Travel Insurance and is Covid Coverage needed with Celebrity's policies

[cgolf1]

I am trying to figure out which plan to get, but have heard that some no longer cover due to the CDCs recommendation to not cruise. So the question is with Celebrity taking care of the Covid situation including the quarantine hotels, is there a need for the extra coverage provided by the travel insurance?

[Alakegirl]

This is a complex question.

 

Do you have travel insurance coverage on your credit card?

 

If you had to fly home in a hurry do you have any coverage for that ?  
 

Virus aside, what if you had a heart attack on the ship and needed evacuated by helicopter, do you have coverage for that?

 

 

 

 

Edited January 7, 2022 by Alakegirl

[cgolf1]

1 minute ago, Alakegirl said:

This is a complex question. Do you have travel insurance coverage on your credit card? If you had to fly home in a hurry do you have any coverage for that ?  

 

I worded that so poorly. We are going to get a policy, but the question is there any need for extra Covid coverage provided by the travel insurance?

 

So my wife found go ready insurance, lets say the CDCs recommendation to not cruise means their Covid coverage no longer applies, but the standard trip interruptions do. Is that sufficient? Or are there things the Celebrity doesn't cover with a positive covid test that the secondary insurance would fill the gap.

 

Sorry for the confusion. Writing thoughts out isn't a strong suit of mine.

[Ginnyfyr]

22 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

I am trying to figure out which plan to get, but have heard that some no longer cover due to the CDCs recommendation to not cruise. So the question is with Celebrity taking care of the Covid situation including the quarantine hotels, is there a need for the extra coverage provided by the travel insurance?

You would definitely want to buy a policy that would cover any medical expenses. Celebrity may put you up in a hotel if you're positive but if you require hospitalization, they're not going to pay for that. 

[39august]

Not the best travel policy you can get, but Celebrity's Cruise Care does not exclude covid illness from coverage. If the State Dept. issues a "no go" for any country or reason, then travel insurance usually will not cover anything. At this point there is no such order. CDC is only a suggestion.  There is some evacuation on Cruise Care, but I don't remember the amount. 

[Pickels]

check with your trip insurance company!  Some policies exclude COVID.

[Babr]

The recent CDC recommendation is an advisory without the force of an order so it will have no impact on policies unless they already have language about COVID exclusions. Most policies today do cover COVID as any other illness. It is not as if you are paying extra for COVID coverage. It is part of the policy, which will cover you door-to-door (third-party insurance, not necessarily cruise line) for medical and travel risks beyond what Celebrity is doing. In fact, the advisory itself recommends buying travel insurance if you choose to travel now.

 

Celebrity is currently covering COVID related expenses, but remember that program expires at the end of April.

 

Don’t worry about the helicopter part. Air/sea rescue is provided by the Coast Guard or its equivalent depending on where you are. If the nearest country is not capable of such maneuvers or if the ship is not within range, you’ll be disembarked at the nearest port. There is no charge for the airlift, but you will be transferred to ground transportation once you reach land, and that is where your evacuation coverage begins.  

Edited January 7, 2022 by Babr

[kearney]

I would go to the website of one of the online insurance brokers... eg insuremytrip or squaremouth... look at their many options and once you have all your questions gathered...call and talk with an agent. the agents can be very helpful.

[cgolf1]

On 1/7/2022 at 9:03 AM, kearney said:

I would go to the website of one of the online insurance brokers... eg insuremytrip or squaremouth... look at their many options and once you have all your questions gathered...call and talk with an agent. the agents can be very helpful.

 

This worked well and my wife was able to talk to an agent. Interestingly now, it seems that some travel insurance companies are just treating Covid as an illness and not excluding it. I heard this through Costco as well, but they changed insurance companies and now you have to book at least part of the trip through Costco to get the insurance so we weren't able to use them this time.

[kearney]

1 hour ago, cgolf1 said:

 

This worked well and my wife was able to talk to an agent. Interestingly now, it seems that some travel insurance companies are just treating Covid as an illness and not excluding it. I heard this through Costco as well, but they changed insurance companies and now you have to book at least part of the trip through Costco to get the insurance so we weren't able to use them this time.

I am a little dense... and the whole 'pre existing conditions waver', always confuses me.. it seems each time I purchase a plan I have to again ask about that... as I age.. things fall apart so... nice to know what is and isn't covered... before hand

[Babr]

It is a good idea for everyone to be aware of the pre-existing conditions clause because it may apply to some people who do not even know they fall under its definition.

 

Obviously it applies to any condition that arises during the look back period causing one to seek treatment or receive a diagnosis, but it also applies to any condition for which you are currently being treated if it is not considered stable. A simple change in medication can trigger the pre-existing condition exclusion if it causes you to cancel or seek treatment during your trip. Emergency care is still covered, however.

 

If the pre-existing condition exclusion is invoked, it means your claim will be denied.

