Besides Geo Blue what other insurance do others use for expensive trips?

We are trying to figure out how best to insure several expensive trips this year. We have Medicare Advantage Medical Plans and are considering take out a Geo Blue plan to cover us on several foreign trips since Medicare does not cover out of the country. It would be a yearly policy for both of us.

What I want input on is what other types of policies do others use to supplement Geo Blu since it would cover medical only and we would like to insure the cost of the trip if we were to have to cancel. We really cannot afford to self insure for an unexpected cancellation and potential loss of the trip. Over the last twenty years our number finally came up with a non expected cancellation a week prior to leaving home last year. It doesn’t look like our credit cards are much help. We don’t need a second policy with high medical limits. Just the trip costs.

Thanks

Mary.

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We are trying to figure out how best to insure several expensive trips this year. We have Medicare Advantage Medical Plans and are considering take out a Geo Blue plan to cover us on several foreign trips since Medicare does not cover out of the country. It would be a yearly policy for both of us.

 

What I want input on is what other types of policies do others use to supplement Geo Blu since it would cover medical only and we would like to insure the cost of the trip if we were to have to cancel. We really cannot afford to self insure for an unexpected cancellation and potential loss of the trip. Over the last twenty years our number finally came up with a non expected cancellation a week prior to leaving home last year. It doesn’t look like our credit cards are much help. We don’t need a second policy with high medical limits. Just the trip costs.

 

Thanks

Mary.

 

 

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I'd suggest contacting

www.TripInsuranceStore.com

But CALL them; don't just rely upon the online policy summaries.

The "fine print" really matters, and they can't fit all of that on the "summaries".

In particular, make sure you stress that you do not need medical coverage.

We've had very good luck through them with the Travel Insured policies we've purchased. We also make sure that we get policies that do not exclude pre-existing conditions.

They've paid several claims, including two large claims, with no nonsense, and that's what matters, after all...

One (our first time using travel insurance thanks to suggestions here on CruiseCritic!) was for our first expensive vacation. DH had a medical emergency less than 2 weeks prior to departure date, and by that point nothing was refundable!

GC

Thank you GC for your reply. I have contacted Trip Insurance store. We have not purchased Geo Blue yet. From the looks of the lower medical coverage policies they are not all that much less than ones with full coverage. To get the pre existing waver the policy is at least 500$ more. Geo Blue covers pre existing conditions but we would want it on the travel portion as well. We are insuring for a trip that is 18 months away. Wonder if that is the reason the insurance is so much.

Mauimary

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After speaking with both Trip Insurance Store and Insure My Trip. I’m thinking that since we really cannot find a policy that covers just the trip itself that one has to make the decision to

A) pays the high premium to insure a 20K trip in addition to Geo Blu coverage

B) use the Cruise Company Insurance which is just as much if not more than third party insurance

C) one uses just Geo Blu and self insures their trip if they can afford to.

Our credit cards do not have trip insurance included and we need to pay for the trip before we could even take out a new credit card so that’s not an option on a trip this fall.

We’re not in a position to be able to take the loss on that big of a trip so self insuring doesn’t work for us. We were very grateful that we had good insurance when we had to cancel an expensive river cruise at the last min last fall. The insurance was worth every cent. Now that we are 65 Insurance takes on a whole new meaning when traveling out of the country.

Does anyone else have any “pearls of wisdom “ on what to do in addition of a yearly Geo Blue Policy?

Thank you

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I’m confused. Wouldn’t the full policies with cancellation for pre-existing cover medical...so the Geo Blue policy would be redundant?

Buggins...Yes you are correct. it would cover medical. We are also traveling in Europe this summer not on a cruise and we need to get Geo Blue coverage since Medicare supplement does not cover us when out of the country. We could cancel the trip if we had to as we are traveling independently and can put air miles back into account and not be out much more. Geo Blu would be a yearly policy and provide us with medical coverage on multiple trips.

