Travel Insurance Question

[Trencita]

I have a very dear friend who has recently been diagnosed with colon cancer that has metastasized to her liver. She is considered "terminal," but is on a long-term management chemo regime which should buy her some time. After surgery and a few setbacks, she is feeling very good now, although she does kind of slip back every two weeks when she has the chemo.

 

She and her longtime boyfriend/partner have decided to get married in the spring, and she contacted me for suggestions for a honeymoon cruise to the Greek Isles. They have never cruised before, but since my husband and I have extensively, they are hoping I can give them some information. They realize that her ability to take a cruise will be dependent upon her health.

 

I am wondering how to advise them regarding travel insurance. Are there policies that would cover a pre-existing condition and treatment such as chemo? Does anyone have any suggestions I can pass along to my friend?

 

Thanks for any information anyone can share.

[sirwired]

As far as insurance goes, this is going to be tough...

 

- Does her existing health insurance cover emergency treatment overseas? (Some policies do, especially those provided by large employers. Medicare (except for some Medicare Advantage) and most small-employer plans do not.) If not, obtaining medical coverage from a 3rd-party will be difficult, at best.

 

The plans that offer pre-existing condition waivers (which she obviously is going to need) generally require the insured to be fit to travel as of the day you buy the policy. I suppose if she obtains a letter on the day of policy purchase from a physician stating she is "fit to travel", you might could get a claim covered, but I'd expect the insurance company would not exactly cut the check quickly...

 

- What do you mean by "cover chemo"? I assume you aren't expecting a policy to pay for chemotherapy administered overseas...

 

- Her medical coverage has to be willing to cut a check as an advance on a claim for dire emergencies. Many private hospitals (which are the only ones she'd want to use in Greece) require cash or evidence of quality coverage before they'll admit a patient.

 

- If she has medical coverage taken care of, I'd supplement it with as generous a "Cancel for Any Reason" coverage as can be obtained. One that pays in cash, instead of cruise credit. The best 3rd-party plans (which can cover both cruise fare and airfare) top out at, I believe, 75%. If she's too sick to travel, arguing with the insurance company over cancellation penalties would be a bit stressful; to cancel under Any Reason coverage, all you have to do is state "I don't want to go any more."

 

- Absolutely obtain med-evac "Hospital of your choice" coverage. Much med-evac coverage is to the "nearest suitable facility." I suspect she'd want to go home; not get stuck in a Greek Hospital for the duration. This may be available as an optional rider on a 3rd-party plan, or it may have to be purchased as part of an entirely separate policy (MedJetAssist is one of the more well-known providers.)

 

Your best bet is to have your friend call a trip insurance broker, such as insuremytrip or tripinsurance store and describe their needs.

 

Whatever coverage she ends up with may be expensive; only the highest-end policies are going to contain the necessary waivers and coverages. Frankly most companies would prefer she not take a policy at all; luckily plenty of people buy better coverage than they really need, and their premiums cover for the claims of the almost-uninsurable like your friend.

 

I wish your friend good luck and a fine honeymoon!

[cruiseco]

I have a very dear friend who has recently been diagnosed with colon cancer that has metastasized to her liver. She is considered "terminal," .

 

She is going to have a tough time getting around the "terminal" prognosis. With most travel insurance plans, once an outcome moves past being "possible" to being "definite" they're not going to provide any coverage. They're willing to bet, in some circumstances, that the trip will go as planned for someone with a serious medical condition. But insurance companies almost never bet against a sure thing.

[Trencita]

I was afraid this could be a problem for her.

 

I didn't mean that it would be expected for any 3rd party insurer to cover chemo in the sense that they would pay for it - or any other medical costs.

 

Perhaps I didn't write in a clear manner - what I meant was to ask if it would be possible for her to buy a policy to insure the cost of the cruise and associated expenditures (airline tickets, pre-paid hotel deposits, etc) in the event that she should be unable to travel when the actual departure time came.

[sirwired]

If you aren't worried about medical coverage, things become much easier. The best bet is a very good Cancel for any Reason policy, supplemented by good med-evac coverage (and make sure the med-evac doesn't exclude pre-exisiting conditions; some do, some don't.)