Travel insurance

[doggylover]

Has anyone found reasonable travel insurance with no pre existing condition clause?

Does anyone know of any group travel insurance?

 

Doggylover

[brian_uk]

Sounds to me like you want perfection in cover. I doubt that any Insurance Company will offer such a Policy unless you are maybe in your 20's, and I don't mean born in the 1920's.

 

Why on earth would they take such a risk. Good luck

 

Brian

[YoHoHo]

Maybe. According to tripinsurancestore "Technically, all travel insurance policies exclude coverage for Pre-existing Medical Conditions."

However they go on to say that "you can cover pre-existing conditions " and "waive the exclusion associated with a Pre-existing Condition by following" some rules.

 

Seems to me the key to coverage is stability and the 'look-back' period. I found some pretty broad coverage from a site listed here on CC in the Cruise Discussion area but it was only for the USA. There are other sites that compare and sell policies from several suppliers.

 

I need to knuckle down and get this resolved myself. It is a tricky issue because the wording of the exclusions (not just for pre-existing conditions) is hard to understand.

 

You may find some good info in the http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635 section for discussions on this.

[Benita]

Has anyone found reasonable travel insurance with no pre existing condition clause?

Does anyone know of any group travel insurance?

 

Doggylover

 

Certain societies provide medical evacuation coverage, which you buy by the year - AARP and the American Medical Association are two that come to mind. Also, if you use the AMEX Platinum card, you get that coverage as well.

As far as cancellation insurance, if you buy it within 2 weeks of your deposit, most will waive preexisting conditions and some will even waive it if you purchase it within a day of your final payment. You can go to http://www.insuremytrip.com or tripinsurancestore and compare.

[azam71209]

Has anyone found reasonable travel insurance with no pre existing condition clause?

Does anyone know of any group travel insurance?

 

Doggylover

 

We have used Travelguard, which was wonderful when my husband had a heart attack in Russia and we had to go by air ambulance to Finland so he could have bypass surgery. They made all the arrangements for us and kept in daily contact to make sure we were getting what we needed. That wasn't a pre-existing condition issue. He was one of those people who had never been sick a day in his life.

 

Travelguard also has pre-existing condition coverage, IF you buy the insurance within 15 days of your first deposit and are healthy enough for travel on that day. There are other plans that will cover a pre-existing condition if it's within 15 days of your final payment. Keep in mind, though, that if you wait, you might find that no company will cover an unusual event that has already started-the volcano, for example.

 

Best to get coverage when you make your initial plans. You can also check for exculsions on the company website-strike plans at airlines, tour companies in financial trouble, etc. Good information to have in any case.

 

Go to insuremytrip.com to get more information on different companies.

 

Have a great trip.

[DOJO466]

We have used Travelguard, which was wonderful when my husband had a heart attack in Russia and we had to go by air ambulance to Finland so he could have bypass surgery. They made all the arrangements for us and kept in daily contact to make sure we were getting what we needed. That wasn't a pre-existing condition issue. He was one of those people who had never been sick a day in his life.

 

Travelguard also has pre-existing condition coverage, IF you buy the insurance within 15 days of your first deposit and are healthy enough for travel on that day. There are other plans that will cover a pre-existing condition if it's within 15 days of your final payment. Keep in mind, though, that if you wait, you might find that no company will cover an unusual event that has already started-the volcano, for example.

 

Best to get coverage when you make your initial plans. You can also check for exculsions on the company website-strike plans at airlines, tour companies in financial trouble, etc. Good information to have in any case.

 

Go to insuremytrip.com to get more information on different companies.

 

Have a great trip.

Squaremouth.com also has a good comparison chart on different companies. Easy to navigate.

[Dreps]

We use CSA Travel Protection, which our great TA told us about. They waive pre-existing conditions AND you don't have to pay the premium until you make the final cruise payment. Their rates are comparable to other companies such as Travelguard, etc.

[MomC]

Travel Guard waives pre-existing conditions IF purchased within 15 days of initial deposit. Since my husband suffers from Crohn's disease, we always purchase it as soon as we put down deposit.

 

It's a good thing; last February, we had a trip to Egypt planned and he had an attack 5 days before we were supposed to go. We had to cancel after we consulted the doctor. It was a battle somewhat to get it back, but we did. When I say a battle, we initially were told it was a "pre-existing condition" and therefore not covered. I pointed out the date the policy was purchased and said that we did it because of his pre-exisiting condition. No problem. It was covered. Only one sticking point. Be sure to buy insurance on the total amount of the trip, not approximately the cost (i.e. if it costs $7,059 per person, DON't purchase just $7,000 worth), it must be for the full amount you will lose OR they will deny the entire amount. I had to jump through some hoops because I had done the approx. cost, but did get it back in the end. I have learned my lesson. I will "round up" not down from now on.

 

Travel Guard is a reputable company and because I had documented everything along the way, we got our money back. Hope this helps.

[doggylover]

thanks for all the info and great tips.

 

After much research I see CSA is the only company that covers pre-existing conditions with insurance purchased at final payment.

 

Also, the custom policy must be purchased thru an agent . If you buy directly from CSA the pre existing condition clause is only on the more expensive policy.

 

Doggylover

[tropicalkerry2002]

when you say it must be purchased through an agent, do you mean a travel agent?

I have just looked at their website, and didn't see the fact that the waiver to pre-existing conditions is only on the more expensive policy....

thanks for any help.

[azam71209]

thanks for all the info and great tips.

 

After much research I see CSA is the only company that covers pre-existing conditions with insurance purchased at final payment.

 

Also, the custom policy must be purchased thru an agent . If you buy directly from CSA the pre existing condition clause is only on the more expensive policy.

 

Doggylover

 

If you buy from a travel agent, if the agency goes bust or doesn't forward your payment to the cruise line, you are out of luck. You are not covered for the bad behavior of the agent who sells you the policy, if, for example, the agent takes your money but doesn't pass it on to the cruise line, hotel, etc.

 

We will often buy from the TA (they get a small commission) but then charge everything and verify that the cruise line actually got the payment.

 

Also, if you wait to buy insurance until final payment, you will not be covered for anything that comes up between the time of your initial deposit and the final payment. For example, if a volcano has erupted, a strike has been declared, or you are not "fit for travel" on the day of final payment, those events will be excluded and the insurance will not pay if you can't travel because of them.

[doggylover]

Hi:

 

Steve at Trip Insurance Store is very knowledgeable about every aspect of travel insurance. You must be able to travel the day you purchase the insurance. I think it is a good idea to have your Dr. write a letter stating you are fit to travel (for your files) when you are going on a long trip and buying insurance.

 

Doggylover