For a couple of cruises that we will be booking that are 12- 18+ months out what we would like to find is a travel policy that has Trip Insurance coverage that has lower limits on its medical coverage since we don’t need that. We would like a travel policy that covers the cost of the trip in the event we would have to cancel prior to leaving home. Ex Cruises that are in the full penalty period. It would be helpful to be able to get the pre existing waiver. But after much discussion it does not seem that we can do that. The policies that have lower medical limits do not offer the waiver. So in order to be able to get the waiver you have to purchase one of the higher medical limit coverages whether you need it or not. I am probably not explaining this very well.

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Buggins...Yes you are correct. it would cover medical. We are also traveling in Europe this summer not on a cruise and we need to get Geo Blue coverage since Medicare supplement does not cover us when out of the country. We could cancel the trip if we had to as we are traveling independently and can put air miles back into account and not be out much more. Geo Blu would be a yearly policy and provide us with medical coverage on multiple trips.

 

For a couple of cruises that we will be booking that are 12- 18+ months out what we would like to find is a travel policy that has Trip Insurance coverage that has lower limits on its medical coverage since we don’t need that. We would like a travel policy that covers the cost of the trip in the event we would have to cancel prior to leaving home. Ex Cruises that are in the full penalty period. It would be helpful to be able to get the pre existing waiver. But after much discussion it does not seem that we can do that. The policies that have lower medical limits do not offer the waiver. So in order to be able to get the waiver you have to purchase one of the higher medical limit coverages whether you need it or not. I am probably not explaining this very well.

 

 

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I think I understand now...and am in a similar situation. We booked a South American cruise a year ago for Feb 2019. It is a higher $ value and would like to insure cancellation (or some of it) with preexisting exclusion. We also have a smaller $ cruise in August (wouldn’t care about taking the full bite if we have to cancel).

The one comprehensive policy available with pre existing for the SA Cruise is light on medical. The August cruise is very low risk for medical...it’s 40% In the USA and DH would have some medical under supplemental and Chase Reserve. I have thought about buying just a comprehensive policy just for him for the SA cruise, cutting our loss in half for cancellation and buying an annual GeoBlue for both cruises (I have employer high deductible that does have some international...after major $$).

But, I may just end up using the Sapphire for cancellation, hoping it’s not a pre existing issue causing the cancellation and buying the annual Geos. Philosophically, in the event of cancellation, I’m the type that could look at it as a lost opportunity cost to see South America and just rebook our FF flights to a later replacement land trip somewhere. Also the deposit on the SA cruise was so long ago...The economic loss would only seem to be final payment.

Medicare SUPPLEMENT" insurance WILL cover you internationally.

It is the "ADVANTAGE" plan that does not.

That is the one good thing about having to pay the high premiums

for a Supplement Plan.

I thought I saw on my Medicare supplement plan that I have to be within 600 miles of the United States. I will have to check to see if my plan does international (or at least Bermuda for our next cruise). We usually buy the ship cruise insurance to cover cancellations, etc. Only had to use it once - two weeks before sailing had to go into the hospital for a procedure. Was fully reimbursed. Thank goodness!

Since you are wanting to insure several trips, you may want to inquire about a multi-trip policy. We have one with RoamRight (obtained through broker Squaremouth). I believe insuremytrip also sells RoamRight policies, but I don't see them listed on the limited list of providers on tripinsurancestore.

Medicare SUPPLEMENT" insurance WILL cover you internationally.

It is the "ADVANTAGE" plan that does not.

That is the one good thing about having to pay the high premiums

for a Supplement Plan.

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Be careful about assumptions with Medicare supplement policies. There ARE limits and conditions. From the medicare.gov website:

If you have Medigap Plan C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M or N, your plan:

• Covers foreign travel emergency care if it begins during the first 60 days of your trip, and if Medicare doesn't otherwise cover the care.
  
• Pays 80% of the billed charges for certain medically necessary emergency care outside the U.S. after you meet a $250 deductible for the year.
  

