Insurance help please

BTW, if you are a member of AARP, they offer medjet at a discount.

Do you get the AARP discount through AARP or request the discount through Medjet? We are members of AARP.

Also, slightly off topic, but I read somewhere that Medicare doesn't pay if you are out of the country, is that true? My husband is eligible for Medicare but isn't using it yet since he is still working. However, he will be retire right before we go on our trip in January so I believe he will be using Medicare. Thanks for any light you can shed on this subject.

We used our AARP discount on the MedJet site when we bought our policy.

Do you get the AARP discount through AARP or request the discount through Medjet? We are members of AARP.

 

Also, slightly off topic, but I read somewhere that Medicare doesn't pay if you are out of the country, is that true? My husband is eligible for Medicare but isn't using it yet since he is still working. However, he will be retire right before we go on our trip in January so I believe he will be using Medicare. Thanks for any light you can shed on this subject.

That's true, that's why we buy the insurance. They'll pay if you're in American territory, but no life flight. You're secondary insurance would pick up some of the expense. On one cruise to Mexico, this woman had a heart attack. She was lucky because the coast guard picked her up and took her into San Diego, where Medicare and her supplemental insurance took care of it. She did not have trip insurance so she lost what was left of her cruise.

BTW, not to belabor the point, heart attacks can happen to anyone, no matter what your age is. I've been on enough cruises to see it happen. I've seen falls and people who broke their leg or arm, doesn't matter the age. One guy had an appendix rupture, he refused to be flown off the ship because he didn't have trip insurance. As it turns out, he was a nurse and decided to take his chances. He made it to shore in Florida where his girlfriend drove him to the city they were from. He nearly died.

Medicare pays nothing outside the US.

Medicare pays nothing outside the US.

You got that right!!! I learned the hard way.

Tony

Medicare pays for nothing once you step onto the ship, even if it's still in a US port.

Get the insurance, please. I had the unfortunate experience of falling in Cork, Ireland and sustained a complex fracture of my hip & fracture of the pelvis. The ball of the hip went all of the way through the socket & shattered. I wish we had known about Medjet! I spent 27 days in Ireland while they tried to figure out the best course of action. They finally decided to release me back to the US (other than pain meds no medical treatment received) for treatment. We found an air ambulance who took me back home but we had to pay $12k out of pocket that was in excess of our travel insurance. And that $12k had to be paid before they loaded me on the plane. When I got to my hospital, I underwent an 11 hour surgery to repair the damage -- some caused by the lack of treatment, I.e. Traction.

I never thought anything bad would happen to me but the Irish leprechauns thought differently.

It all depends on your itinerary and the state of your health. The Princess protection is fine in most cases - some people will say never buy the cruise line insurance, private is better/cheaper, but if you're over age 65 or so, the cruise line insurance is often much more affordable.

 

The MedJet question comes into play if you're cruising in remote places which might not have quality medical care available in ports of call, or the very remote chance that you'd need to be evacuated from the ship by helicopter. The evacuation insurance provided by Princess could be inadequate to cover the actual total evacuation cost. If you think your health is high risk, or if your ports include some questionable health care standards, then the MedJet or another supplemental 'medical only' policy is probably a good call. It's usually not very expensive - since we're doing 3 cruises in the next year, we bought an annual medical policy through Allianz for $250 for the 2 of us. It gives us an additional $100K evacuation benefit.

So did you do Princess Ins. and Medjet or another insurance, other than Princess? . I have usually done Allianz but haven't had to use it, however, tends to be more expensive. We are doing the Scandinavia cruise on Aug. 26th. London - London Going up to Norway and Sweden. Thanks for the input.

In 1999, my 72 year old MIL had a massive stroke while on a cruise on the Yangtzee River. It took a while to get her to a "hospital" and then a better hospital in Hong Kong. She was there for a few weeks before they could get her home to California. She was not able to receive the all important care that can be administered when you first have a stroke. My FIL stayed with her in Hong Kong; very stressful. They did have a "rainy day" fund that was drained.

