iamtrustworthy

Hi GeezerCouple, Sorry about the delay responding. We have customers in Israel & many with now-cancelled trips so I've been extra busy. > Does the so-called "simple" declaration immediately void any travel insurance claim coverage? I can't speak for all companies, but mine consider this Terrorism. Hamas committed Terrorism. It wasn’t until hours later that Israel declared War. Here's more info: https://tripinsurancestore.com/travel-insurance-terrorist-incident-coverages/ In addition, as of Oct 9, 2023 some of my companies won’t cover trips to Israel for new purchases. Steve Dasseos

Hi Blackfly, I can't answer for all plans, but for all our plans, when your trip is farther in the future and you are paying it in stages, an option to consider is this: You would not have to pay for the insurance in full immediately upon purchase in order to get the pre-existing conditions and Cancel For Any Reason coverage. All our plans allow "pay as you go" which means you insure your deposit now and as you prepay more trip costs, you must increase the insurance coverage any time (as long as nothing has happened where you would file a claim) before but not later than 14 days of adding any additional trip costs above what has been insured to keep the pre-existing conditions coverage. This does not result in any extra costs, just the incremental price increases. You have to insure the deposits even if they are refundable. The prices are locked in at your ages and the rates that were in effect when you bought it. Steve Dasseos

Hi johnnylikely, I'm sorry, but I'm not qualified to give advice on non-USA insurance plans. Steve Dasseos

Hi PrincessArlena'sDad, Make sure your credit union will advocate for and help you if you have claim since they earned a commission on the sale of your policy. Steve Dasseos

HI redwave, You'd get a policy for each family group. Technically, there's no "linking" of policies because you are all Travel Companions (Here more info about this: https://tripinsurancestore.com/your-family-member-or-traveling-companion/). We note people traveling together, but it's not required. Steve Dasseos

Hi Chfenton, > Do all policies reimburse me for the cruise fare in case there is an airline/airport/FAA melt down and we end up stranded and don't get to MCO in time to get over to the cruise? No. Many policies don't cover governmental actions, so be sure to check for this in the Exclusions. Steve Dasseos

Hi Drazil65, You're welcome. > many people we know (and relatives) do not have medical coverage outside the country Unless they have Medicaid, some Medicare Advantage plans or a non ACA-compliant plan, they should at least have some limited medical coverage outside the USA. They probably won't have any Medical Transportation coverage. I agree that it's good to have at least some travel medical insurance when traveling out of the plan's network area. Or, when someone has a high-deductible health plan. I wrote this a few days ago on my Blog that you might find helpful: https://tripinsurancestore.com/blog/is-it-worth-paying-more-to-have-500000-medical-coverage/ Steve Dasseos

Hi Drazil65, Primary (First Payer) isn’t better than Secondary (Excess). The only difference is the order in which the medical claims are paid. If you aren't old enough to be on Medicare, in most cases you are better off getting a plan with Secondary medical because of how group or individual health plans account for deductibles and co-pays. You can also process a claim on a plan that has Primary medical as Secondary. Your broker can advise you how to do this when they help you with your claim. And, whether or not a plan has Primary or Secondary medical, all the plans I know will advance payment to a medical facility if needed. Steve Dasseos

Hi New Jersey Pat, I wrote this earlier today on my blog. I hope you find it helpful. Is it Worth Paying More to Have $500,000 Medical Coverage? https://tripinsurancestore.com/blog/is-it-worth-paying-more-to-have-500000-medical-coverage/ Steve Dasseos

Hi KyleClark, Points and miles have a $0 insurable trip cost. Here's more information: https://tripinsurancestore.com/frequent-flyer-and-free-travel-award-coverage/ Steve Dasseos

Hi jclinard, > I know of some people who have both urged people to get insurance and then urged people not to file legitimate claims. That is completely unethical and against the law. Here's what we tell our customers: "As a policyholder you have every right to file a claim. When you ask us if your claim will be covered, we tell you to the best of our knowledge. We cannot predetermine claims. However, the only way you can be sure if your claim will be paid or not is after you file your claim. The insurance company has the final say." Steve Dasseos

Hi itd1sah, > must be considered 'cruise insurance' There's no such plan that is 'cruise insurance'. All Trip Cancellation plans cover all kinds of trips. Steve Dasseos

Hi vpcats, > Is it OK to have this Geo-blue plan AND buy another policy Yes as long as you don't submit the same claim to both companies (aka "double-dipping"). I've sold combinations of different policies lots of times when it benefits my customer. Steve Dasseos

Hi klfrodo, I like your flowchart. My suggestion is to start with something like "Would a normal person go to a doctor for this?" instead of "Is this a life or death emergency?" Steve Dasseos