Foreign travel emergency coverage with Medigap policies has a lifetime limit of $50,000.

Be careful about assumptions with Medicare supplement policies. There ARE limits and conditions. From the medicare.gov website:

 

If you have Medigap Plan C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M or N, your plan:

• Covers foreign travel emergency care if it begins during the first 60 days of your trip, and if Medicare doesn't otherwise cover the care.
  
• Pays 80% of the billed charges for certain medically necessary emergency care outside the U.S. after you meet a $250 deductible for the year.
  

Foreign travel emergency coverage with Medigap policies has a lifetime limit of $50,000.

[emphasis added]

Clauses/limits like this are reasons to consider at least some travel insurance... and if so, make sure you get it as *primary*. Then you'd be unlikely to "eat into" that lifetime limit.

(There can be "lifetime limits" on some health insurance policies that are for other than foreign travel, so this strategy - separate travel insurance that is primary - might be useful more generally, depending upon the regular policy.)

GC

I have an issue with this threat topic because having Medical Insurance has nothing to do with "expensive trips" or even "cheap trips." Even a short 3 day cruise can result in huge medical bills. You need the same medical coverage whether its a 90 day cruise or a 3 day cruise :).

But whenever I see this medical threads I want to scream our a warning. Most of the trip policies sold by cruise lines have relatively low limits on medical coverage. Many of those policies only cover $5 or $10,000 in medical costs which might not be enough for even a single day or major medical expenses in a hospital. We are amazed at how some cruisers will spend hundreds of dollars to protect themselves for trip cancellation (where their liability is limited to the cost of the cruise) and not want to spend a few extra dollars for decent medical where their potential liability is UNLIMITED! These days, it is very easy to run up a $50,000+ medical bill.

Hank

I have an issue with this threat topic because having Medical Insurance has nothing to do with "expensive trips" or even "cheap trips." Even a short 3 day cruise can result in huge medical bills. You need the same medical coverage whether its a 90 day cruise or a 3 day cruise :).

 

But whenever I see this medical threads I want to scream our a warning. Most of the trip policies sold by cruise lines have relatively low limits on medical coverage. Many of those policies only cover $5 or $10,000 in medical costs which might not be enough for even a single day or major medical expenses in a hospital. We are amazed at how some cruisers will spend hundreds of dollars to protect themselves for trip cancellation (where their liability is limited to the cost of the cruise) and not want to spend a few extra dollars for decent medical where their potential liability is UNLIMITED! These days, it is very easy to run up a $50,000+ medical bill.

 

Hank

I absolutely agree.

Another thing that is rarely mentioned can cost more than "trip cancellation", although wouldn't reach nearly what medical costs could reach.

And that's trip interruption.

That's why some policies (the ones we get, anyway; don't have details about "all policies", obviously) offer 100% coverage for trip cancellation, but 150% for trip interruption.

When something goes wrong while one is traveling, the cost of getting last minute plane tickets home can cost far more than those cheap advance purchase and/or non-refundable tickets, etc.

And there may be extra hotel costs in addition to pre-paid hotel costs.

Think here of someone getting sick in a foreign city, and lands in hospital. Spouse needs to stay in a hotel. They can't continue the trip as planned, so the non-refundable trip costs for the next few days, or perhaps the rest of the trip... gone. And now they *also* need to pay for additional nights at the current place where they are sort of stranded for a while.

Or you get sick and need to leave the ship in the next port. Ship sails without you, and there go your prepaid room and board... Situation is similar to above.

Then one either tries to get last-minute air tickets to catch up with the cruise (if it is long enough) or just to get home, being unable to use the already purchased tickets for when the ship returned at the end of the cruise.

A separate issue is IF one needs to be hospitalized overseas (or anywhere "away from home"), what about the quality of care? It could be very good indeed. OR... it might be a hospital that one judges to be "less than satisfactory".

That's why we also add an annual policy of MedJetAssist.

