Canadian Medical Insurance discussion

[LiftLockCouple]

To all Canadian cruisers. Especially those of you with medical conditions and those over 55. Who do you use for your medical coverage when out of the country?
1) The insurance provided by the major banks?
2) Independent providers such as
a) Primelink b) Primelink underwriters c) Travel Underwiters d) Travel and health care Solutions ( ETFS ) e) TIC f) Travel Guard canada G) CAA H) Sears , there are probably others.
3) do you take the chance and use the American policies even though the coverage limits are very low and there is little in the way of dispute resolution available to Canadians?
4) Emergency Evac companies such as MedJet Assist, there are probably lots of others. They get you home but don't pay for treatment.
5) How many of you have read and understand the Pre-Existing Condition clauses and stability period requirements? There is a significant difference between these companies in this area.
6) what has been your claim experience?

Almost all of the advice on this board is for Americans which is no surprise since mostly Americans use it. Lets add some Canadian flavor and help each other on this important issue.

[Misty_Que]

I would like to know the answers of these questions as well. I fall under having a pre-existing condtion and need the most extensive coverage there is. Just wondering what others experiences have been.

[erin_cruisers]

Originally Posted by LiftLockCouple

To all Canadian cruisers. Especially those of you with medical conditions and those over 55. Who do you use for your medical coverage when out of the country?
1) The insurance provided by the major banks?
2) Independent providers such as
a) Primelink b) Primelink underwriters c) Travel Underwiters d) Travel and health care Solutions ( ETFS ) e) TIC f) Travel Guard canada G) CAA H) Sears , there are probably others.
3) do you take the chance and use the American policies even though the coverage limits are very low and there is little in the way of dispute resolution available to Canadians?
4) Emergency Evac companies such as MedJet Assist, there are probably lots of others. They get you home but don't pay for treatment.
5) How many of you have read and understand the Pre-Existing Condition clauses and stability period requirements? There is a significant difference between these companies in this area.
6) what has been your claim experience?

Almost all of the advice on this board is for Americans which is no surprise since mostly Americans use it. Lets add some Canadian flavor and help each other on this important issue.

We have used RBC for several of our cruises, and Travelguard.ca for the rest.
When we buy the insurance we always get the most we can, and cover 100% of the total cost of the holiday.

We have only had to use insurance one time. On our Panama cruise a couple of years ago.
I can't remember how the disbursements went, since my DW looked after it all.
I'll ask her tonight and post again.

[Debathome]

We purchase the RBC annual medical coverage. It is a reasonable rate (around 60 dollars) and covers us even for short trips across border ~ up to 14 days. I don't have to purchase or worry about it each time I leave the province. Then I purchase extra coverage for the flight/cruise portion using either RBC (which my TA uses) or through the place purchased (ie; Airmiles etc.). I always get coverage, even for the shortest getaways.

I am sure Carol (dirtgirl) will be able to input some good advice here. She is a Canadian and a TA and has run into problems while cruising which needed to be covered by insurance. She should be able to input some expert advice on the best to use but she is off cruising right now.

[LiftLockCouple]

Historicly we have always used insurance from our bank but a few years ago some issues entered the scene that has required a different approach. Most recently we used Travel Underwriters ( Richmond BC ) through insuremytrip.ca ( based in Rhode Island ). No claims yet so no experience there.
Anouther option that I failed to list is of course CARP and their provider The Mclennan Group. I'm told that if your pre-ex conditions are a little complicated that they forward you to either Primelink underwriters or maybe it is Travel Underwriters ( not sure ).

[maryann2]

The bank and credit card insurance does not cover Medical over 65. I don't use trip cancellation but do have the CIBC credit card coverage for trip interruption, as long as everything is put on the card and that you have actually started the trip.

For Medical coverage I now use Travel Safe Premier through Squaremouth. It covers pre-existing if purchased within two weeks of booking.

Accident and sickness $250,000 which is better than a lot of other plans, and $1,000,000 evacuation and repatriation.

I have never had to make a claim so cannot help you in that aspect.

