel Insurance - Cruise Critic Message Boards

 

You'll get plenty of good advice. In the future you should not purchase insurance from the cruise line. I also think that it is best to buy insurance that is primary. I like travelex.

Travelex I purchase my insurance within 14 days of putting down my deposit so that pre-existing conditions are covered.

 

You can research insurance at one of the following travel insurance sites:

***Trip Insurance Store***

squaremouth.com

Travel Insurance Review

 

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  • 2 months later...
I have a question on Travel Insurance. I have had many cruises on NCL. I have Lymphoma but I am being treated for it. This year my wife and I had to cancel two cruises due to my illness and had travel protection with NCL through Berkely Travel Insurance. I was denied both insurance claims and the reason for the denial was pre-existing condition. This was a shock to me for I always buy the platinum protection plan. I find this very disturbing to now know that if you have a Cancer related claim that your chances for getting your money back with this insurance is very slim. I had permisson from my doctor to travel but unforseen circumstances happened and had to cancel my first cruise 02/11/2011 while in Barcelona due to complications with my health. I traveled back immediately home and was treated and filed a claim. I do not know if anyone else has had this problem but would like to hear back from anyone that has and their result from their insurance claim. The insurance company used the pre-existing condition to not pay either of my claims was to me just an excuse not to pay it and have filed with the NYS insurance department and have asked Berkley insurance to re-examin my claims again. I find that Berkely Insurance to be very rude and take forever to get back to you but I also found that Access America Insurance is very good to use but this was for the flights not the cruise. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

In order for pre-exiting conditions to be covered, the insurance has to be booked within a preset period of time from the booking date. I never purchase the insurance offered through the cruise line because in most cases in order for the pre-existing condition to be covered when booking insurance through the cruise line the trip has to be paid for in full at the time of booking to have any pre-existing conditions waived. This is something that the cruiseline doesn't tell you . Also the purchaser generally never really reads through the policy before purchasing and instead just accepts the word of the Cruiseline representative .

 

I always purchased insurance on my own. For future reference there are several good websites that can be used for comparison . I generally get better coverage for my money. Most insurance companies ( other than those used by the cruise line) have on average a 10 day window from the date of the initial booking in order to purchase insurance so that any pre-existing condition is waived. FYI Access America offers a pre-existing condition waiver when purchased within 10 days of the initial booking.

 

www.insuremytrip.com

www.squaremouth.com

 

It's a hard lesson to learn but regrettably you probably have no recourse in action, particularly if you did not fully read and understand the full terms of the policy before purchasing it. Even when purchasing insurance through the cruiseline you have a specified time period by law to cancel the policy if it does not meet your needs after reveiwing it. Once that period of time has elapsed than by not canceling the policy you have accepted the terms. The insurance company can and did deny the claims because you did not have a pre-exiting condition waiver attached to the policy. FYI Access America offers a pre-existing condition waiver when purchased within 10 days of the initial booking.

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I have a question on Travel Insurance. I have had many cruises on NCL. I have Lymphoma but I am being treated for it. This year my wife and I had to cancel two cruises due to my illness and had travel protection with NCL through Berkely Travel Insurance. I was denied both insurance claims and the reason for the denial was pre-existing condition. This was a shock to me for I always buy the platinum protection plan. I find this very disturbing to now know that if you have a Cancer related claim that your chances for getting your money back with this insurance is very slim. I had permisson from my doctor to travel but unforseen circumstances happened and had to cancel my first cruise 02/11/2011 while in Barcelona due to complications with my health. I traveled back immediately home and was treated and filed a claim. I do not know if anyone else has had this problem but would like to hear back from anyone that has and their result from their insurance claim. The insurance company used the pre-existing condition to not pay either of my claims was to me just an excuse not to pay it and have filed with the NYS insurance department and have asked Berkley insurance to re-examin my claims again. I find that Berkely Insurance to be very rude and take forever to get back to you but I also found that Access America Insurance is very good to use but this was for the flights not the cruise. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

I have three suggestions for you:

 

1) Read the policy and makes sure you understand what is and what is not covered.

2) Don't buy insurance from the cruise line.

3) Most companies will waive the pre-existing exclusion if you purchase your insurance as soon as you make your travel arrangements.