IF the hospital isn't up to "our expectations", the beancounters might still feel it is quite "suitable" or "adequate", and thus no need to transfer the patient, etc....

Where health is involved, we want more than "merely adequate" when possible.

If one is hospitalized more than 150 miles from home, MedJetAssist will "fly you home" to the hospital of *your* choice. (This is for USA residents; I don't know about the terms elsewhere.)

So for an annual policy (there are also "per trip" policies), we also have coverage for almost all of our business trips and trips to visit family/friends.

This is an "extra" that some might want to think about.

GC

Another thing you can do is simply buy an extra trip policy that adds the amount you want for a specific benefit - such as medical evac, etc. I did this for an international trip where I had purchased the cruise line's policy that had a woefully inadequate coverage amount for medical. So I bought another policy with a trip cost of zero (since I already had the cost of the trip covered by the cruise line policy and so didn't need to pay for double coverage on that) but got the benefit of the better medical coverage through the extra policy.

A Medicare SUPPLEMENT Plan IS a MEDIGAP Plan. Just two different terms

for the same thing.

However, an ADVANTAGE plan is totally something else.

Typically, people who live in a rural area can ONLY get a

MEDIGAP Plan and it is virtually always more expensive than

an ADVANTAGE Plan.

For the poster above, it is really nice that they have a great ADVANTAGE Plan

that covers international travel.

The SUPPLEMENT/ MEDIGAP plans do have a $50,000 life maximum for

international travel.

And yes, I realize this is about travel insurance, however, I feel

that it is important for us Traveling Seniors to understand the difference.

I have an issue with this threat topic because having Medical Insurance has nothing to do with "expensive trips" or even "cheap trips." Even a short 3 day cruise can result in huge medical bills. You need the same medical coverage whether its a 90 day cruise or a 3 day cruise :).

Premiums for "expensive" trips are higher than for "cheap" trips because part of the way they determine the premium is based on the total non-refundable cost of the trip, in addition to the passenger's age and the various coverage levels chosen. No matter how long the cruise is, you can choose a policy with little medical coverage or one with a high coverage. I always choose high medical and evacuation coverages no matter how long my cruise is.

Premiums for "expensive" trips are higher than for "cheap" trips because part of the way they determine the premium is based on the total non-refundable cost of the trip, in addition to the passenger's age and the various coverage levels chosen. No matter how long the cruise is, you can choose a policy with little medical coverage or one with a high coverage. I always choose high medical and evacuation coverages no matter how long my cruise is.

The Geoblue Global Trek policy is an annual policy that covers every trip (up to 70 days per trip) during an entire year. We are talking $250,000 of medical (for under age 70) and $500,000 Medical Evac for about $450 per year...and that policy could cover dozens of trips over its annual policy period.

Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption is a different issue although one can purchase annual policies for those events. The single trip policies sold by most cruise lines are terribly inadequate when it comes to major medical coverage. What is amazing to me is that folks will pay a lot of money to cover a few thousand dollars of trip cost, but not consider that their potential medical liability is unlimited!

Hank

The Geoblue Global Trek policy is an annual policy that covers every trip (up to 70 days per trip) during an entire year.

But my one single trip will be for 161 days....obviously that policy wouldn't apply.

To the OP re: GeoBlue.

When you enroll in the coverage it will ask you for the date you want the policy to begin. This means that you do not have to start your year of coverage until the last minute before you leave. You do not have to enroll within a certain time frame connected to when you made a deposit or final payment for your trip/cruise.

So, if your trip begins on December 4, you can begin your coverage on December 3.

Or so it was for us.

Another thing you can do is simply buy an extra trip policy that adds the amount you want for a specific benefit - such as medical evac, etc. I did this for an international trip where I had purchased the cruise line's policy that had a woefully inadequate coverage amount for medical. So I bought another policy with a trip cost of zero (since I already had the cost of the trip covered by the cruise line policy and so didn't need to pay for double coverage on that) but got the benefit of the better medical coverage through the extra policy.