 

To avoid that, one must buy a policy within the defined time window to get a waiver. Some policies require you to purchase coverage within 14-21 days of initial deposit; others allow it if you purchase by final payment. You must be able to travel at time of purchase, and some policies require that you insure all prepaid nonrefundable expenses.

 

If you miss that opportunity, look for a policy with the shortest look- back period, usually 60 days. That is the period of time the company will look back at your medical records to determine if you have a pre-existing condition.

 

I see this clause as the biggest drawback for those who want to rely on credit card coverage for cancellation. Be sure you read the benefits guide for language concerning pre-existing conditions.

 

[kearney]

49 minutes ago, Babr said:

It is a good idea for everyone to be aware of the pre-existing conditions clause because it may apply to some people who do not even know they fall under its definition.

 

Obviously it applies to any condition that arises during the look back period causing one to seek treatment or receive a diagnosis, but it also applies to any condition for which you are currently being treated if it is not considered stable. A simple change in medication can trigger the pre-existing condition exclusion if it causes you to cancel or seek treatment during your trip. Emergency care is still covered, however.

 

If the pre-existing condition exclusion is invoked, it means your claim will be denied.

 

To avoid that, one must buy a policy within the defined time window to get a waiver. Some policies require you to purchase coverage within 14-21 days of initial deposit; others allow it if you purchase by final payment. You must be able to travel at time of purchase, and some policies require that you insure all prepaid nonrefundable expenses.

 

If you miss that opportunity, look for a policy with the shortest look- back period, usually 60 days. That is the period of time the company will look back at your medical records to determine if you have a pre-existing condition.

 

I see this clause as the biggest drawback for those who want to rely on credit card coverage for cancellation. Be sure you read the benefits guide for language concerning pre-existing conditions.

 

Good information. For my last cruise I purchased a plan with 60 day look back period. Earlier in the year I discovered via my apple watch..that I have Afib. I am one of those people who don't necessarily feel anything when it happens. So I did get an official diagnosis based on watch info.... So a few days AFTER purchasing a policy... I was diagnosed as having another event. The event likely started around the time I purchased the policy... hours later...   Now..if something had happened on the cruise.. say a stroke... would that diagnosis.. suggesting I had been in afib long enough to set up an appointment ... impact my claim... this is purely rhetorical question...but one reason I find the pre existing situation confusing. Any thoughts on this? Fortunately nothing happened but I did wonder about how policies generally work for a situation like this. I assume each company might be different..depending upon who reviews the claim.

[Babr]

The key is when you bought the policy in relation to your initial deposit - or in some cases final payment depending on the policy. That is what determines if you qualify for the pre-existing conditions waiver. The look back just defines how far back they can look at your records if you do not have the waiver.
 

With the waiver, you are fully covered.

 

Without it, you are subject to any event in the look back period being counted as pre-existing and used as a basis for claim denial.

 

 

[gdpups]

I just wanted to make a comment to the poster that said not to worry about covering air transport from a ship that would be covered by the Coast Guard.  I was on a ship with friends a few years back and one of them had to be airlifted back to Florida not long after we set sail.  She was told if the Coast Guard was not available they would need to use private transport and the cost would be about $60k.  She did not have travel insurance and was lucky the Coast Guard was available, so didn’t have to pay out of pocket.  After that we never travel without sufficient travel insurance.

 
Please be careful what you advise people.

[Babr]

1 hour ago, gdpups said:

I just wanted to make a comment to the poster that said not to worry about covering air transport from a ship that would be covered by the Coast Guard.  I was on a ship with friends a few years back and one of them had to be airlifted back to Florida not long after we set sail.  She was told if the Coast Guard was not available they would need to use private transport and the cost would be about $60k.  She did not have travel insurance and was lucky the Coast Guard was available, so didn’t have to pay out of pocket.  After that we never travel without sufficient travel insurance.

 
Please be careful what you advise people.

I did include the caveat that the ship must be within range of a country capable of providing the service. I might add that conditions have to be right. Most often if these things do not fall into place, one is disembarked at the first opportunity for transfer to the nearest facility capable of handling the case. Insurance is required for transportation and medical care. That same insurance would cover emergency service. 
 

I did not say travel without it. I said the air/sea rescue is most often handled by specially trained forces. In some remote areas they are not available, and private resources are called upon. That is why adventure type cruises and expeditions require proof of coverage with high dollar limits.

[lhsail]

I’m looking at the Celebrity plan versus another provider. Our cruise is in April, so we still qualify for the 48 hour cancellation provision. However, things could happen within that 48 hours. The Celebrity plan is about double the cost of the other plan. Is 48 hours worth $150?  What price is piece of mind?  Just thinking out loud. 

[Von & John]

We are currently renewing our Annual Travel Insurance Policy...

Thanks to everyone for their participation in this forum - as you tickled my brain w/ additional questions for this policy...