I ended up upgrading my Princess insurance to Platinum and purchasing a Med Jet annual membership for us and was able to get an AARP discount, so I hope I'm covered for anything that could happen.

I ended up upgrading my Princess insurance to Platinum and purchasing a Med Jet annual membership for us and was able to get an AARP discount, so I hope I'm covered for anything that could happen.

It's good to have. I hope you never need to use it!!!! Have a great cruise.

Tony

I ended up upgrading my Princess insurance to Platinum and purchasing a Med Jet annual membership for us and was able to get an AARP discount, so I hope I'm covered for anything that could happen.

Do you have medical coverage outside of the US? Princess's insurance only covers 20K which is minimal. MedJet is great but if you are not medically stable to fly, they won't bring you back home. This is my main issue with Princess insurance. If anyone has been at a hospital recently, 20,000 won't get past the weekend in a hospital.

Medicare pays nothing outside the US.

True, and unless you have chosen the type of Medicare supplement that does pay something for medical expenses when outside of the US, neither will it. And if you have the sort that does pay, there's a $250 deductible applied first before they will pay anything, and then what they do pay is just a percentage of the expenses.

That's where Princess insurance comes into play, because they reimburse for all the rest of covered services, including the deductible for the supplement. At least that is my experience, based upon having to utilize the services of the shipboard medical center on two different cruises. At the end of the day, I was not out of pocket for a single penny.

I am a big fan of the Nationwide Luxury Cruise policy. The coverages are high and they cover Cruise specific options like missing a port for any reason. We had a good experience filing a claim for that exact item in January when we missed a port due to late departure because of weather.

I looked at the policy declaration about medical evacuation, which the coverage limit is $1 million, and it looks like not only do they cover getting you to a facility for emergency treatment but also will get you back to the United States where you reside for "recovery".

The cost of this policy is just slightly more than Princess' and offers more in coverage. The only drawback is the cancel for any reason is only 70%:

The Company will pay benefits for Covered Expenses incurred, up to the Maximum Benefit shown on the Confirmation of

Coverage, if an Accidental Injury or Sickness commencing during the course of the Trip results in Your necessary Emergency

Evacuation. An Emergency Evacuation must be ordered by a Physician who certifies that the severity of Your

Accidental Injury or Sickness warrants Your Emergency Evacuation.

Emergency Evacuation means:

(a) Your medical condition warrants immediate Transportation from the hospital where You are first taken when injured

or sick to the nearest Hospital where appropriate medical treatment can be obtained;

(b) after being treated at a local Hospital, Your medical condition warrants Transportation to the United States where

You reside, to obtain further medical treatment or to recover; or

© both (a) and (b), above.

I just looked at the Medjet web site & found the following options, Med Jet Assist & Med Jet Horizon. Here's there prices,

 

what was the price savings with aarp?

10%

I just wanted to share my trip insurance story. We've had a great experience with the folks at tripinsurancestore.com Based on recommendations from Cruise Critic members, we have a purchased a few policies from them over the years, and learned the value of purchasing through an insurance broker, when we actually had to make a claim. A few years ago my husband had to cancel out on a trip to Japan (not a cruise) the day before his departure, due to a medical emergency that led to surgery. He had booked a tour with a small company out of Cheshire, England, and to make a long story short, the company not only kept our money (fully expected and understood), but refused to send documentation/confirmation that they had done so. Weeks turned into months as I struggled with the insurance company and the travel company to settle our claim. The travel company sent me a series of "I'll take care of that next week emails", before ignoring me altogether, and the the travel insurance company insisted that the documentation I was able to send them (proof of payment, copy of tour company's cancellation policy, copies of all emails between me and the tour company, including their promise to "take care of the necessary paperwork") was insufficient, and refused to go forward with our claim. I spent countless hours on hold with the insurance company, talking with entry level reps who told me they were unable to connect me directly with a supervisor. Emails to supervisors went nowhere. I spent at least an hour each day for several weeks, trying to resolve our claim, and was (almost) resigned to losing several thousand dollars.

