Hi CruisingAlong4Now,
> If it is primary, it will quite often guarantee or pay the deposit required by many foreign hospitals. If it is secondary, you will probably have to post cash bond yourself or accept an immediate charge on your credit card before getting treated in some ports.
This isn't true. Primary (First Payer) isn’t better than Secondary (Excess). The only difference is the order in which the medical claims are paid. I know Primary and Secondary plans that will advance payment to a medical facility if needed to secure Your admission. And, I don't know any plans whose policy wording states that they will guarantee payments or deposits required medical facility.
Trip cancellation travel insurance plans are “indemnification” plans (you will be reimbursed – indemnified) after your trip by the insurance company. Trip cancellation travel insurance is not a “pay on behalf of” plan. You don’t just give the medical facility a card. In some cases, a few companies can advance payment to the medical facility, but it’s on a case-by-case basis.
I cover this in more detail here: https://tripinsurancestore.com/how-primary-and-secondary-travel-insurance-medical-coverage-works/
And, the Cruise Critic editors have let me do six multi-month long Q & As in the last 5 years.
Here's the Cruise Critic Q & A earlier this year:
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2558-qa-cruise-insurance-with-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom-jan-22/
Here's the archived link to the Q & A I did in Dec 2020 and Jan 2021 that was re-opened in June 2021:
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2500-qa-cruise-insurance-with-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom-read-only/
I also did a Q & A on Cruise Critic for June 2020:
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2484-qa-cruise-insurance-w-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom-june-2020-read-only/
I hope this helps you.
Steve Dasseos