Travel insurance for visits to medical center

I'm hoping someone who has had to use the onboard medical center and who had travel insurance can report their experience. Does the travel insurance require that you first submit the claim to your health insurance to determine if they will pay any portion of the bill? We have travelex insurance.

My experience is that you pay the bill upfront using credit card. Then you get home and settle with the insurance company by applying for your money back. In most cases, particularly big issues it is best to liase with your insurance company at the time for instructions and they will advise of what they want you to do. The cruise line may also advise them. This would of course not be worth doing for say seasickness or other fairly trivial illness where you just pitch up at the doctors, get treatment, pay up, go home and then make a refund claim..

Regards John

We have been to the medical center a few times. We pay on our credit card for the services (at the end of the cruise along with everything else).

Next - it matters if your policy is a primary policy or a secondary policy. If it is a primary policy, you can file the claim right away with your travel insurance company. Our policies have always been secondary, so we have to file with all insurance companies (Medicare, private insurance) and after they have rejected or paid a portion or all of the the claims, then you submit to your travel insurance.

I don't remember if Travelex is primary or secondary. Some companies have both types of policies.

I hope this helps. This sort of explains the differences between primary and secondary but it may be outdated with the policies they mention: http://www.travelinsurancereview.net/tips-and-advice/understanding-travel-insurance/primary-vs-secondary/ Check direct with your insurance company.

My experience is that you pay the bill upfront using credit card. Then you get home and settle with the insurance company.

 

Regards John

That has been our experience, also.

However, when my sister needed medical attention, my brother-in-law went to guest relations and asked if there was any way that his insurance company could be contacted. They allowed him to phone, and after the usual interminable wait-time on the telephone, he gave the company his information and they took over. The bill was settle with the cruiseline then and there.

Bill

Just got off the Regal. Saw Doctor 3 times and each visit was put on my stateroom account. My credit card on file was used to pay balance due on my final stateroom account I received before disembarking. I had Princess insurance so called them to find out how and who to submit the claim for processing. They opened a file on me and emailed the forms I needed to fill out and submit. I would contact the travel insurance company you have and ask them what you need to do to for reimbursement of your medical bills.

I'm hoping someone who has had to use the onboard medical center and who had travel insurance can report their experience. Does the travel insurance require that you first submit the claim to your health insurance to determine if they will pay any portion of the bill? We have travelex insurance.

Your main health insurance is primary. First submit to them then if they deny get documentation from them to submit to the secondary. Sometimes the primary will pay in full or partially. The secondary usually picks up the remaining.

We use Princess ins. We have had our primary pickup all of the bill at times and we have had them pay part of it in the past. Princess ins has always paid the remainder.

Your main health insurance is primary. First submit to them then if they deny get documentation from them to submit to the secondary. Sometimes the primary will pay in full or partially. The secondary usually picks up the remaining.

 

We use Princess ins. We have had our primary pickup all of the bill at times and we have had them pay part of it in the past. Princess ins has always paid the remainder.

NO - this is not always true. It depends on your travel insurance policy....sometimes they are primary, sometimes they are secondary.

There are positive and negatives to both. Be sure to find out before you purchase.

Maddle

Your main health insurance is primary. First submit to them then if they deny get documentation from them to submit to the secondary. Sometimes the primary will pay in full or partially. The secondary usually picks up the remaining.

 

We use Princess ins. We have had our primary pickup all of the bill at times and we have had them pay part of it in the past. Princess ins has always paid the remainder.

This is not necessarily true. Some travel insurers like Travelex are "primary" payers while others are "secondary" (where you submit your claim along with the EOB from your primary insurer). Also, always worth mentioning is a reminder that Medicare does not work outside of the US (except in certain situations at border hospitals). Thus be extra vigilant in choosing Medicare supplements to make sure that they automatically convert to "basic" coverage once you leave the US.

BTW, Travelex Select Traveler is a great standard by which to measure the coverage/value of all travel insurance policies.

Finally, you can use the websites of brokerages like insuremytrip to compare policies. But, recognize that, once a policy is selected, you may want to buy it directly from the insurance company since there are often seemingly small but not insignificant coverages/limitations between the two versions of a policy with the same name.

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Thanks for all the replies. I should have been more clear. Yes I aware that the bills will go on my onboard account and I will settle it up with my credit card. We have already done so. I was just trying to sort out the primary vs secondary issue.

NO - this is not always true. It depends on your travel insurance policy....sometimes they are primary, sometimes they are secondary.

 

There are positive and negatives to both. Be sure to find out before you purchase.

 

Maddle

This is not necessarily true. Some travel insurers like Travelex are "primary" payers while others are "secondary" (where you submit your claim along with the EOB from your primary insurer). Also, always worth mentioning is a reminder that Medicare does not work outside of the US (except in certain situations at border hospitals). Thus be extra vigilant in choosing Medicare supplements to make sure that they automatically convert to "basic" coverage once you leave the US.

BTW, Travelex Select Traveler is a great standard by which to measure the coverage/value of all travel insurance policies.

Finally, you can use the websites of brokerages like insuremytrip to compare policies. But, recognize that, once a policy is selected, you may want to buy it directly from the insurance company since there are often seemingly small but not insignificant coverages/limitations between the two versions of a policy with the same name.

That's why I said Princess ins.