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I believe the OP was not covered because pre-existing conditions are not waived until the insurance is paid for in full and it must be within about 10-14 days of initial deposit. Most times when you make your reservations direct they will ask if you want the travel insurance but they neglect to tell you that unless you pay in full right then your pre-existing conditions will not be waived. To be honest I recommend you use a policy like travelex which is a primary insurance and pays pretty quickly if you have a claim BUT to waive all pre-existing conditions you must be 1. physically able to travel on the day you purchase the insurance (not in a rehab center but the doctor says you will be able to travel in 2 months - the day you buy the insurance); 2. purchased within the time frame (10-14 days) depending upon the insurance carrier. If you did not do that then one of the other pricier options to waive pre-existing conditions WITH NO LOOK BACK PERIOD is to purchase CSA lux or freestyle lux prior to final payment and be able to travel on the day you purchase it.

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Are there any insurances that cover the trip if your airlines doesn't get you there in time to board? We've had our arrival time moved back 2 hours. freaking out!!

 

Tell the airline that the time change is unacceptable and you want to reschedule to an earlier flight at no charge.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
You have said twice that you like Access America but that was for the airlines. I have used them the last 3 cruises because within 14 days of booking the cruise they will cover pre existing conditions

 

I had to get the state insurance department to force Access America to pay my little claim. They have clauses requiring reporting within 24 hours and if you don't do it the way they want and can't prove it, you are out of luck,.

 

Also Access America is secondary. That means that if you need medical care in a place where your own insurance won't cover you (generally outside of the US) you pay the bill then after you get the paperwork from your own insurance company, they will (maybe) pay you back.

 

My DH has preexisting conditions. We purchase insurance through TravelEX the same day we put our deposit on a trip. It's in the budget. TravelEx is a primary carrier.

 

After a couple of bad experiences with travel insurance, I did a lot of research and had a lot of telephone conversations with travel insurance companies. I pay dearly for travel insurance, but that is part of the cost of travel when someone has medical issues. It's definitely not the place where you want to pinch pennies as it can cost you many dollars if you are not properly insured.

 

We also get a MedJet Assist policy on top of travel insurance.

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  • 1 year later...

I’ve been on Norwegian Cruises before for vacations. But what happened lately made me think twice in going with NCL. I purchased a cruise trip from Norwegian Cruise Line last October 2012 for the Nov 24-Dec 1, 2012 trip to the Caribbean on Norwegian Epic. In addition to that I purchased travel insurance for me and my wife so whatever happens we are both covered. The agent Mike Davila told me that travel insurance will refund me everything that I paid for the cruise and cover me including if my trip will be cancelled for medical reasons. So I went ahead and paid in advance for the whole trip and travel insurance. By November I was having problem with my left knee and my blood sugar level was going up due to diabetes. Around November 15, my left knee gave way on me and I was having a hard time walking so I called my doctor about it and was told to go ahead with my left knee surgery. I decided to cancel my cruise trip by November 19 since I cannot go because of my knee problem. I called my agent, Mike Davila and he gave me a telephone number to call the travel insurance company to inform them of the trip cancellation and that he told me that there wouldn’t be any problem in getting a refund of what I paid for. So I called the travel insurance, Berkely Travel for the cancelled trip and they told me that they will send claim form in my email and send it back to them as soon as possible. I got the email and filled-up the claim form and had my primary doctor complete the page where he needed to fill up. I sent back the claim form to Berkely Travel together with the Norwegian Cruise Line copy of the invoice. I waited about 3-5 days before I called them again and they told me that they got the form and documentation. I called again after 5 days and they told me that it takes at least 3 weeks to process the claims and will issue me a check for the refund. I waited again and got a letter from them that they need additional medical documentation from my doctor. So I followed-up with my primary doctor and was told that they already sent the medical documentation that the travel insurance company requested. After that I called again the Berkely Travel and was told by Liz Pittelko that my primary doctor is not the attending physician for my knee problem so I told them the name of my orthopedic doctor and she said that she will contact him and need more medical documentation. I told her also that in fact I will be going on my knee surgery on Jan 16, 2013 because of my left knee problem which was the main reason of my trip cancellation. So Liz Pittelko sent a request to the office of my orthopedic doctor and talked to the office manager there and told her what she needed. So by January 16, I had my left knee surgery and was laid up to now. I called again the travel insurance company to know the update of my claim. Liz Pittelko told me that I didn’t see my orthopedic doctor till Jan 10 according to the office manager. At that time it didn’t include the coverage of my travel insurance, so I told her that it was in November that my left knee gave way on me and was scheduled by knee doctor’s physician assistance for surgery on January 16. I faxed to her a copy of the paperwork of the scheduled left knee surgery that was given to me. At this point she said I have to wait again 7-10 business days before they will decide on my claim. I don’t think this is right that the travel insurance is doing this to me that in the first place when I paid for it they never even sent me a copy of the travel insurance coverage policy so I wasn’t able to review it. At first, they said that travel insurance didn’t cover pre-existing condition and told them that it wasn’t the case when I bought the travel insurance. How many people buy travel insurance and know anything about this otherwise they will not buy the insurance in the first place. This is one of the biggest scam of the Norwegian Cruise Line if you ever think about it. They led you to believe that you can get a refund for whatever happens if you buy the travel insurance from them and then leave you in the cold when you cancel your trip. So travelers please beware of this if you do not want to be in what I’m going through right now. I will never travel with Norwegian Cruise Line again even if they give me a free trip in the future.

