Is Travel Insurance necessary??

[jeanette191]

Do I need to buy travel insurance before my final payment is due. Tomorrow my final payment will be posted to my credit card and now am worried I may be too late. HELP

[Brighton Line]

All valid points. Maybe "limited" wasn't a good choice of words.

 

I have to agree, the schedule for payment for out of network service on my plan (heck the schedule for inplan ain't so hot, glad they have to take it as full payments) would still leave me oweing an arm and a leg after the insurance paid.

[Lou33]

With UHC? I know that I'm out of network, and that's it.

 

My UHC pay in-network rates when we are out of the country. The way that our UHC works is that we must use a network provider "if available", or they pay out of network rates. But of course, when we are out of the country, there are no network providers, so they are forced to pay in-network rates.

[cemroon]

Do I need to buy travel insurance before my final payment is due. Tomorrow my final payment will be posted to my credit card and now am worried I may be too late. HELP

 

HI

Yes, you need to buy Annual Travel Insurance or Single trip Insurance before your final payment. But in that case i suggest you that you should contact with appropriate Travel Insurance company. they will give you all required information.

[wmac]

I am trying to figure our which travel insurance to get. The travel agent will sell me travel guard for all 5 of us and it is $415.00. I called travel guard and I can get the Gold Plan for all of us for $192.00. I also checked with insure my trip and she gave me a rate of $183.00 for all of us and the company was CSA.

I am so confused and I have to decide by Saturday since that will be 14 days after my final payment.

We are taking a Mexican cruise on carnival.

What should I be looking for? Is there a company that is better than the others to work with?

 

Thanks!

[6rugrats]

I am trying to figure our which travel insurance to get. The travel agent will sell me travel guard for all 5 of us and it is $415.00. I called travel guard and I can get the Gold Plan for all of us for $192.00. I also checked with insure my trip and she gave me a rate of $183.00 for all of us and the company was CSA.

I am so confused and I have to decide by Saturday since that will be 14 days after my final payment.

We are taking a Mexican cruise on carnival.

What should I be looking for? Is there a company that is better than the others to work with?

 

Thanks!

 

That's quite a difference in premium between purchasing directly through Travelguard versus your TA. I can't tell you what policy to purchase; I don't know what you are comparing or what your needs are. We've always been happy with Travelguard.

[Lou33]

I am trying to figure our which travel insurance to get. The travel agent will sell me travel guard for all 5 of us and it is $415.00. I called travel guard and I can get the Gold Plan for all of us for $192.00. I also checked with insure my trip and she gave me a rate of $183.00 for all of us and the company was CSA.

I am so confused and I have to decide by Saturday since that will be 14 days after my final payment.

We are taking a Mexican cruise on carnival.

What should I be looking for? Is there a company that is better than the others to work with?

 

Thanks!

 

1) You can almost always get a better deal on your own, vs. using a TA. Your TA is probably getting a big comission, and that why it is much more expensive.

 

2) You said that you used insuremytrip.com and "she" gave you a rate....Did you do this online, or did you call them? If you check online, then you can compare all the plans. I would rather compare them myself than to have someone do it for me. It is easy.

[wmac]

Thanks for all the information. Yes I did call them, I was just feeling so confused, that I wasn't really sure what I should be looking for. I don't anticipate needing the insurance we are all in good health, but after reading everything here, I thought I better look into it.

[donaldsc]

So we just booked our first cruise last week and we were debating on the insurance. Then I remembered a notice I had received from our credit card company about travel coverage. So we called the card company and they patched us through to the travel insurance department. Turns out as long as we put the entire vacation on that card (doesn't have to be all in one payment) we are covered for delay and cancelation of the trip due to illness, death in the family, flight issues by the carrier, issues with the cruise line, weather (the lady rattled on for like 15 minutes with all the things they covered). One stipulation was that if there was an instance of delay or cancel, we only have 30 days to notify them of the claim; seems reasonable enough. I think there are a lot of cards out there that offer this protection but consumers are not completely aware of their benefits. So you may want to check before you spend $ on something you may already have.

