Canadians Purchasing Travel and Trip Cancellation Insurance

[BLUEBOMBER]

The two options I am evaluating are purchasing travel health and cancellation insurance through provincial Blue Cross or purchasing RBC coverage through my travel agent. It is not an easy exercise to compare the policies. RBC is about $100 more costly. Has anyone reading this had to use their insurance through Blue Cross or RBC and, if so, did you experience any problems? Any suggestions and/or thoughts are appreciated.

[gunner22a]

The only insurance I use for travel. I have not found it more expensive here in Alberta and yes I have had to use it once when we were delayed overnight at a connecting airport on the way home from FLL. I submitted my claim and got a cheque back in 13 days (snail mail) for more than I claimed for. Apparently I did not claim the $25 dollars each we were entitled to for daily incidentals. Although the layover was in the US (Chicago) my cheque was in Canadian dollars and the exchange rate they applied was very generous. I will only use RBC.

[LiftLockCouple]

What is a Pre-Existing Condition Waiver? We live in Ontario. I have tried to read the threads that mention this waiver but do not have a clear understanding of what is waived. Can it be purchased in Canada? It seems that for it to apply the waiver has to be purchased within a specific time frame of the deposit. We have booked a cruise for the spring of 2011 and have a PEC now. Will the waiver ignore any changes to the condition for the duration of the policy? I need some assitance to understand this concept. Any help is appreciated.

[cruiseco]

What is a Pre-Existing Condition Waiver? We live in Ontario. I have tried to read the threads that mention this waiver but do not have a clear understanding of what is waived. Can it be purchased in Canada? It seems that for it to apply the waiver has to be purchased within a specific time frame of the deposit. We have booked a cruise for the spring of 2011 and have a PEC now. Will the waiver ignore any changes to the condition for the duration of the policy? I need some assistance to understand this concept. Any help is appreciated.

 

Do you have a specific plan(s) in mind? There are such major differences among plans that there really is no answer that covers every plan in every situation.

 

It is not a separate coverage that you would purchase. All plans exclude coverage for losses due to pre-existing medical conditions. The definition of "pre-existing medical conditions" will vary from plan to plan.

 

However, some plans will waive this exclusion if you meet certain requirements. The three most common are:

 

1) Buy your policy within a certain time frame

2) Insure all of your pre-paid, non-refundable trip arrangements

3) you must be able to travel as of the date you buy the policy and can't be traveling against doctor's orders.

 

But note that 1) varies widely from plan to plan, and some do not have requirement #2 at all. All have requirement #3

 

There is usually no extra charge for this waiver as long as you meet the plan's requirements for being eligible for it.

[LiftLockCouple]

It is not a separate coverage that you would purchase. All plans exclude coverage for losses due to pre-existing medical conditions.

However, some plans will waive this exclusion if you meet certain requirements. The three most common are:

 

1) Buy your policy within a certain time frame

2) Insure all of your pre-paid, non-refundable trip arrangements

3) you must be able to travel as of the date you buy the policy and can't be traveling against doctor's orders.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

I have highlited what I consider the most significant issues. What I need to understand is what will be waived if I meet the criteria of which 3 are listed.

If I understand this correctly, I need to find a policy where I would meet these 3 items, possibly more, possibly less, and the policy will not exclude expenses incurred as a result of my current PEC.

 

If I have interperted this correctly, where do I find policies that have such a waiver? So far I do not believe I have found one. I have looked at Insuremytrip and squaremouth as well as RBC and the company that CARP uses. Perhaps I am looking at the wrong policy feature.

 

One other point, at this time I have made to deposit for our 2011 cruise but it is refundable. I have not made any air travel arrangements yet. It would seem counter- intuitive to purchase insurace now when I do not have any non-refundable expenses.

 

We are looking for a comprehensive cancellation and medical policy for residents of the Province of Ontario

 

Thanks

[cruiseco]

I'm not very familiar with plans marketed by Canadian companies such as RBC. But most of the plans available to US residents are also available to Canadians. But you should be able to figure out an RBC by using the same method. Here's two (there are many others):

 

Travelex Select plan Pre-Ex waiver:

 

"The Pre-Existing Conditions exclusion is waived for You if You enroll in the Plan at the time You pay the deposit required for the Covered Trip (or within twenty-one (21) days of the initial deposit) and You purchase the coverage under the Plan for the full cost of the Covered Trip."

