Travel Insurance - another ??

[rinkyd]

Question for those travel insurance pros...I checked and my health insurance covers us out of the country, but might not be at full coverage (may be at a lower rate like the out of network rate) depending on the circumstances - none the less good coverage. Would you recommend more than $10,000 pp medical coverage on the travel insurance policy for family of 4, parents in mid 40's with teenagers? Also, is it best to purchase right before final payment when no pre-existing needed?

[cb at sea]

It depends on your health--physical and financial--as to whether you need it. If you don't purchase in advance, many won't cover pre-existing.....check the policy carefully!

[AZPam]

You may also want to consider the health of your parents or in laws. What is something should happen to them that would prevent your trip?

[jerseygirl3]

Question for those travel insurance pros...I checked and my health insurance covers us out of the country, but might not be at full coverage (may be at a lower rate like the out of network rate) depending on the circumstances - none the less good coverage. Would you recommend more than $10,000 pp medical coverage on the travel insurance policy for family of 4, parents in mid 40's with teenagers? Also, is it best to purchase right before final payment when no pre-existing needed?

 

Pre-existing conditions may not be an issue for your immediate family, but what about parents, grandparents, niece, nephew, etc.? If something were to occur that would cause you to cancel due to a health issue concerning any of the above, pre-existing conditions may be an issue, even thought those relatives are not traveling with you.

 

Travelex Travel Lite policy (check it out at http://www.insuremytrip.com) is very competitive and as long as you purchase it within 21 days of initial trip deposit, they will waive pre-existing conditions for all the above mentioned, as well as business partners. And children under 16 listed on the same policy are free. My sister and BIL just booked a trip valued at $12,000 total and their premium was based on $6000 because the children are free. And that covers them for $50,000 in medical.

 

Good luck!

[Arwenmark]

The healthiest passenger can have an accident and require evacuation $$$$ and as noted in other posts pre-existing condition applies to your entire family not just those cruising with you. so if something happened to one of them at home and you needed to cut things short, it would not be covered if it were a pre existing problem that caused it, unless you get the waiver.

[KAYEF]

It depends on where you're going...............but, one of the main things for Travel Insurance is to be transported home for care...............from a cruise ship or another country that can be SPENDY.

[rinkyd]

I guess I don't fully understand the "Pre-existing conditions" when it comes to, say, my elderly parent who was not traveling with me. I understand if they, for example, had cancer - pre-existing. But, what if the elderly parent would be admitted to the hospital for some reason a few days prior to the cruise and I can't go... do I need the "pre-existing" clause to be covered if I cancel my trip?

[Arwenmark]

I guess I don't fully understand the "Pre-existing conditions" when it comes to, say, my elderly parent who was not traveling with me. I understand if they, for example, had cancer - pre-existing. But, what if the elderly parent would be admitted to the hospital for some reason a few days prior to the cruise and I can't go... do I need the "pre-existing" clause to be covered if I cancel my trip?

 

If your parent had cancer and they were admitted to the hospital with something cancer related then YES you need the pre existing wavier, if they had a heart attack with no history of heart problems then no you would not. Does that make it clearer?

[eandj]

Too, check the fine print on any policy you purchase. If a relative is put into the hospital while you are cruising, check to see if that person has to be dying....in other words, if they fell and broke a bone, the policy might not cover you to go home, because it's not considered an emergency. Even tho it might be an elderly parent who'd like you there.

 

You really need to take the time to read the entire policy not just "bullets' or highlights. The exclusions and details can make a policy useless in certain cirumstances.

[dreamer09]

I have been looking for travel insurance. I made the mistake of booking our flight the same day as embarkment and after finding CC and reading horror stories about people missing their ships I am worried sick :( My options are to reissue my tickets, pay fees and difference in price plus hotel is going to cost me about $600 more and that hurts. I thought it was too late to get insurance - made deposit 1/29 but I found a site for Travelex and also Travel Guard that I can anwhere from $66 - $100. Has anyone heard or used either of these? I don't think the pre-existing clause can be waived because of length of time but hopefully that won't be a problem.

[grandmato4]

I guess I don't fully understand the "Pre-existing conditions" when it comes to, say, my elderly parent who was not traveling with me. I understand if they, for example, had cancer - pre-existing. But, what if the elderly parent would be admitted to the hospital for some reason a few days prior to the cruise and I can't go... do I need the "pre-existing" clause to be covered if I cancel my trip?

 

If the reason your parent is hospitalized can be traced to a condition known or under investigation before you purchased your travel insurance it is considered a pre-exisiting condition. That tends to be important for elderly parents as often times even when they are relatively healthy and active they still often have diagnosed problems like high blood preasure or diabetes, or some type of heart condition that can be traced to their hospitalization.

 

There are qualifiers in all insurance contracts for pre-exisitng conditions and all are different but need to be understood so one knows what will and won't be covered should something go wrong.

