Totally confused on insurange research

[dkc1973]

I'm trying to figure out what travel insurance we need and I'm so confused.

 

My sister and I are going on a cruise in July 2012 from Galveston. We are in different states so we will have to have separate policies, but beyond that I'm not sure what to look for. While I am flying in and she is driving, we are allotting time before the cruise so I don't fear us missing it. Plus we are not wanting to insure anything beyond the cruise and events that might happen while we are on it.

 

 

When you look at travel insurance coverage, what are the most important options you look at?

 

What options do you adjust higher or lower (if you are allowed to)?

[mamasue]

I book a yearly insurance that just covers medical, and emergency evacuation. The reason we book a yearly policy is because we travel a lot.

 

We're not bothered about lost baggage or having to cancel flights etc.... but we ARE concerned about breaking a leg , having a heart attack or whatever.

 

We use Travelguard.... been using them for 3 years.

[nothriver]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Insurance = risk management. Your personal tolerance for risk determines which trip insurance package is right for you. So what is best for you may not be what is best for anyone else. Your risk tolerance may be higher or lower, and your individual needs may be completely different.

 

Personally, I've got good health insurance and I know that homeowner policy will kick in for any personal property losses so medical and luggage are nice but not the most important coverages for me. I mostly want to cover my non-refundable costs for a good range of perils, but no necessarily "cancel for any reason". I'm also interested in the medical evacuation if I'm traveling somewhere remote or without access to good quality medical. One of the coverages I do look for is financial defaut for the travel provider; if my cruise line or airline goes bankrupt, I'd like to have that covered. I use insuremytrip.com and compare all the different coverages, weight the items that are most important to me, and choose the plan the offers the most for my money. I've been using TravelGuard since they give free coverage for our kids, that particular plan is a GREAT value for us! If I didn't have kids, another provider might be a better deal.

[Cruise Amore]

Do not purchase Access America....without reading the small print. Especially concerning "pre-existing" conditions. We purchased a policy earlier this year to cover a major (almost $50,000) cruise. And, we are so upset with ACCESS AMERICA. We had to cancel at the last minute due to a medical situation; and, now, within the last few days, we have been informed that our claim has been DENIED. They say it was a pre-existing condition; and, SINCE WE DID NOT PURCHASE THE POLICY WITHIN THE FIRST 14 DAYS OF SIGNING UP FOR THE CRUISE, they denied our claim. We are so upset with ACCESS AMERICA. We are major cruisers and over the years have given them easily over $20,000 in cruise insurance. And, now they found a little clause, and denied our claim.

We are not finished - and currently seeking legal assistance!! I am now so turned off about cruise insurance!

[Host Caroline]

I'm trying to figure out what travel insurance we need and I'm so confused.

 

My sister and I are going on a cruise in July 2012 from Galveston. We are in different states so we will have to have separate policies, but beyond that I'm not sure what to look for. While I am flying in and she is driving, we are allotting time before the cruise so I don't fear us missing it. Plus we are not wanting to insure anything beyond the cruise and events that might happen while we are on it.

 

 

When you look at travel insurance coverage, what are the most important options you look at?

 

What options do you adjust higher or lower (if you are allowed to)?

 

You should go to www.insuremytrip.com and use the "compare" feature... major things to get are medical evacuation ( at least $100,00 pp IMHO) and medical coverage depending on whether you have insurance that will cover you out of counry and if so, how much? This you will have to check for yourself.

As for Access America and all of the companies you will find, they have different requirements for coverage on "pre existing conditions" and you need to read those carefully and check with the individual companies via phone or email if you need any clarification, i.e. the folks on here are very helpful and for the most part knowledgeable but we are not an "insurance site" so you need to verify exactly what you are getting on an individual basis. I have used AA with no issues.

You can insure for the amount of your trip or less if you wish but we generally insure cost of cruise only since we drive and make hotel ressies on the way that can be cancelled up to day of the stay.

[Louise22]

That is such a shame, Cruise Amore. Was it actually a pre-existing condition? I am no expert on trip insurance policies but I believe most have the same stipulation that you purchase within a certain period of time for the pre-existing conditon to be covered.

[cruiseco]

Do not purchase Access America....without reading the small print. Especially concerning "pre-existing" conditions.

 

Don't purchase ANY travel insurance policy without reading the fine print. Especially the part concerning what is and what is not a pre-existing condition.

 

 

And, now they found a little clause, and denied our claim.

 

The pre-existing condition exclusion is not a "little clause", it's a huge clause. And they didn't just find it, it's been there in black and white from the get go. Actually, Access America probably has the easiest to understand definition of a pre-existing medical condition of any of the major insurers (actually, they use the tern "existing medical condition"):

 

"Existing medical condition: An illness or injury that you , a traveling companion or family member were seeking or receiving treatment for or had symptoms of on the day you purchased your plan , or at any time in the 120 days before you purchased it.

 

You , a traveling companion or family member are considered to have an existing medical condition if you , a traveling companion or family member :

 

• saw or were advised to see a doctor

 

• had symptoms that would cause a prudent person to see a doctor

 

• were taking prescribed medication for the condition or the symptoms, unless the condition or symptoms are effectively controlled by the prescription, and the prescription hasn't changed "

 

 

I wouldn't spend money on a lawyer yet. You can always appeal the claims decision to your state's department of insurance which will investigate and decide if the decision was correct or not based on the policy wording. If they agree with you (a tax-paying, voting resident) you'll get paid. If they agree with that big out-of-state insurance company at least you'll know that the decision was correct. And it's free to you.

[6rugrats]

Do not purchase Access America....without reading the small print. Especially concerning "pre-existing" conditions. We purchased a policy earlier this year to cover a major (almost $50,000) cruise. And, we are so upset with ACCESS AMERICA. We had to cancel at the last minute due to a medical situation; and, now, within the last few days, we have been informed that our claim has been DENIED. They say it was a pre-existing condition; and, SINCE WE DID NOT PURCHASE THE POLICY WITHIN THE FIRST 14 DAYS OF SIGNING UP FOR THE CRUISE, they denied our claim. We are so upset with ACCESS AMERICA. We are major cruisers and over the years have given them easily over $20,000 in cruise insurance. And, now they found a little clause, and denied our claim.

We are not finished - and currently seeking legal assistance!! I am now so turned off about cruise insurance!

You are seeking legal assistance for what? You essentially signed a contract with Access America agreeing to the terms of this insurance policy, which I am assuming did not allow you to cover pre-existing conditions unless the policy was purchased within 14 days of the first deposit you made on your cruise. This is a typical requirement.

 

Take cruiseco's advice.

[sirwired]

To the OP: At the least, you need medevac coverage for anything but an Alaskan, Australian or Western European cruise. If your own personal medical coverage doesn't cover foreign medical, you'll need that too.

 

Beyond that, (all the different cancellation coverages), that depends on how much of a blow losing your cruise fare would be if you had to cancel at the last minute.

 

Cruise Amore: I'm with the others; the pre-existing condition exclusions are not a minor, small, part of the policy buried as a half-sentence in some tiny print on page 326 of a massive tome. The exclusions are in plain English, and the AA policy I looked at had an entire page that discussed nothing but the requirements for obtaining a pre-existing condition waiver. All travel insurance providers exclude pre-existing conditions unless certain conditions are met; it's not unique to Access America. Travel Guard, CSA, TravelEx, etc. all have similar exclusions (but different requirements to get a waiver.)

 

I'm sorry your claim was denied, and you've lost your money, but this isn't Access America's fault.