 

CSA Custom Luxe plan Pre-ExWaiver:

 

"The Pre-Existing Condition Exclusion is waived provided you meet all of the following requirements:

1. the payment for this plan is received prior to/or within 24

hours of your final payment for your Covered Trip; and

2. you are not disabled from travel at the time you make your

plan payment."

 

So with the Travelex plan buy your policy within 21 days of making the FIRST payment on the trip and cover ALL of your pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs. To contrast, with CSA buy your policy no later than the FINAL payment on the cruise and insure as much or as little of your trip cost as you'd like. But in either case meeting the plan's requirement for the waiver makes that pre-ex exclusion go away. So if your condition later worsens and you have to cancel, the claim can't be denied due to it being pre-existing. The same if you need medical attention during the cruise.

 

So no matter what plan you're considering that's what you're looking for. Find a plan that suits your needs as far as coverages and price. Look for their conditions needed to get their waiver of the pre-ex condition exclusion (not all will waive this exclusion) and if you meet these conditions call them if you have any questions about the coverage.

 

One final note -- if you're booking the cruise far ahead of the sail date you may not have booked all of your arrangements yet -- airfare, hotels, etc -- but need to buy the policy soon to get the pre-ex waiver. That's usually not a problem. With a company like CSA it's no problem as they don't care if you insure all of your arrangements. With a company like Travelex, in order to keep the pre-ex waiver in effect, any new arrangements would have to be added to your policy within 21 days of booking them. Be sure to check how the insurer you choose handles this.

[cruiseco]

One other point, at this time I have made to deposit for our 2011 cruise but it is refundable. I have not made any air travel arrangements yet. It would seem counter- intuitive to purchase insurance now when I do not have any non-refundable expenses.

 

 

The insurers know that their odds of actually selling a policy to a cruiser drops dramatically if the client waits until the final payment to make the decision to buy or not. Many figure that, "hey we're sailing in 60 days, what can go wrong, let's skip the insurance."

 

So the carrot they dangle as an inducement to buy right away is the pre-ex waiver. You want the waiver you buy a policy now.

 

The exception is CSA which, by offering the pre-ex waiver right up to the final payment date, works out well for those that book far ahead.

[LiftLockCouple]

The insurers know that their odds of actually selling a policy to a cruiser drops dramatically if the client waits until the final payment to make the decision to buy or not. Many figure that, "hey we're sailing in 60 days, what can go wrong, let's skip the insurance."

 

So the carrot they dangle as an inducement to buy right away is the pre-ex waiver. You want the waiver you buy a policy now.

 

The exception is CSA which, by offering the pre-ex waiver right up to the final payment date, works out well for those that book far ahead.

 

Thanks for this great insight. As A Canadian it seems I cannot buy TravelEx without using a US based TA. I have tried to get an online quote from TravelEx but as soon as I say I am from Canada they want you to call them. I am using a US based TA and TravelEx insurance has been offered but when I called the TA they knew nothing of the waiver and directed me to TravelEx, seems strange to me, I would think they would know that right off the top as a selling point....I have not yet researched the CSA option but will do so today. I made the deposit on March 29 so still have a few days if I choose TravelEx, not sure yet why I would, have to think about that.

Thanks again.

[LiftLockCouple]

The insurers know that their odds of actually selling a policy to a cruiser drops dramatically if the client waits until the final payment to make the decision to buy or not. Many figure that, "hey we're sailing in 60 days, what can go wrong, let's skip the insurance."

 

So the carrot they dangle as an inducement to buy right away is the pre-ex waiver. You want the waiver you buy a policy now.

 

The exception is CSA which, by offering the pre-ex waiver right up to the final payment date, works out well for those that book far ahead.

 

 

TravelEx brochures that were sent to me this morning by the TA. For TravelEx it seems that you can purchase within 3 days of final payment and get the Pre-Ex excemption. Not sure if I am allowed to post the brocure link but here goes. http://www.travelextravelnet.com/static/TN-0707_0101_00000.pdf

[leeh]

Check with your locall CAA for insurance coverage as well...my DH has many pre-existing conditions...costs him a fair amount but as long as he's been stable for 3 months prior to purchase, all his conditions are covered.

[cruiseco]

TravelEx brochures that were sent to me this morning by the TA. For TravelEx it seems that you can purchase within 3 days of final payment and get the Pre-Ex excemption. Not sure if I am allowed to post the brocure link but here goes. http://www.travelextravelnet.com/static/TN-0707_0101_00000.pdf

 

Travelex, like the other major insurers, will often design plans specifically for the clients of a large travel agency or agency group. This is one of them. Usually, you need to have purchased your trip arrangements through that agency in order to be eligible for the plan which is why you won't find it on any of the online comparison sites or even on Travelex's own site for purchase by the regular public. But it wouldn't hurt to call and find out as long as you're OK with the greatly reduced coverage limits..

