MEDOC travel insurance

[Happytobeme2]

Has anyone had any experience with MEDOC travel insurance?  As a retired federal employee, the annual plan seems extremely reasonable. It piggybacks on our PSHCP coverage so I guess that keeps the premiums lower. 
 

I would appreciate any feedback on it before we purchase. 
 

Thanks!

[bebe08]

A friend of mine highly recommended it to me.  When I looked into it turns out I am not eligible as I am a retired municipal government employee.  

[LHT28]

3 minutes ago, bebe08 said:

A friend of mine highly recommended it to me.  When I looked into it turns out I am not eligible as I am a retired municipal government employee.  

If in Ontario  try MROO  & see if  there travel insurance works for you

[Fouremco]

I started with MEDOC over 10 years ago and I've been very pleased with them. Not only are the annual fees very reasonable, but the coverage is excellent. Perhaps most importantly, we've had two major (>$10,000) and one minor claim during this period, and each was settled. to my satisfaction. The major ones both involved cruises, with very expensive onboard medical care and changed travel arrangement, one requiring a return home mid way through the cruise, and the other hospitalization and a delayed return home from Europe. In the latter case, the only thing that they wouldn't cover was the cost of our dog's extra days in the kennel!

 

The minor claim was for a trip to Montreal, with train tickets and a paid hotel, cancelled for medical reasons. One of the nice things is that MEDOC covers unlimited trips out of province, so domestic as well as international travel is covered.

 

Bottom line: I highly recommend them.

[mom says]

Like Fouremco, we have had the annual policy for many years and are pleased with it. We've only needed one claim, but it was handled very promptly and satisfactorily.

[Happytobeme2]

Thanks! That is very helpful. 
 

[Been There, Planning That]

In the two decades we've had MEDOC we had one major claim just under $35 000.  The Italian hospital did not have an MRI to conclusively show spinal damage.  In the end we flew home without the signature of a doctor.  

 

We'd been independently touring Italy for two weeks prior to a major cruise from Rome.  Bob chatted with an expat while I was in the ER and he warned him not to allow any operations as there'd been newspaper stories of scandals.  And this was in Milan, a quick ambulance ride from the Cathedral.

 

The rules are clear, but we were so desperate we knew we could be in trouble with the claim.

 

The MRI from our hospital and signatures of the orthopedic surgeon were adequate.

 

Most costs were quickly recovered and in the end each of our return airfares were recovered.  Initially they argued that if I'd needed my husband as an attendant they'd have sent one - hardly a cost saver.

 

Only age increases annual costs as we now limit our trips to under 40 days.

 

 

Edited January 24, 2023 by Been There, Planning That

[Atlantic Girl]

Have used Medoc for over 15 years on many different types of travel. Our claims have been for medical, trip cancellation, interruption, and delay. 100% of the time were they paid in full and as a bonus there is no deductible. A couple of times there was a back and forth over wether the expenses were eligible, but even those were all paid out eventually. As @Fouremcosays it even includes interprovincial travel coverage. Canadian provinces set their own individual health coverages for their residents and when you are not in your home province, you can incur some hefty medical bills. Case in point here in Nova Scotia, a woman residing in Ontario was visiting her parents in Nova Scotia. She needed an air ambulance to the largest hospital in Halifax. Free to us Nova Scotians, over $50,000 bill to her as a non resident. This would be covered by Medoc. For us who live in the small geographical area of the 4 Atlantic provinces, we are always travelling to another province, I wouldn’t be without Medoc. 

[Tango99]

19 hours ago, Happytobeme2 said:

Has anyone had any experience with MEDOC travel insurance?  As a retired federal employee, the annual plan seems extremely reasonable. It piggybacks on our PSHCP coverage so I guess that keeps the premiums lower. 
 

I would appreciate any feedback on it before we purchase. 
 

Thanks!

Well worth the cost for the annual and the extended coverage. And now a trip back to Canadian soil after the first 40 days is no longer required so the coverage is seamless. 

[Happytobeme2]

Am I correct that the supplemental plan includes unlimited trips under 40 days as well as one longer trip?  

[thon]

We have had it for about 15 years although we have not yet needed to make a claim.  However, my SIL has needed it.  Her DH had some heart “issues” while on a vacation in Florida a few years ago - they thought it was a heart attack (but it wasn’t).  Aside from a short hospital stay (completely covered) the Medical system there wanted to do all sorts of expensive tests and sell him various expensive devices, etc.  MEDOC flew him (and his wife) back to Ottawa by Medevac.  They had to leave their car there to be driven back by other family members a couple of weeks later.  They didn’t realize that MEDOC would have flown their son down to pick their car up.