 

If the coverage you have listed is all that is covered by your credit card company, you are missing the only 2 things that can cost you really big money - overseas medical coverage and emergency evacuation back home and not to the nearest hospital. Think potential bills of tens of thousands of dollars.

 

That is the only thing that I carry - medical and evacuation. The rest I can afford to loose or pay.

 

DON

[hkolln]

I am trying to figure our which travel insurance to get. The travel agent will sell me travel guard for all 5 of us and it is $415.00. I called travel guard and I can get the Gold Plan for all of us for $192.00. I also checked with insure my trip and she gave me a rate of $183.00 for all of us and the company was CSA.

I am so confused and I have to decide by Saturday since that will be 14 days after my final payment.

We are taking a Mexican cruise on carnival.

What should I be looking for? Is there a company that is better than the others to work with?

 

Thanks!

 

We use travelexinsurance all the time. Had to file a claim and it was done very professionally and quickly. They have some of the better rates I've found. They were also alot cheaper then insuremytrip.com quoted us. Maybe check them out too.

[hkolln]

Most medical insurance policies provided by employeers in the States, do NOT include coverage outside of the continental United States.

 

I work for a major health insurance company and we do cover costs outside the US.

 

They are considered "foreign claims" and reimbursed at a non preferred benefit level (out of network level) but they may be covered (at least for the insurance company I work for it is). If your OON (out of network) deductible is higher then INN (in network) then you'll be responsible for more out of pocket. I process these type of claims personally. I have processed claims on cruiseships and claims from countries outside the US (both inpatient and ER).

 

The only thing to consider is will you be responsible to pay upfront fees to the provider beforehand and that is most likely the case, especially being outside the US. Therefore if you have a medical EVAC then that could be ALOT of money upfront. I am not sure if there is a difference in how travel insurance companies will pay those type of services though or if you'd also have to pay upfront.

 

It's best to get travel insurance anyways because whatever your medical does not pay it may take into consideration depending upon the type of travel insurance coverage.

[cruiseco]

1) You can almost always get a better deal on your own, vs. using a TA. Your TA is probably getting a big comission, and that why it is much more expensive.

.

 

Actually, no. The premiums for these plans are approved bby each state's department of insurance and thus are written in stone. With any particular plan whether you buy it through your TA, through an online comparison site, or directly from the insurer the cost will be the same -- to the penny.

 

The difference comes from choice. The TA may offer only one or two choices, and maybe some of the budget pland won't be in that mix. Other sources with more choices may have many options at a lower cost.

[kathy884]

Several people mentioned UHC coverage. That's what we have too. Although there is unlimited medical evacuation coverage, on our policy there is a $2500 deductible and then they just cover 80% (20% coinsruance). That makes me think that when on a cruise it would be prudent to have some secondary medical evacuation coverage that would pay for that deductible and the 20% co-insurance if something would happen. On insuremytrip.com I saw serveral secondary insurance medical options for a single trip for three people that I could purchase for about $40.

[euan]

Travel insurance is very important and it has so many advantages for the people who travel around the world.Before purchasing the travel insurance we need to know the information about what are the discounts offering by the company and what is the cost of the insurance policies and all...

[euan]

Travel insurance is very important to everyone.....

[euan]

Their are different types of insurance which are very useful for us and it's really helpful.But the thing is if we have an idea on which type of insurance policy is useful for us....then it will be good for us........

[patseacruiser]

All I can say is that you should buy coverage with the necessary medical benefits limit. Look at some of the plans and they only reimburse up to 50K and you saw how someone had to pay $65,000. I know someone who had a $99,000 bill in Italy for a heart attack. You have to choose those limits based on if you have a pre-existing condition and what kind of condition that is, your age and health. There are just a lot of factors to consider. I know I have a pre-existing condition and while it is not 'active' if something went wrong it would cost more than the $50k plan so I buy accordingly. If you are just buying to reimburse the cost of the trip then you can buy cheaply but if you need it for medical emergency then also buy accordingly.