[LiftLockCouple]

Check with your locall CAA for insurance coverage as well...my DH has many pre-existing conditions...costs him a fair amount but as long as he's been stable for 3 months prior to purchase, all his conditions are covered.

 

Hello Leeh: It is the stability period issue that the waiver avoids. Some stability clauses are for periods of up to a year. Most policies offered by Canadian insurers such as CAA, CARP, Gold Credit cards, and many others have the stability clause that in some cases voids a portion of the medical insurance if a medication changes in either direction. One of the common ones is blood pressure meds, some that are not included as an exclusion with some policies are blood thinners such as Warfrin or colesterol medications. With the waiver, as long as you meet the conditions mentioned earlier by Cruiseco, the Pre-Ex claim exclusions do not apply. All of the above is as I understand the issue based on the discussion here and my conversations with the TA.

[cruiseco]

I am using a US based TA and TravelEx insurance has been offered but when I called the TA they knew nothing of the waiver and directed me to TravelEx, seems strange to me, I would think they would know that right off the top as a selling point.

 

If the Travelex plan does turn out to be your best option I'd suggest you call them directly with any specific questions about the coverage as your TA obviously has no clue. If everything is OK have the TA purchase it for you.

[LiftLockCouple]

If the Travelex plan does turn out to be your best option I'd suggest you call them directly with any specific questions about the coverage as your TA obviously has no clue. If everything is OK have the TA purchase it for you.

 

Cruiseco, I was perhaps to critical of the TA. The agents I talked to did not have any ready answers but the answer was in the brochure they sent me, see the link I posted below. I am surprised they were not prepared with the answer however they did forward the correct info to me.

[LiftLockCouple]

If the Travelex plan does turn out to be your best option I'd suggest you call them directly with any specific questions about the coverage as your TA obviously has no clue. If everything is OK have the TA purchase it for you.

 

Regarding purchasing the insurance now, Not sure that is a good idea but am open to a opposing opinion. The final payment is approx 11 months away and I am at no financial risk at the moment. When I asked the TA about a premium refund if cancelled prior to the final payment they said they send it to their customer service people and try to get a refund....not really a warm fuzzy.

[cruiseco]

Regarding purchasing the insurance now, Not sure that is a good idea but am open to a opposing opinion. The final payment is approx 11 months away and I am at no financial risk at the moment. When I asked the TA about a premium refund if cancelled prior to the final payment they said they send it to their customer service people and try to get a refund....not really a warm fuzzy.

 

After a "free look" period of 10 - 14 days (varies by insurer) the premium is pretty much non-refundable. However most (including Travelex) will roll your premium over to a replacement trip if you cancel your current trip before there are any penalties.

 

This is one instance where buying a policy through your TA can be an advantage. Back when I was a TA I would often call our insurer's sales rep and plead our case. They wanted to keep me happy so as long as I wasn't abusing their good will I was always able to get a refund if needed long after the "free look" period. There's never a guarantee though that it will happen.

[LiftLockCouple]

The only insurance I use for travel. I have not found it more expensive here in Alberta and yes I have had to use it once when we were delayed overnight at a connecting airport on the way home from FLL. I submitted my claim and got a cheque back in 13 days (snail mail) for more than I claimed for. Apparently I did not claim the $25 dollars each we were entitled to for daily incidentals. Although the layover was in the US (Chicago) my cheque was in Canadian dollars and the exchange rate they applied was very generous. I will only use RBC.

 

Gunner22a and Bluebomber: I just read the RBC policy for pre-existing conditions and stability. Their policy is one of the most restrictive on those issues I have read since I started researching this issue some time ago. A 90 day stability period is fairly long but not the longest I have seen but the definition of "stable" is very restrictive. This would leave a great number of people over 50 with average conditions such as hypertension with limited coverage. With RBC you had better have NOTHING going on within the 90 day stability requirement or you end up traveling with limited coverage. Given that I have read that they are expensive compared to others not sure they are a good value. There are others in the Canadian market such as those offered by CARP and TIC which appear to be more 50+ traveler friendly.

[LiftLockCouple]

CruiseCo: I have been reading reviews of the various American Insurance companies. CSA has really been beaten up in the reviews for 2009 and early 2010. The only positive review was from an Anonymous reviewer. Wonder who that might be hmmmm. What has been your experience? They provide secondary coverage which means you pay first then are at their mercy for pay-back.