Not sure how this would work if you are covering zero. :confused:

The Geoblue Global Trek policy is an annual policy that covers every trip (up to 70 days per trip) during an entire year. We are talking $250,000 of medical (for under age 70) and $500,000 Medical Evac for about $450 per year...and that policy could cover dozens of trips over its annual policy period.

 

Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption is a different issue although one can purchase annual policies for those events. The single trip policies sold by most cruise lines are terribly inadequate when it comes to major medical coverage. What is amazing to me is that folks will pay a lot of money to cover a few thousand dollars of trip cost, but not consider that their potential medical liability is unlimited!

 

Hank

Hank and GeezerCouple - You make some excellent points! GC, your post should be a STICKY!

Hank, what other policy (for cancellation, delay, etc.) do you take out along with Geoblue Global?

Thanks everyone for help and suggestions. We are in the middle of a Europe land based trip traveling on our own. In the end what we did was purchase a yearly GeoBlue Global Trek policy. We needed something that would cover for medical for pre existing conditions just in case something came up while traveling. We will also be able to use it for a 45 day cruise and land trip this fall. We were most concerned with medical coverage. Even if we decided to get trip coverage now that we have made final payment on the cruise it still would not cover us on anything pre existing. The pre existing is not anything life threatening but I have had major foot surgery in the last six months and was under a physician care for a number of months. I would sure hate to slip or miss a step on cobblestone streets and injure an ankle.

Mary

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Not sure how this would work if you are covering zero. :confused:

 

 

 

Hank and GeezerCouple - You make some excellent points! GC, your post should be a STICKY!

 

Hank, what other policy (for cancellation, delay, etc.) do you take out along with Geoblue Global?

Sorry but did not notice your question until today. We do not purchase Trip Cancellation policies and have essentially self-insured that risk for decades. Currently we estimate that we are over $100,000 ahead because of the money we have saved by not buying all that insurance :).

We now are involved in our first major trip interruption claim (for medical evacuation). One piece of luck (for us) is that about 15 months ago we obtained a Chase Sapphire credit card that includes Trip Cancellation (for specific causes) and Trip Interruption. The coverage is at least $10,000 (apparently it can be more under some circumstances) and we have been negotiating with the insurance company for about 2 months (we will post the final results). In our case, if we recover all that we seek it will be at least $10,000. The cost of this insurance is simply the cost of the credit card (in this case its $95 a year).

There are several major credit cards that provide varying types of trip insurance as part of their benefits and this does seem like a good option for some travelers. Our vote is still out until we have a check in our hands :).

Hank

Sorry but did not notice your question until today. We do not purchase Trip Cancellation policies and have essentially self-insured that risk for decades. Currently we estimate that we are over $100,000 ahead because of the money we have saved by not buying all that insurance :).

 

We now are involved in our first major trip interruption claim (for medical evacuation). One piece of luck (for us) is that about 15 months ago we obtained a Chase Sapphire credit card that includes Trip Cancellation (for specific causes) and Trip Interruption. The coverage is at least $10,000 (apparently it can be more under some circumstances) and we have been negotiating with the insurance company for about 2 months (we will post the final results). In our case, if we recover all that we seek it will be at least $10,000. The cost of this insurance is simply the cost of the credit card (in this case its $95 a year).

 

There are several major credit cards that provide varying types of trip insurance as part of their benefits and this does seem like a good option for some travelers. Our vote is still out until we have a check in our hands :).

 

Hank

Hank,

I have been following your posts and am interested in the results of your claim with Chase. We are thinking of getting the card but are wondering if you must pay for the entire cost of the trip with Chase in order to make the claim for the entire amount lost. I cannot get answers from Chase unless I have the card so it's a catch 22. We already have a Citi Advantage card that covers $5000 so we are looking for additional coverage. We also buy Geo Blue. Thanks for your help.

Adrien