Question about Travel Insurance

[atdahop]

We are driving to the port city and I want to know what companies provide the best coverage. I would prefer a company that pays from the first dollar without going through your own insurance company first.

Thanks,

Carole

[jerseygirl3]

Go to http://www.insuremytrip.com and purchase Travelex Travel Lite Policy. One of the most inexpensive and consistently gets the highest rating.

 

They have primary medical coverage, meaning they will pay first. Since you are not flying to the port, you have to include in the cost of your trip the cruise only (and any other prepaid expenses that would not be refunded if you had to cancel).

[Coral]

I believe TravelGuard is also a primary insurer.

 

The link the poster above me posted is an excellent resource.

[lolane1]

I agree with JerseyGirl3, it's Travelex Travelite for me.

[sammyjo882]

If my health insurance doesn't cover me overseas, then does a "secondary" carrier just automatically kick-in? How do you tell which type they are?

 

Thanks.

[Aloha Me]

You may want to go to www.totaltravelinsurance.com for some great comparison charts on different companies. Keep in mind some think they can buy insurance right before they go. Not true if you have any pre-existing medical conditions. If so you must buy insurance within a specified timeframe to have them covered if there is a problem on your trip. We have booked Island Princess to Hawaii in March 2006 and had 21 days from the day we put down the deposit to buy insurance for this coverage. Travelex TraveLite with an Emergency Benefit Upgrade was our choice. Another site with information is www.lavasurfer.com/info/travel-insurance.html . I spent a few hours investigating so sharing these sites with you will hopefully save you some time.

[Coral]

If my health insurance doesn't cover me overseas, then does a "secondary" carrier just automatically kick-in? How do you tell which type they are?

 

Thanks.

 

If the coverage is secondary - you usually have to submit a claim to your health insurance (even if they don't cover you overseas) and receive a rejection for coverage and then you send that in to the travel insurance.

 

You have to read each policy to see what type of coverage they are.

[mdmomof7]

Thanks for the excellent links!

 

I need your input on the following comparison. Both are Travelex products. One is Travel Plus the other is Travelex Lite w/ Medical Upgrade. The Travel Plus product has higher benefits but costs less. I think I must be missing something, but can't find out what that might be!

 

Please check the comparison and see what you think.

 

Thanks so much! :)

 

http://www.totaltravelinsurance.com/quote-compare-plans.asp

[jerseygirl3]

Double check your pricing. Generally, Travel Lite is less expensive than Travel Plus.

[atdahop]

I was comparing 2 policies

 

1.. Travelguard, Cruise, Tour & Travel.........$331

 

2.. TravelInsured International...................$190

 

 

Both are almost identical except Travelguard has a "Change Your Mind" provision.

 

Both are Primary.............Has anyone ever used TravelInsured International?

 

Thanks,

Carold

[mdmomof7]

I just checked w/ my HMO and they assured me I was covered for out of teh country emergency medical treatment and evacuation if I had a life threatening illness or injury. Now I am wondering how the Emerg. Med & Evac. portion of travel insurance assists you. Is it that they will pay up front and the HMO will have to reimburse you w/ you paying up front? Do these travel insurance companies already have contracts/contacts w/ locals to be sure that services can be paid up front and care can be immediately obtained? :rolleyes:

 

Thanks for your help! :)

[jerseygirl3]

MdMom, I would be wary of your HMO. If they are telling you they would pay for a medical emergency or evacuation that was "life threatening" that would leave you no coverage if you had an illness or accident that was not considered life threatening.

 

The best policy is Travelex Travel Lite policy. It is reasonably priced (we paid $95 total for my husband and myself for a 7 day cruise). It has primary coverage, meaning you do not have to submit to your own insurance first. YOu submit the claim with Travelex and they pay upfront.

 

Go to http://www.insuremytrip.com and check the quotes. I generally purchase a policy with at least $50,000.00 in medical coverage.

[bushwhacker]

We have always used Travel Guard, and have found them to be most reliable. They have paid us promptly the few times (out of many cruises) that we have found it necessary to call upon them.

Of the two web sites mentioned for comparisons, I see that neither of them mentions Travel Guard's "Cruise Guard". You should check their site for the different offers.

 

"Cruise Guard

Our package plan developed specifically for cruisers. Provides essential protection for the entire trip including coverage for air travel, missed connections, medical expenses and more. Provides additional protection when purchased within 15 days of your initial trip deposit, including coverage for pre-existing medical conditions and financial default."

 

Our HMO has not entered into it at all. Travel Guard pays it all.

 

Have a great cruise!

[atdahop]

TravelGuard has a few different policies. The one called Cruiseguard does not pay as a primary coverage only secondary.

 

I used Travelguard,Cruise,Tour and Travel last year but I was looking for a comparison insurer. I am looking into travelex Travelite. They have a primary policy that is similar to Travelguard but would cost us $100 less. Now that is a savings better put to use aboard.

 

Thanks,

CArole

[bushwhacker]

Hmmmm.......... I'll have to look into that!

[bushwhacker]

TravelGuard has a few different policies. The one called Cruiseguard does not pay as a primary coverage only secondary.

 

I used Travelguard,Cruise,Tour and Travel last year but I was looking for a comparison insurer. I am looking into travelex Travelite. They have a primary policy that is similar to Travelguard but would cost us $100 less. Now that is a savings better put to use aboard.