Belatedly, I remembered that I had purchased the policy from tripinsurancestore, and gave them a call. Steve told me he would take care of it and he did. One phone call from him was all it took, and suddenly the red tape cleared, and our payment was sent.

I learned an important lesson from this about trip insurance - that an agent/representative can be as important as any other insurance agent you use for your car, home, etc. to help you with claims. Without Steve's help, I am convinced my claim would not have been paid.

One thing I really appreciate about my dealings with tripinsurancestore, is that they have given me a lot of "free" advice about travel insurance, without any sales pressure. In fact on my most recent Alaska cruise, I called with a question about the coverage offered by my credit card. After discussing some of the particulars about the credit card coverage (I emailed the company and got a written statement of coverage) , as well as coverage offered by my medical plan, the person at tripinsurancestore told me I didn't need to purchase any additional coverage.

Regarding Medjet, again after reading these boards, shortly before our cruise, I did decide to purchase a Medjet annual plan for me and my husband. I was going to buy it "directly" online after Googling it, and then discovered by looking at the fine print that I was actually purchasing it through an insurance broker. So I called trip insurance store, and, sure enough, was able to purchase the Medjet policy with the AARP discount through them. Now, I have the added confidence of knowing that they will help me in the event that I have any difficulty with any possible claims.

My husband is now planning another trip to Japan (with a different company!) and I will be calling trip insurance store later this morning to figure out our best options for insurance.

When it comes time to find insurance for our next (not yet scheduled) cruise, I feel confident that I can call trip insurance store to get their honest opinion as to the merits of purchasing Princess insurance (given our ages, etc.) vs. independent insurance. I believe that they will give their best professional advice, even if it means not making a sale.

(They also sell GeoBlue, which I purchased, after asking them a lot of "what if?" questions, for our son's recent international trip.)

I just wanted to share my trip insurance story. We've had a great experience with the folks at tripinsurancestore.com Based on recommendations from Cruise Critic members, we have a purchased a few policies from them over the years, and learned the value of purchasing through an insurance broker, when we actually had to make a claim. A few years ago my husband had to cancel out on a trip to Japan (not a cruise) the day before his departure, due to a medical emergency that led to surgery. He had booked a tour with a small company out of Cheshire, England, and to make a long story short, the company not only kept our money (fully expected and understood), but refused to send documentation/confirmation that they had done so. Weeks turned into months as I struggled with the insurance company and the travel company to settle our claim. The travel company sent me a series of "I'll take care of that next week emails", before ignoring me altogether, and the the travel insurance company insisted that the documentation I was able to send them (proof of payment, copy of tour company's cancellation policy, copies of all emails between me and the tour company, including their promise to "take care of the necessary paperwork") was insufficient, and refused to go forward with our claim. I spent countless hours on hold with the insurance company, talking with entry level reps who told me they were unable to connect me directly with a supervisor. Emails to supervisors went nowhere. I spent at least an hour each day for several weeks, trying to resolve our claim, and was (almost) resigned to losing several thousand dollars.

 

Belatedly, I remembered that I had purchased the policy from tripinsurancestore, and gave them a call. Steve told me he would take care of it and he did. One phone call from him was all it took, and suddenly the red tape cleared, and our payment was sent.

 

I learned an important lesson from this about trip insurance - that an agent/representative can be as important as any other insurance agent you use for your car, home, etc. to help you with claims. Without Steve's help, I am convinced my claim would not have been paid.

 

One thing I really appreciate about my dealings with tripinsurancestore, is that they have given me a lot of "free" advice about travel insurance, without any sales pressure. In fact on my most recent Alaska cruise, I called with a question about the coverage offered by my credit card. After discussing some of the particulars about the credit card coverage (I emailed the company and got a written statement of coverage) , as well as coverage offered by my medical plan, the person at tripinsurancestore told me I didn't need to purchase any additional coverage.