Hi CruisingSince1982, > Is this the correct way to purchase insurance to cover us in the event that we have to cancel our flight? No. You have to cover the round-trip dates before you leave home. Your flights purchased using miles count as a $0 trip cost. Steve Dasseos

Hi rbsol18, > Going forward, what role, if any, should I expect my insurance agent to play in resolving such matters? First, I believe that if someone earns a commission they are morally obligated to help you with the claim. We help everyone with claims, but since the start of Covid, everything has slowed down partly to to staffing problems and having to train new employees. I wrote this a year ago: https://tripinsurancestore.com/blog/why-are-travel-insurance-claims-taking-so-long-to-process/ We have a good relationship with our companies mainly because they know that we haven't ever tried to deceive them. In the last 21 years, I've sent more than a few emails to our companies that start with: "I made a mistake and this is my fault, but I need your help". We record our phone calls so we can send the call to our companies to document our mistakes, too. In addition, I personally have been having longer response times from my companies over the last 3 months. I hope this helps you. Steve Dasseos

Hi alc13, > So if we exceeded the Medigap emergency limit we'd be covered by a travel policy with secondary coverage? You are correct. Steve Dasseos

Hi sailman55, I know you're frustrated with TripMate's coverage, but TripMate is the administrator of the plan and they handle the claims, too. However, TripMate didn't design Viking's plan. Here's a very basic explanation of how this works: Viking contracts with TripMate (or any other administrator) to provide a Trip Cancellation plan. The plan design has multiple choices for the coverage benefit levels. The plan itself also has filed and approved policy wording with the States they do business in. Viking works with TripMate on the plan design. I hope this helps you. Steve Dasseos

Hi alc13, You're welcome. Here's how your Medicare Medigap plan covers you outside the USA: https://tripinsurancestore.com/medicare-does-not-cover-you-outside-the-usa/ Steve Dasseos

Hi alc13, It's lot cheaper to get medical treatment outside the USA. I've never seen one greater than $74,000. I recently had a customer who had a heart attack in Panama City and his hospital bill for 10 days was $31,000. The medical transport back to Ohio was just under $40,000. As for what you need, Are you covered by Medicare with a supplement you bought on your own, have Tricare or are on a former employers' retiree health plan? Or do you have Advantage plans? Steve Dasseos

Hi Bob, Thanks for explaining this about your Advantage plan. I've never heard of an Advantage plan with the combined $50.000 lifetime plan coverage, so this must be a newer addition to the wide range of coverages. > Did you ever find a company you liked for an annual policy? I haven't found an Annual Trip Cancellation plan that is good enough for me to sell due to their plan limitations with what's needed to cover the changes in travel since Covid started. If you want good medical and medical transportation coverage, I suggest you get the Geo Blue Trekker (Multi-Trip) Essential or Choice plan for your trips outside the USA that aren't longer than 70 days for any one trip. The Essential and Choice plans cover pre-existing conditions. You may see all the Geo Blue Trekker plan details here: https://tripinsurancestore.com/geo-blue-trekker-travel-medical-plans/ Steve Dasseos

Hi Peteymil, I've written about this in more detail on some of the other 7 Questions & Answers I've done here on CruiseCritic, but here are the basics: In 2003 I was the 9th largest seller of Allianz's predecessor company Access America. Allianz bought them in 2012 and they are still located in Richmond, VA with the same underwriter. In April 2003 I called Access America with a simple question about a claims procedure on a hypothetical pre-existing conditions claim, but they said "Oh, that won't be covered". I ended up in a 4 month intense discussion with them about their policy wording and interpretations of it. Even though at the end, I was right, I decided I wouldn't want to put anyone else through that so I stopped doing business with them on July 31, 2003. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made. I suspect they are still mad at me. Steve Dasseos

Hi Fivelinks, I haven't found an Annual Trip Cancellation plan that is good enough for me to sell due to their plan limitations with what's needed to cover the changes in travel since Covid started. Steve Dasseos

Hi Bo, The Berkshire Hathaway plans are good, but I've only sold a handful of their plans since they more than doubled their prices on 12/7/2021. This page might help you make better sense of delays and missed connections: https://tripinsurancestore.com/travel-insurance-trip-delay-and-missed-connection-coverage/ Steve Dasseos

Hi swmichigan, The $50,000 lifetime maximum coverage for outside the USA is on a Medigap (Supplement) plan. Advantage plans have a wide range of non-USA coverage limits If you bought your own Medicare Supplement, here's how it covers you outside the USA https://tripinsurancestore.com/medicare-does-not-cover-you-outside-the-usa/ Steve Dasseos