Thanks

[cruiseco]

CruiseCo: I have been reading reviews of the various American Insurance companies. CSA has really been beaten up in the reviews for 2009 and early 2010. The only positive review was from an Anonymous reviewer. Wonder who that might be hmmmm. What has been your experience? They provide secondary coverage which means you pay first then are at their mercy for pay-back.

Thanks

 

Overall, CSA has a good reputation. They're the only travel insurer ever chosen as a "Best Buy" by the Consumer Reports Travel Letter. Their rating with the Better Business Bureau in San Diego is A+ (their highest). Are there complaints? Sure. But according to the BBB CSA handles and resolves the complaints in a timely and satisfactory manner. Here's the BBB web site: http://www.bbb.org/san-diego/business-reviews/insurance-travel/csa-travel-protection-in-san-diego-ca-9000079/ To compare here's the BBB report for Travel Guard -- the largest in the US. http://www.bbb.org/wisconsin/business-reviews/insurance-travel/travel-guard-in-stevens-point-wi-3000442/

 

My point of view on any insurer is that there are safeguards built in to any travel insurance purchase. If you don't like a claims decision you can appeal that decision to your state/provincial insurance department and/or a neutral third-party arbitrator. So you're never at any insurer's "mercy."

 

My guess is that the vast majority of complaints against travel insurers as a whole are due to the fact that the client didn't do his/her homework and didn't know what is covered and what isn't. Like with the current volcano ash situation there will be many people complaining that their losses should be covered even there is no provision in the policy they purchased that specifically provides that coverage.

 

By the way, with the volcano thing CSA has already announced that they will be defining this event as "inclement weather" as far as determining coverage even though they could reasonably call it a "natural disaster" and save themselves a lot of money as the coverage for losses due to "natural disasters" is much less comprehensive than what's covered for weather-related losses. A very consumer-friendly decision on their part.

[LiftLockCouple]

Cruiseco: Thanks, food for thought.

[LiftLockCouple]

My point of view on any insurer is that there are safeguards built in to any travel insurance purchase. If you don't like a claims decision you can appeal that decision to your state/provincial insurance department and/or a neutral third-party arbitrator. So you're never at any insurer's "mercy."

 

CruiseCo: Thanks again for this review. Following this suggestion I did go to the web site for the Ontario Governing body, The Finacial Services Commission of Ontario ( FSCO) and then to the the related OLHI ( Ombudsman for Life and health Insurance ). The American Insurance companies we are talking about are not members of the OLHI dispute resolution process. I talked to a OLHI rep and their suggestion is that there is no dispute resolution process available in Canada for Canadians doing business with American Insurers. At this point it seems we would have to go to an American body to attempt a third party dispute resolution. Not sure who that would be. These comapnies must be licensed to do business in Canada but still don't know what protection we have on this side of the border. I have sent an E-mail to the FSCO to try and find out.

[seait]

The only insurance I use for travel. I have not found it more expensive here in Alberta and yes I have had to use it once when we were delayed overnight at a connecting airport on the way home from FLL. I submitted my claim and got a cheque back in 13 days (snail mail) for more than I claimed for. Apparently I did not claim the $25 dollars each we were entitled to for daily incidentals. Although the layover was in the US (Chicago) my cheque was in Canadian dollars and the exchange rate they applied was very generous. I will only use RBC.

 

I have been reading the various comments on travel insurance and it has eliminated some of my questions on whether or not to purchase travel insurance. Being from Alberta myself, I was glad to learn that guner22a did not find it more expensive in Alberta.

 

This is such a great site to gather information.

 

Thanks all

[gordandmichele]

If you take more than 1 trip a year, it is the best, hands-down. It covers you for Emergency Medical, Trip Cancellation and Interruption, Baggage Loss, Damage and Delay, and Flight and Travel Accident. You buy it for a specific trip length - 4/10/18/30 days. You can top up if you need more. The premiums are about the same as a single trip for the other carriers.

 

Take as many trips in a year as you want - they're all covered.

 

I've been in the insurance business for 35 years and nothing compares to this policy.

 

My wife and her friend had a horrible experience with RBC a couple of years back. Her friend fell and shattered her elbow in Cuba and needed surgery. This happened on a Monday. RBC was contacted immediately and agreed to evac. her to Canada. Only problem was, they could figure out how to do it. Cuba has strict rules as to who can purchase airline tickets for a 3rd person and RBC was unaware of this. They told my wife and her friend to go to the airport on Wednesday to get a flight out. Problem was, there is a 48 hour waiting period after the ticket is purchased before the 3rd person can leave. So, the authorities wouldn't let them board the plane.