Thanks for all the replies. I should have been more clear. Yes I aware that the bills will go on my onboard account and I will settle it up with my credit card. We have already done so. I was just trying to sort out the primary vs secondary issue.

You need to contact Travelex and ask. Just briefly looking off of their website, they offer both primary and secondary. We don't know what your policy says.

That's why I said Princess ins.

The OP said they had Travelex. Why would your answer only deal with Princess insurance? It was answered oddly and made it sound like all were secondary.

Thanks for all the replies. I should have been more clear. Yes I aware that the bills will go on my onboard account and I will settle it up with my credit card. We have already done so. I was just trying to sort out the primary vs secondary issue.

We always use TRAVELEX and it is a primary. I believe we use travel select

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Your main health insurance is primary. First submit to them then if they deny get documentation from them to submit to the secondary. Sometimes the primary will pay in full or partially. The secondary usually picks up the remaining.

 

We use Princess ins. We have had our primary pickup all of the bill at times and we have had them pay part of it in the past. Princess ins has always paid the remainder.

Thanks. Good to know that the Princess insurance works so well as that is what we always use as well. I am, however, considering additional insurance for our trip to Tahiti, etc. later this year. Do you ever purchase additional insurance?

I have filed claims with both Princess Vacation Protection and Travel Insured International (on different trips). Both provided secondary insurance, and the printed information from both said to file with your primary insurance first

However, they did not require filing a claim and receiving a rejection from Medicare first, since they know Medicare does not provide coverage outside the United States. I also have Tricare for Life, which provides primary coverage when outside the United States. However Tricare for Life is secondary to the travel insurance (even though the travel insurance is sold as secondary), and they did not require me to file a claim with Tricare for Life first. They paid upon receiving my claim without me contacting either Medicare or Tricare for Life.

Thanks. Good to know that the Princess insurance works so well as that is what we always use as well. I am, however, considering additional insurance for our trip to Tahiti, etc. later this year. Do you ever purchase additional insurance?

Your welcome.

MedJet Assist.

Thanks for not scolding me.

We always get the Princess Platinum (auto upgrade for our Captain's Circle rank). This is secondary insurance, requiring submission to primary insurance first.

You can submit an incident report to them and they will send you a form and claim number for submission when all the documentation is there.

When working, my employer's insurance picked up most of the cost of the Dr. visits.

With Medicare Supplement, they usually pick up most of the onboard doctor visit, but will reject some line items, like "supplies". Medicare will not pay for any medicine prescribed offshore and used offshore.

The important thing is the Princess insurance picked up everything else not covered by primary insurance.

So it may take some time for all the submissions and responses, but you would be covered.

I have filed claims with both Princess Vacation Protection and Travel Insured International (on different trips). Both provided secondary insurance, and the printed information from both said to file with your primary insurance first

 

However, they did not require filing a claim and receiving a rejection from Medicare first, since they know Medicare does not provide coverage outside the United States. I also have Tricare for Life, which provides primary coverage when outside the United States. However Tricare for Life is secondary to the travel insurance (even though the travel insurance is sold as secondary), and they did not require me to file a claim with Tricare for Life first. They paid upon receiving my claim without me contacting either Medicare or Tricare for Life.

This is how it works for us too. Princess Insurance has never required us to file with either Medicare or TFL before submitting the claim to them. They are usually very fast in processing the claim.

Okay, I pulled up the policy document and I think it supports that it is primary. The reason I was worried is that I filed a claim and then they asked me for our original receipts and I didn't want to send our original receipts to Travelex if we were then going to have to file with our health insurance.

Okay, I pulled up the policy document and I think it supports that it is primary. The reason I was worried is that I filed a claim and then they asked me for our original receipts and I didn't want to send our original receipts to Travelex if we were then going to have to file with our health insurance.

Make sure you keep a copy for yourself. If you don't have access to a copier - take a photo of the document with your phone.

3rd party insurance like Travel Insured allows you to make your insurance plan with them as "primary" at an additional premium. Got mine at an additional $25 per insured.

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Your welcome.

MedJet Assist.

 

Thanks for not scolding me.

Thanks again. That's what I was considering for our trip. It would be crazy expensive to have a major issue of some type while visiting Tahiti or Bora Bora or somewhere like that.

I know you travel a lot so that's why I was asking.

Thanks again. That's what I was considering for our trip. It would be crazy expensive to have a major issue of some type while visiting Tahiti or Bora Bora or somewhere like that.

 

I know you travel a lot so that's why I was asking.

If you want good insurance coverage on an extensive trip -- don't book Princess's insurance. It only has 20K limit. 20K won't get you far with a serious medical condition. Look at many of the 3rd party companies out there plus MedJet Assist.

Make sure you keep a copy for yourself. If you don't have access to a copier - take a photo of the document with your phone.

Absolutely, we have copies of everything. In addition to the onboard medical clinic, we also had to go to a "hospital" in Manzanillo, Mexico for an x-Ray, as the onboard x-ray machine was down. I just hate to give up original documents.

Absolutely, we have copies of everything. In addition to the onboard medical clinic, we also had to go to a "hospital" in Manzanillo, Mexico for an x-Ray, as the onboard x-ray machine was down. I just hate to give up original documents.

Will they take a fax? It may be worth asking.