 

To give you another example, my DH had been on the same high blood preasure medication for two years with no problems or complications so under the terms of the insurance we use if something went wrong while on our cruise it would not have been considered a pre-exisitng condition BUT two month before final payment the doctor had to change his medication because the powers that be decided the medication he had been taking should no longer be given. By changing his medication it put him into the category of having a pre-exisitng condition and by purchasing the insurance at the time of final payment we would NOT have been covered had anything gone wrong while on our cruise that could be considered related to his high blood preasure.

 

Hope this helps explain a bit better :)

[grandmato4]

I have been looking for travel insurance. I made the mistake of booking our flight the same day as embarkment and after finding CC and reading horror stories about people missing their ships I am worried sick :( My options are to reissue my tickets, pay fees and difference in price plus hotel is going to cost me about $600 more and that hurts. I thought it was too late to get insurance - made deposit 1/29 but I found a site for Travelex and also Travel Guard that I can anwhere from $66 - $100. Has anyone heard or used either of these? I don't think the pre-existing clause can be waived because of length of time but hopefully that won't be a problem.

 

I think all insurances have their pro's and cons. I've heard good and bad about both Travelex and TravelGuard but mostly good. If you've not made final payment yet there are two policies you can still purchase to cover pre-existing conditions, just can't think of their names at the moment. We've often waited until final payment time to purchase travel insurance so if one doesn't have to worry about pre-exisiting conditions there shouldn't be a problem with your purchasing insurance now.

 

As far as flying in the day of your cruise, no I don't recommend, BUT remember that many many people do that every cruise with no problems at all so hopefully you will be some of those people.:) A May cruise should avoid the winter weather problems for flyers which will hopefully be in your favor. Not knowing your flight schedule I can't give an opinion of how good your chance is of not having a problem getting to your ship on time. Good Luck!!!!!

[Jade13]

Question for those travel insurance pros...I checked and my health insurance covers us out of the country, but might not be at full coverage (may be at a lower rate like the out of network rate) depending on the circumstances - none the less good coverage. Would you recommend more than $10,000 pp medical coverage on the travel insurance policy for family of 4, parents in mid 40's with teenagers? Also, is it best to purchase right before final payment when no pre-existing needed?

 

I always get a policy with a pre-existing waiver because it covers those family members not traveling with you. CSA Luxe and HTH have policies that can be purchased at final payment and have the waiver.

[rinkyd]

The other part of my original question was is $10,000 medical coverage(not including med evacuation, that's separate) enough coverage when your own health coverage thru work has out of the country coverage? or would you pay the extra $36 and bump that up to $50,000 (again no existing health issues)?

[dreamer09]

I think all insurances have their pro's and cons. I've heard good and bad about both Travelex and TravelGuard but mostly good. If you've not made final payment yet there are two policies you can still purchase to cover pre-existing conditions, just can't think of their names at the moment. We've often waited until final payment time to purchase travel insurance so if one doesn't have to worry about pre-exisiting conditions there shouldn't be a problem with your purchasing insurance now.

 

As far as flying in the day of your cruise, no I don't recommend, BUT remember that many many people do that every cruise with no problems at all so hopefully you will be some of those people.:) A May cruise should avoid the winter weather problems for flyers which will hopefully be in your favor. Not knowing your flight schedule I can't give an opinion of how good your chance is of not having a problem getting to your ship on time. Good Luck!!!!!

Yes, the weather should be in our favor. So the only concern is mechanical delays. We fly from ME @ 5:30 am (first flight) connect in Atlanta and arrive in SJ 1:30 PM. There are lots of flights out of Portland that morning heading to Atlanta and JFK and alot of connecting flights out of Atlanta to SJ that would get us there around 5:30. So I have looked into back up plans. We should be ok but you never know. I think the $300 is worth it to change to Sat. so that I can look forward to vacation instead of worrying about it (I am a worrier :(). I can make up for it by not booking any excursions through Princess and doing it on our own or thru tour co. mentioned in cc. Husband wants to keep everything as is and purchase insurance. I will sleep on it (on not) one more night and decide on Monday. The information I have learned from all of you on insurance is helpful.

[jerseygirl3]

The other part of my original question was is $10,000 medical coverage(not including med evacuation, that's separate) enough coverage when your own health coverage thru work has out of the country coverage? or would you pay the extra $36 and bump that up to $50,000 (again no existing health issues)?

 

Personally, I would pay the extra $36 to increase my coverage by $40K. You would not believe how fast medical expenses can accrue, especially when out of the country.

 

Our experience with Travelex has always been very positive. What I really like about them is that they are primary insurers, meaning you don't have to submit a thing to your own insurance company first. You just give the bill to Travelex and they send you a check. Of course, there is a medical form that must be completed, but we've had to do it twice and it was very simple and we had a check in our hands within 2 weeks.