 

Thanks,

CArole

Thank you Carole!

I have now looked into it.

We've been using TravelGuard Protect-Assist for quite a while, but will probably be switching to Travelex Travel Lite.

 

Happy cruising!

B.

[mdmomof7]

I should probably give more detail on the coverage. The HMO covers us out of country as well as in. Out of country you may be asked to pay up front and then be reimbursed. This is why you might want travel insurance so that you don't have to pay that initial up front cost. All the travel insurances say they pay if a qualified physician deems it necessary. When I phoned my HMO I was using the terminology from the insurance certificate for TravelInsured's Worldwide Trip Protector insurance found at the comparison website Total Travel Insurance listed above. This certificate of insurance states it pays for a life threatening or serious injury. I checked TravelEx and TravelGuard and their terminology is different and seems more comprehensive, not just covering life threatening or serious injury. At the Total Travel Insurance website you can click on the certificates and read them through to see their precise wording.

 

There's a lot more to this than I thought! Last year I just checked out plans at insuremytrip.com and then called them and bought it. This was for a group tour to Europe. :rolleyes:

[cruiseco]

I believe TravelGuard is also a primary insurer.

 

The link the poster above me posted is an excellent resource.

 

A couple of the Travel Guard plans are primary but the majority are seondary.

[cruiseco]

You may want to go to www.totaltravelinsurance.com for some great comparison charts on different companies.QUOTE]

 

Even though TotalTravel Insurance compares some of the major travel insurance companies, their list is not as comprehensive as Insuremytrip. For example, they don't show the Access America plans (AccessAmerica is one of the three largest insurers in the country) and they don't have the new CSA plans that let you purchase up to the final payment date and still get coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. And for those who don't need pre-existing condition coverage and want the absolute lowest price they don't have CSA's Freestyle plan or Travel Guard's Essential plan.

 

If you're going to use a comparison site you might as well use the one that's most comprehensive.

[cruiseco]

Thanks for the excellent links!

 

I need your input on the following comparison. Both are Travelex products. One is Travel Plus the other is Travelex Lite w/ Medical Upgrade. The Travel Plus product has higher benefits but costs less. I think I must be missing something, but can't find out what that might be!

 

 

You're not missing anything. depending on the trip cost you're insuring the TraveLite + Upgrade may or may not work out cheaper than the Travel Plus.

 

The Upgrade is a flat fee based on your age and is independent of the trip cost. Say you're 65 years old taking a short cruise costing $500:

 

TraveLite base premium: $36

Upgrade option: $44 total $80

Travel Plus premium: $53

 

As you can see, in this case the Upgrade more than doubles the total cost of the TraveLite premkium. You're better off using the Travel Plus plan.

 

Now say that your trip cost is $5000

 

TraveLite base premium: $313

Upgrade option: $44 total $357

Travel Plus premium: $407

 

Now the Upgrade is a small part of the total premium of the TraveLite plan and this option is your better choice.

[cruiseco]

Of the two web sites mentioned for comparisons, I see that neither of them mentions Travel Guard's "Cruise Guard". You should check their site for the different offers.

 

 

The problem with the Cruise Guard plan (and also Access America's version of this idea) is that the plan can only be used for a limited number of cruise lines. I don't think the comparison sites want to mess with them if they can't provide universal coverage.

[candydane]

I should probably give more detail on the coverage. The HMO covers us out of country as well as in. Out of country you may be asked to pay up front and then be reimbursed. This is why you might want travel insurance so that you don't have to pay that initial up front cost. All the travel insurances say they pay if a qualified physician deems it necessary. When I phoned my HMO I was using the terminology from the insurance certificate for TravelInsured's Worldwide Trip Protector insurance found at the comparison website Total Travel Insurance listed above. This certificate of insurance states it pays for a life threatening or serious injury. I checked TravelEx and TravelGuard and their terminology is different and seems more comprehensive, not just covering life threatening or serious injury. At the Total Travel Insurance website you can click on the certificates and read them through to see their precise wording.

 

There's a lot more to this than I thought! Last year I just checked out plans at insuremytrip.com and then called them and bought it. This was for a group tour to Europe. :rolleyes:

I suggest you call your HMO again and ask for their out-of-the-country coverage IN WRITING. Better yet, get a written reference to the section in your HMO policy that states the answer.

 

Sometimes the telephone reps (for any company) don't really understand your question, the rep answers in company "legalize" that you really didn't understand (even though you thought you did), or the rep think he knows the right answer (but didn't). Unfortunately, if you do have a problem on your trip, what "you were told on the telephone" usually doesn't help you get what you expected.

 

Hopefully you won't need medical care or emergency evacuation, but it'd be bad to think you were covered and find out AFTERWARDS that you weren't!

[CroozBlooz]

Is anyone aware of any travel insurance (other than the Princess product) that covers cancellation for any reason whatsoever? The kinds of things that would cause me to cancel generally are not covered by traditional policies.

[mdmomof7]

I've got my policy here in my hand and there is nothing specifically stating OUT OF COUNTRY service. There is only a description for Emergency Service outside HMO service area. Anything out of a tri-state area is not their service area and therefore would fall under this description.

 

I will still ask for something separate in writing. We'll see what I get.

 

Thanks for your advice! :)

[bushwhacker]

We are driving to the port. Can someone please give me a good reason NOT to buy Princess Gold insurance?

 

Thanks,

B