[maryann2]

As a follow up to my post yesterday. I booked a cruise this morning and could not get any Travelsafe information from Squaremouth so went to the Travelsafe site. Was able to book it direct with them and the underwriters are Coop Life insurance company in Saskatchewan.
Medical expense is increased to $1,000,000 now. Covers pre-existing as purchased withinn 14 days of booking.

[LiftLockCouple]

Originally Posted by maryann2

As a follow up to my post yesterday. I booked a cruise this morning and could not get any Travelsafe information from Squaremouth so went to the Travelsafe site. Was able to book it direct with them and the underwriters are Coop Life insurance company in Saskatchewan.
Medical expense is increased to $1,000,000 now. Covers pre-existing as purchased withinn 14 days of booking.

Wow, that is very good coverage. This goes onto the " investigate further" list. Will want to look up the med evac and the Pre-ex conditions fine print. eg, Will they bring you home or just to the nearest hospital?

[LiftLockCouple]

Originally Posted by maryann2

As a follow up to my post yesterday. I booked a cruise this morning and could not get any Travelsafe information from Squaremouth so went to the Travelsafe site. Was able to book it direct with them and the underwriters are Coop Life insurance company in Saskatchewan.
Medical expense is increased to $1,000,000 now. Covers pre-existing as purchased withinn 14 days of booking.

MA2: Thanks for this post. I finally checked the website, read the certificate for the Canadian coverage and indeed a policy with $1M coverage that also has a pre-ex waiver. Over the past three years I have had opportunity to read various policies and am excited to finally find a Canadian policy with acceptable coverage limits AND with a pre-ex waiver. It is about time that we finally have these options.

[superoma]

Hi Liftlockcouple, we have been using Special Benefits Insurance Services and they have a coverage of $5 Million for emergency medical benefits. They do ask about existing conditions and exclude some things but check out their website at www.sbis.ca Also the staff that answer the phone calls are very helpful and knowledgeable. We found them a much less expensive option than most. We carry annual insurance that covers us up to 16 days, multiple times per year and can buy top up insurance days if we are going for longer.

We have been buying trip cancellation insurance through President's Choice and have been happy with the cost and coverage. They no longer cover trips to Cuba, however, since they are now owned by an American firm.

My most recent bill was $64.08 for me and $77.61 for my DH who is on high blood pressure medication for the year. We always carry some out of country since even a trip to Detroit airport without coverage could be a problem. We are 61 and 66.

We have never had to claim on any of the policies so I cannot vouch for how difficult or easy that might be.

Hope this helps,

[LiftLockCouple]

Superoma: Thanks for the post. I have never heard of SBIS so will look them up. What I am trying to do is get us talking. The last two posts have shown that there are many options for us and that none of us are aware of all of them. The Pre-Ex exclusion waiver offered by Travelsafe seems to be new to Canada and could be key for someone with some issues. There might be others without resorting the the very low coverages offered by American companies. Nothing against them except their coverages are IMO way to low for us Canucks.

[LiftLockCouple]

Here is a repost of my OP. I have added two "new to me " companies.

To all Canadian cruisers. Especially those of you with medical conditions and those over 55. Who do you use for your medical coverage when out of the country?
1) The insurance provided by the major banks?
2) Independent providers such as
a) Primelink b) Primelink underwriters c) Travel Underwiters d) Travel and health care Solutions ( ETFS ) e) TIC f) Travel Guard canada G) CAA H) Sears J) Travelsafe Canada ( has a Pre-Ex Waiver option ) K) Special Benefits Insurance Services , there are probably others.
3) do you take the chance and use the American policies even though the coverage limits are very low and there is little in the way of dispute resolution available to Canadians?
4) Emergency Evac companies such as MedJet Assist, there are probably lots of others. They get you home but don't pay for treatment.
5) How many of you have read and understand the Pre-Existing Condition clauses and stability period requirements? There is a significant difference between these companies in this area.
6) what has been your claim experience?

Almost all of the advice on this board is for Americans which is no surprise since mostly Americans use it. Lets add some Canadian flavor and help each other on this important issue.