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I have a question on Travel Insurance. I have had many cruises on NCL. I have Lymphoma but I am being treated for it. This year my wife and I had to cancel two cruises due to my illness and had travel protection with NCL through Berkely Travel Insurance. I was denied both insurance claims and the reason for the denial was pre-existing condition. This was a shock to me for I always buy the platinum protection plan. I find this very disturbing to now know that if you have a Cancer related claim that your chances for getting your money back with this insurance is very slim. I had permisson from my doctor to travel but unforseen circumstances happened and had to cancel my first cruise 02/11/2011 while in Barcelona due to complications with my health. I traveled back immediately home and was treated and filed a claim. I do not know if anyone else has had this problem but would like to hear back from anyone that has and their result from their insurance claim. The insurance company used the pre-existing condition to not pay either of my claims was to me just an excuse not to pay it and have filed with the NYS insurance department and have asked Berkley insurance to re-examin my claims again. I find that Berkely Insurance to be very rude and take forever to get back to you but I also found that Access America Insurance is very good to use but this was for the flights not the cruise. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

Another reason to buy private insurance!!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I quit using Ac Am after they gave me the runaround for 7 months while I tried to get a refund on my late DH's policy payment. Insuremytrip sent him a Bon Voyage E-Mail just before his sister and I left for the cruise. :eek: He had died 4 months before.

After I got home, the money had still not been refunded. After I finally used the magic word, Attorney, they paid up in 2 days. (Why didn't I think of that before??) After this problem with a $98 policy refund I shuddered to think how it would be if I had to get a full one.

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  • 7 months later...

We always take out travel insurance whenever we do major trips like cruises or overseas holidays. We had a cruise earlier in the year and were called home early because my wife's mother took ill suddenly and passed away before we could arrive home. We took out insurance with Allianz Global Assist and they refused to pay our claim because they "dont recognise anyone over the age of 85 years". This is a disgrace and we have just been advised from Anti Discrimination Queensland Agency that it is discrimination on the basis of age.

Avoid Allianz Global Assistance travel insurance at all costs, as we have found since our experience, there are others who have lost many more dollars due to refused claims by Allianz

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We always take out travel insurance whenever we do major trips like cruises or overseas holidays. We had a cruise earlier in the year and were called home early because my wife's mother took ill suddenly and passed away before we could arrive home. We took out insurance with Allianz Global Assist and they refused to pay our claim because they "dont recognise anyone over the age of 85 years". This is a disgrace and we have just been advised from Anti Discrimination Queensland Agency that it is discrimination on the basis of age.

Avoid Allianz Global Assistance travel insurance at all costs, as we have found since our experience, there are others who have lost many more dollars due to refused claims by Allianz

 

I'm sorry for your loss and for having to leave the cruise under these circumstances. I can't help but wonder: did they put this information in the policy? (I realize it could have been buried in the fine print.)

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It may have been hidden deep in the fine print but that does not make it legal, nor does it make it moral. Queensland Anti Discrimination Agency and Australian Human Rights have both made that statement as has our legal advisors.

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  • 2 weeks later...
It may have been hidden deep in the fine print but that does not make it legal, nor does it make it moral. Queensland Anti Discrimination Agency and Australian Human Rights have both made that statement as has our legal advisors.

 

I am glad to see you have their support.

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