 

You have to be a member of the federal retirees association in order to apply for this insurance.  One good thing (as I recall) is their COVID-related coverage, although I don’t remember the specifics at the moment - I just recall that it is good.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Another perk for just government employees 🙄🤣

 

[mom says]

3 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Another perk for just government employees 🙄🤣

 

You do realize that this "perk" still comes with a cost to the member, yes? As a very large organization they can negotiate favorable terms with the insurance company.  Just like any other large corporation. My daughter works for a world wide company and has access to a similar type of travel insurance that isn't available to nonemployees. So I'm not sure what your issue is.

[thon]

6 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Another perk for just government employees 🙄🤣

 

This is not a perk!!  This costs taxpayers nothing! It is a group insurance policy , the group being “federal retirees”.  Totally paid for by the retirees themselves who opt in to the plan.  There are no federal government funds involved and no involvement by any government department or agency. In order to qualify for this insurance you have to belong to the National Association of Federal Retirees.  There are lots of group policies out there.  The advantages of joining up with a group for insurance is that the premiums can be lower because of the number of people in the group.

[Fouremco]

Just to clarify a point, you don't need to be a member of the National Association of Federal Retirees to get travel insurance with Johnson/MEDOC. While I am a member, my sister is not, but as a member of the CBC Pensioners National Association, she too has MEDOC coverage through Johnson Insurance. Whether the cost or coverage is identical I don't know, as we've not compared our policies, but the insurance offered by Johnson is available to a number of groups.

 

If in doubt as to whether you might be eligible, from the Johnson website:

 

MEDOC® Travel Insurance is available to members of our sponsored affinity groups at a special member rate. Find out if you’re a Johnson group member & get insured today!

[burnabyjean]

My husband is a retired BC school teacher and I'm a retired BC college instructor. Both of our retirement associations have access to MEDOC through a group plan.

[ski ww]

We have had it for 20+ years and needed it once. Had no trouble getting our claim paid.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

As a small business owner or if work in a small business

you really get to see how unfair small business are treated compared to large business. 
 

 

 

 

[mom says]

5 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

As a small business owner or if work in a small business

you really get to see how unfair small business are treated compared to large business. 
 

 

 

 

I'm so sorry. Were you unaware at the time of starting your small business/ hiring on to work that you wouldn't have the large volume discounts that are available to larger businesses or groups? Business is business.

[Fouremco]

5 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

As a small business owner or if work in a small business

you really get to see how unfair small business are treated compared to large business. 
 

 

 

 

An organization like the National Association of Federal Retirees brings thousands of members to a company like Johnson Insurance. Naturally, they'll get a better rate than the handful of employees working for a small business.

[broberts]

6 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

As a small business owner or if work in a small business

you really get to see how unfair small business are treated compared to large business. 
 

 

 

 

 

Small business owners often belong to industry or professional organizations that offer group plans / programs. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

3 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

Small business owners often belong to industry or professional organizations that offer group plans / programs. 

Not all the time , packages are very expensive 

The group medical plan I was in was about $500 per month with no disability plans , also ended when I retired 

The Chamber plans for disability was about $500 a month and  end after 5 years 🤣

people working in the public sector do not really understand how good they have it 😁

[broberts]

2 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

people working in the public sector do not really understand how good they have it

 

Some perhaps. Many put up with the lower pay understanding the benefits that extend into retirement. 

[mexico8]

We have had Medoc for many years and had some medical emergencies that they reimbursed.   The last couple of years we have had problems getting reimbursed.  I am still fighting with Medoc 14 months after submitting a claim.  They keep asking us to fill in forms that we submitted to them many months ago.   To say I am frustrated with them is an understatement.

 

When I try to phone them I wait for a live person for over an hour and then hang up in frustration.  The part that really hurts is seeing that deduction from my bank account for the policy this year that is costing us $285 every month.  I certainly won't be staying with Medoc next year if they continue to ignore me and make ridiculous demands for forms that we have completed and sent to them more than once.  

 

When I send them an e-mail with particular questions and information I get their stock reply that they will respond when they can and they apologize for the delay etc. etc.   Same thing over and over like a broken record.   

[david,Mississauga]

On 1/26/2023 at 6:55 AM, thon said:

...

You have to be a member of the federal retirees association in order to apply for this insurance.  One good thing (as I recall) is their COVID-related coverage, although I don’t remember the specifics at the moment - I just recall that it is good.

 

I recently re-enrolled in Medoc after dropping it during the early part of the pandemic.  There was a long list of groups that qualified. I am a member of the Quarter Century Club for Ontario provincial employees. 

 

I was insured with Medoc for many years before that. Although we never had a claim, we were pleased with the coverage and the rates.  The questionnaire asks a lot fewer questions than many other plans. The period of stability for pre-existing conditions is 90 days instead of the more common 180 days. Another thing I like is when you are at the top rate category - which is easy to reach at our age -  renewal is automatic every Sept. 1st without having to complete a questionnaire.

 

Medoc cancelled COVID-19 coverage for trip cancellation and trip interruption earlier in the pandemic. It has been re-instated. 

 

It is possible terms may differ for different groups. What I referred to was specific to my group. It's worth looking into.