[CruisinGerman]

After reading the earlier post from the person who personally processes international claims, that insurance company seems to be cheating their customers.

 

First of all, why would they limit international coverage to the lower, out-of-network, benefit, when it costs much less to receive medical care outside of the United States than in the United States?

 

A really good health insurance plan that offers international coverage will use an assistance company/service that customers can call while overseas, and it is the assistance service that establishes a payment guarantee with a hospital located outside of the United States. This is a very common practice for most major insurers worldwide, and there should be no reason why the customer should be forced to front the money in a hospital, just because it is located outside the United States.

 

And if it is really true that your deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses are going to be much higher by using the insurance outside of the United States, then the insurance seems quite useless and you would probably be better off purchasing a good travel insurance policy.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[CRUISE4JANE]

Here's a current story about why insurance is critical, especially if you are over 60. A friend of ours and her husband were leaving today (Sunday) for a two week river cruise in Europe. Last Thursday, she had a brain embolism; so, obviously the trip is off! I don't know if they had insurance; but, if they didn't, there goes many thousands of dollars which, if they did have insurance would have only cost them a few hundred. And just think what the situation would have been if this happened next week when they were on the cruise in Europe! That is why it is also critical to make sure you have sufficient medivac coverage in your purchased policy.

 

As a footnote: Our friend seems to be doing OK under the circumstances; but all prayers are appreciated. Her name is Judy!

 

Moral of the story: BUY TRIP INSURANCE EVERY TIME!

 

Don & Erica

 

"Ditto". I will say a prayer for your friend. I do have to add this saying, "You don't have to be old for something to happen". I saw a small child evacuated on one of my cruises. GET THE INSURANCE.

[CRUISE4JANE]

Please get the insurance. It is not just for the trip cancellation, but also for the medical. On one of my cruises, a small child was evacuated from the ship. Remember it is not just the elderly, but also the young that can have something happen.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We have collected 3 times

[silviaeaston]

I agree with the prior postings that trip insurance is a MUST. Here is why, a few years back, I was on a cruise with my parents and some other family. Day 1 was lovely, went snorkeling blah blah blah. Day 2, go about the day, and wonder why I haven't seen my dad all day. :confused: Well his "little cough" that he had upon leaving had turned into pneumonia, and he was in the infirmary receiving IV antibiotics .....

 

Well, after 20 cruises, I've come to find out that my bronchial problems are due to the stuff that the ship sprays for the Norovirus. BEWARE!!!

I hadn't had asthma since I was 11....I'm now 64. It is obvious when the cruise ships go in "high alert" and start spraying, so I try to be outside the ship for as long as I can during the day. One of the cruise ships, when I complained (after the cruise), on the next cruise they had a wine bottle "gratis" for "the trouble I had had on last cruise". So Beware.:eek:

[Marian Paroo]

I cannot believe that anybody would ask that question !

[Funfab5]

I began getting travel insurance for my family because I wanted the peace of mind of knowing that if one of my kids got sick while we were away we wouldn't go bankrupt getting them care.

 

In August 2011 we were on a sailing out of San Juan when Hurricane Irene hit the Northeast hard. Newark Airport closed, and our flight home was canceled. The airline could only rebook us on a flight 13 days later. Yes, I said 13 days. We ended up spending $7000 to remain in PR until the airports opened and get ourselves home on one-way flights from a different airline. Every cent was recuperated from our insurance.

 

While sitting at the pool at our Marriott passing the 2 bonus vacation days, we chatted with a family who had the cruise line insurance. They'd paid more for that insurance for their party of 3 on one cruise than we did for our B2B with a family of 5. The kicker? They booked their flight independently, so they had no coverage. They couldn't get back to Pennsylvania for an extra 10 days. Needless to say, we did not foresee this problem but were very relieved to have the coverage!

[Marian Paroo]

I get inexpensive travel insurance that covers everything through my HMO. It even includes a cancellation if I have to make one because of illness of a first degree relative