 

As far as waiting until final payment and going with one of the other plans, I would be hesitant to do that in case they changed their policy and suddenly pre-existing conditions weren't covered. Also, it is pricier. We always get Travelex Travel Lite and purchase it within the 21 days so everybody's (including family members not traveling with us) pre-existing conditions are covered if we had to cancel. What I like about Travelex is that if you cancel your travel plans they allow you to carry over the premium you paid to a new policy when you make new travel plans. If your new travel plans cost less, they will refund the difference.

 

Hope this helps.

[eandj]

The other part of my original question was is $10,000 medical coverage(not including med evacuation, that's separate) enough coverage when your own health coverage thru work has out of the country coverage? or would you pay the extra $36 and bump that up to $50,000 (again no existing health issues)?

 

 

Does your policy pay 100% out of network/country? Ours pays 80%. So our medical bills for the injury or sickness would have to be $12,500 to use up the 10,000 in coverage. (after our primary pays its share) You would have to decide what you feel comfortable with. No one can tell you that. Just figure it out with your med coverage.

 

We are always more concerned about emergency evac as that isn't covered at all for us and that can run into the tens of thousands.

[cherylandtk]

I have been looking for travel insurance. I made the mistake of booking our flight the same day as embarkment and after finding CC and reading horror stories about people missing their ships I am worried sick :( My options are to reissue my tickets, pay fees and difference in price plus hotel is going to cost me about $600 more and that hurts. I thought it was too late to get insurance - made deposit 1/29 but I found a site for Travelex and also Travel Guard that I can anwhere from $66 - $100. Has anyone heard or used either of these? I don't think the pre-existing clause can be waived because of length of time but hopefully that won't be a problem.

Even if the pre-existing condition waiver does not apply, it sounds like you probably qualify for the 90 day lookback period. Which means the only medical conditions not covered are ones you had or had treatment for in the 90 days prior to purchase of the policy.

 

If you do buy insurance be aware that while the cancellation coverage is for the prepaid cost of the trip, travel delays are usually limited to a set dollar amount with a per day limit AND a minimum time limit (usually 5-6 hours). These limits may or may not cover your costs to get to the ship. Some policies specifiy Missed Connection as part of Travel Delay; you would need to read the specific named coverage limits in whichever policy you choose. For example, some policies only cover missed connections due to weather or mechanical failure.

 

IF you primarily want coverage for travel delays (and not cancellation or trip interruption), you might be better off changing your tickets.

 

I have used Travelex; I am very pleased with their service and claims. We had to cancel a cruise for medical reasons and they paid off in about two weeks. Also, their Travel Delay/Missed Connection coverage only requires that the airline certify that the flight was delayed, it does not matter the reason for the delay. They do have a 5 hour minimum limit.

 

If you need to talk over these differences and whether or not travel insurance is what you need, I can recommend the folks at tripinsurancestore.com. They have an 800 number on their website and

are very nice.

[beachchick]

cherylandtk:

 

Even if the pre-existing condition waiver does not apply, it sounds like you probably qualify for the 90 day lookback period. Which means the only medical conditions not covered are ones you had or had treatment for in the 90 days prior to purchase of the policy.

 

All of the Travel Guard policies we have had (and that we know of) have a 180 day lookback period, rather than the 90 day. It still may not be an issue, but it applies to any family member covered under the "immediate family member is ill and you have to cancel because of it" clause.

 

beachchick

[cherylandtk]

The lookback period does vary from policy to policy, so you have to compare the features you want and all the policies you are considering; Beachchick used Travel Guard, which has a 180 lookback period, I used Travelex, which has a 90 day lookback. So if the dreamer09 is needing such coverage, the difference in days could decide which is the preferable policy.

[cherylandtk]

I just checked again on lookback periods; Travel Guard sells more than one policy; Protect Assist has a 180 day lookback and their Cruise, Tour Travel has a 60 day lookback. Coverage amounts and costs are different.

[beachchick]

Wow. That is a change for the Cruise, Tour, and Travel policy. It used to be 180 days. Fantastic change! Thanks for checking on that.

 

beachchick

[cherylandtk]

Now that is good news, would seem the insurance companies are amenable to adjusting (from time to time) their policies to meet the consumer's desires. Might also be the reason that at least two cruiseline policies (Celebrity and Carnival that I know of) now cover air that you purchase yourself and not just cruise air.

 

OTOH this means that we all need to read the fine print each and every time we go to purchase insurance, because it might have changed. :)

[blindrid]

My suggestion would be to either email Steve or call him at http://www.tripinsurancestore.com/ . I've been real impressed with their assistance and speed of answering any questions. And no, I'm not an employee......

[dreamer09]

I looked into changing my tickets but I would also have to come home a day later and can't to that. I talked to the trip insurance store who told me changing my tickets was a better option. So, I am going to think posiitive as well as purchase thru TravelEx so that I atleast have insurance that may not cover me for delays due to weather but will be better than not having any.;) That's my plan. Nice to make a decision.