 

Now the 48 hours starts all over again. RBC told my wife to buy the tickets and she would get reimbursed. Problem was, all electronic banking in Cuba was down for 3 days (this is not unusual). So the earliest they can leave is now Friday, but their scheduled return flight is Saturday so RBC says to just get on that flight instead.

 

I should mention that their hotel was in Varadero, but the hospital was in Havana, so my wife had to stay at a Havana fleabag hotel in order to be with her friend. So from Monday to Saturday, they were stuck in Havana. My wife's friend was in great pain and under heavy sedation. She didn't have the surgery until arriving back in Canada, and her arm will never be normal again.

 

All because of RBC's incompetence at not knowing Cuba's restrictions. If they had, my wife could have purchased the tickets on Monday (the banking system was working then) and left immediately.

 

Yes, RBC covered their out of pocket expenses, but the vacation was ruined and my wife's friend's health was affected. And RBC saved themselves the cost of 2 flights home.

 

So, no I wouldn't recommend them.

 

And the company I work for doesn't sell travel insurance, so I have no conflict of interest in case anyone was wondering.

[LiftLockCouple]

Gordandmichele: I initiated the attached thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1184340

You may have read it recently. I would appreciate it if you would review the comments and add your thoughts given your experience with these matters. One of the points of interest to me are the Pre-Ex condition exclusions and how they differ between companies. I am also wondering where you live, presumably in Canada:rolleyes: Your comments about Cuba were interesting, We have 3 grown sons who are going to Cuba for the first time this Saturday for a "brothers" trip. They all have travel insurance.

Thanks

[gordandmichele]

A pre-existing condition.

The pre-existing condition

exclusion that applies to you depends on the Rate

Category you qualified for when you purchased this policy.

Please see the definition of “pre-existing condition” and

“stable” at the end of this policy booklet.

Rate Categories A+ and A.

We will not pay any expenses

relating to:

• a

pre-existing condition that is not stable in the

three (3) months before your effective date

; and/or,

•

your heart condition if, in the three (3) months before

your effective date, it has not been stable or you have

taken any form of nitroglycerine for the relief of angina

pain; and/or,

•

your lung condition if, in the three (3) months before

your effective date, it has not been stable or you required

treatment with oxygen or Prednisone for your lung

condition.

Rate Category B.

We will not pay any expenses relating to:

• a

pre-existing condition that is not stable in the

six (6) months before your effective date

; and/or,

•

your heart condition if, in the six (6) months before your

effective date, it has not been stable or you have taken

any form of nitroglycerine for the relief of angina pain;

and/or,

•

your lung condition if, in the six (6) months before your

effective date, it has not been stable or you required

treatment with oxygen or Prednisone for your lung

condition.

Rate Category C.

We will not pay any expenses relating to:

• a

pre-existing condition that is not stable in the

twelve (12) months before your effective date

; and/or,

•

your heart condition if, in the twelve (12) months before

your effective date, it has not been stable or you have

taken any form of nitroglycerine for the relief of angina

pain; and/or,

•

your lung condition if, in the twelve (12) months before

your effective date, it has not been stable or you required

treatment with oxygen or Prednisone for your lung

condition.

Rate Category D.

We will not pay any expenses relating to:

• a

pre-existing condition for which you have taken,

received or been prescribed medication or treatment in

the three (3) months before your effective date

; and/or,

•

your heart condition if, in the three (3) months before

your effective date, you have taken, received or been

prescribed medication or treatment or you have taken

any form of nitroglycerine for the relief of angina pain;

and/or,

•

your lung condition if, in the three (3) months before

your effective date you have taken, received or been

prescribed medication or treatment or you required

treatment with oxygen or Prednisone for your lung

condition.

 

Pre-existing condition

means a medical condition that

existed before your effective date.

 

Stable

means a medical condition for which:

• there have been no new symptoms, and existing symptoms

have not become more frequent or more severe or there

have been no test results showing deterioration; and/or

• a

physician has not determined that the condition has

become worse; and/or

• a

physician (or other medical professional) has not

prescribed or recommended a change in medication taken

for that condition; and/or

• a

physician (or other medical professional) has not

prescribed or recommended a change in treatment for

that condition; and/or

• there has been no admission to a

hospital and/or you are

not awaiting results of further investigation for that

medical condition.