[millineumwoman]

I have used blue cross medical usually buy the one for the full year as it will cover anytime we cross the border as my daughter has had a lot of competitions in the us.

also check your work insurance as i have found that some of them like manulife (my mother has this) include out of the country so any preexisting conditions are covered and you only have to notify them that you are going out of the country to activate it.

we have been lucky so far and have never had to claim anything. we drink milk lol

[dirtgirl]

Hi there,
I am a Canadian travel agent, and I sell RBC insurance. RBC really doesn't have a good policy for those with unstable pre-existing conditions. We even refer people to BCAA in that case - you pay through the nose for their policy, and it only has $200,000 of medical coverage, but that is better than nothing!
The cruise line insurance policies are a joke, medical-wise; most offer $10,000 to a max of $20,000 medical coverage, which is not nearly enough. If I sell the cruise line insurance (and I do mostly to my American clients), I always advise them to get additional medical insurance (as of yet, we can't sell medical insurance to Americans, but that will be changing, thankfully)!

I did have to make a claim with RBC recently - 4 claims in fact - medical, trip delay, baggage claim, and subsistence allowance. I was compensated without any problems. Keep all receipts!! I do recommend that if you have a Deluxe or Non-medical Package with RBC to get the additional $5 Rider 1, which provides you with more coverage.

RBC does have an unlimited medical component as long as you are stable. Anyone 60 and over has to fill out a medical questionnaire to score them and determine which coverage you will get.

The policy itself is quite good. Never, ever, EVER rely upon credit card insurance - they are vastly inferior in their coverage. RBC covers for 46 reasons for canceling, and it's very comprehensive.

[MSunshine]

Just looking for anyone's experiences with Berkeley Group Cruise Care Insurance through Royal Caribbean International. We are trying to determine if this is good coverage for our family of 4. Thanks in advance for any input.

[euan]

Originally Posted by LiftLockCouple

Wow, that is very good coverage. This goes onto the " investigate further" list. Will want to look up the med evac and the Pre-ex conditions fine print. eg, Will they bring you home or just to the nearest hospital?

Yes,this is really very good coverage and it has so many advantages..........

[Carnevale]

A very big thank you to all who shared info on this thread. My TA gave me no options for the situation I face however, after reading this, I called SquareMouth and found exactly what I need. I had given up hope of getting any coverage and am delighted to find I have several options to consider!

[LiftLockCouple]

A good thread that discusses actual experiences with medical costs and medical evac costs in other countries. Well worth the read if you are considering how much coverage you will need for cruises a long way from home.
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1371432

[LiftLockCouple]

The following is an excerpt from a Toronto Star article today. Please note this situation worked out favorably but it involved the local authorities. If this had been an American company, would the result have been the same? I don't know since I have no experience with them but I have to assume it would be more difficult. In this case the insurance was purchased from a company ( RBC ) that has a local office in Ontario. The initial claim was denied on what I would call a technicality but the consumer had local help. Something to think about when purchasing your insurance. Here is the excerpt. You can find the entire article at www.thestar.com .

Eunice Ryder and Emil Sutter had a problem with an RBC travel medical insurance policy they bought from Uniglobe Travel before going to Florida last March.
“My partner and I should have insisted on more information,” Ryder said. “Perhaps we should have taken the medical questionnaire home and read all the fine print and asked more questions.
“I feel the insurance company and travel agent should make it clear to the customer that the contract should be reviewed before being submitted. Instead, it was presented as, ‘Fill it in and that’s all you need to do.’”
Sutter, 76, made a mistake when filling out the form. He denied any history of arthritis, even though he’d had hip replacement surgery the previous year. (He thought the problem was caused by wear and tear.)
When he left for Florida two months later, he had a heart attack on the flight. Later, he filed a claim for $112,000 (U.S.) in hospital costs after having emergency surgery and a stent implanted at a cardiac care centre.
RBC turned down his claim, even though his doctor confirmed he had no history of cardiac problems.
“They gave back the premiums, but said the error voided the coverage,” said Ryder, who appealed for help after finding a previous column I’d written about a travel insurance claim denied by RBC (and later reversed).
Writing to the bank ombudsman did the trick. Within days, she got a call saying RBC would pay the full claim. (Uniglobe Travel also went to bat for the couple, she told me.)

[LiftLockCouple]

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/...lling-out-form

Be very cautious how you answer the questions. I would have answered the question the same way. Maybe the question needs to be more specific.