 

Regarding Medjet, again after reading these boards, shortly before our cruise, I did decide to purchase a Medjet annual plan for me and my husband. I was going to buy it "directly" online after Googling it, and then discovered by looking at the fine print that I was actually purchasing it through an insurance broker. So I called trip insurance store, and, sure enough, was able to purchase the Medjet policy with the AARP discount through them. Now, I have the added confidence of knowing that they will help me in the event that I have any difficulty with any possible claims.

 

My husband is now planning another trip to Japan (with a different company!) and I will be calling trip insurance store later this morning to figure out our best options for insurance.

 

When it comes time to find insurance for our next (not yet scheduled) cruise, I feel confident that I can call trip insurance store to get their honest opinion as to the merits of purchasing Princess insurance (given our ages, etc.) vs. independent insurance. I believe that they will give their best professional advice, even if it means not making a sale.

 

(They also sell GeoBlue, which I purchased, after asking them a lot of "what if?" questions, for our son's recent international trip.)

Which plan did you purchase from Trip insurance store?

Thanks!

Tom😎

I just wanted to share my trip insurance story. We've had a great experience with the folks at tripinsurancestore.com Based on recommendations from Cruise Critic members, we have a purchased a few policies from them over the years, and learned the value of purchasing through an insurance broker, when we actually had to make a claim.

I am curious what company you used as I don't want to use them. I have filed my share of claims in the past and except for asking for a claim form and letting them know I am filing a claim, I have never had to speak to anyone. They have all paid promptly.

The only issue I have ever had was getting my BCBS to process an out of state claim before forwarding it on to travel insurance (which had nothing to do with the travel insurance company).

I will stick to the company who has paid my claims with out a question when I give them the info they need.

Which plan did you purchase from Trip insurance store?

Thanks!

Tom😎

The plan was from Tripmate. Apparently, trip insurance store doesn't work with them anymore, which is a good thing!

I am curious what company you used as I don't want to use them. I have filed my share of claims in the past and except for asking for a claim form and letting them know I am filing a claim, I have never had to speak to anyone. They have all paid promptly.

 

The only issue I have ever had was getting my BCBS to process an out of state claim before forwarding it on to travel insurance (which had nothing to do with the travel insurance company).

 

I will stick to the company who has paid my claims with out a question when I give them the info they need.

The plan was Tripmate, and they are no longer listed on the tripinsurance store's website, thank goodness!

They probably would have been better (I would hope) with a more straight forward claim, but the travel agency in the UK (world spirit/espirita travel) would not follow through with the simple sentence: "Yes, we kept your money." As I mentioned, I did submit a number of emails and a few international phone calls stating I needed them to affirm that simple fact. They never denied keeping the money, but their only response were vague replies that they would get to it "next week", before they stopped responding completely.

The frustration I had with Tripmate is that despite, all of the paperwork (proof of payment) I submitted, I could not get past the low-level gatekeeper, who was reading off of a script. And the hold each time, ranged from 30 minutes to sometime over an hour! "I'm sorry, ma'am but your case is still under review."

Steve at tripinsurance store was able to take care of it with one phone call, as apparently, Tripmate had a very select list of who got escalate their concerns to the next level. It's a very sad business model where your customers mean nothing, until you are contacted by an insurance broker.

The plan was Tripmate, and they are no longer listed on the tripinsurance store's website, thank goodness!

 

Thanks for the explanation. I think I will stay away from them in the future. I agree, one shouldn't need to jump through hoops to get what one is entitled to. Glad Steve was able to resolve it.

Thanks for the explanation. I think I will stay away from them in the future. I agree, one shouldn't need to jump through hoops to get what one is entitled to. Glad Steve was able to resolve it.

Yes, it was such a relief! I was just kicking myself that I didn't think about calling him sooner. And until then, I hadn't thought about the advantage of going through an insurance broker. Steve was my hero at that moment!