Princess Platinum Insurance Review

[pilot]

I am a Platinum member on Princess and purchased the Princess insurance for my 18 April Royal Princess Cruise.

 

My wife woke up Thursday morning April 23 with a high fever. She went to the medical center and was seen by a doctor and diagnosed with the flu, influenza B (we both had flu shots). She was given 5 prescriptions. She was also asked to stay in her room for 36 hours. She was visited 3 times in our room by a nurse and was cleared to leave the room Friday evening.

 

The total cost for the treatment was $335 and was put on my sea pass card.

 

I requested the claim forms from AON (insurance company) when we returned home on May 3. I then received an email saying they received my request for form...gave me a reference number and said I would receive the forms in 2 business days.

 

I got an email with the forms on May 6. There is a note at the top of the form stating that this insurance is secondary to any other group insurance. I am retired military and have TRICARE Standard for my insurance. TRICARE is secondary to any other insurance so I called AON to see where to file first. The lady was very friendly and told me they were familiar with TRICARE and that I should send the forms to AON.

 

I mailed the forms to AON on May 7.

 

On May 14 I received an email that they have received my claim forms.

 

On June 2 I received an email that they had completed my claim processing and that they would be mailing a check for the entire amount $335 within 2 days.

 

On June 8 I received the check.

 

I just want to say that the entire medical team on the Royal Princess were very professional and friendly.

 

Also the entire insurance claim process was very simple. AON did a great job keeping me informed on the processing.

[RocketMan275]

I am a Platinum member on Princess and purchased the Princess insurance for my 18 April Royal Princess Cruise.

 

Also the entire insurance claim process was very simple. AON did a great job keeping me informed on the processing.

 

Thanks for the report. I have Tricare for Life so this was particularly interesting. I've been using USAA for insurance but now that we're Platinum, I've been considering Princess insurance.

[Colo Cruiser]

That's great! Glad it was so smooth. :)

[Thrak]

Like most I love to hear a happy ending. Sorry your wife became ill and missed part of her cruise but things turned out so much better than they could have.

[Pam in CA]

Glad it worked for you. I got sick with a severe cold while on the Royal last September and tried to self-medicate and ignore how I felt for days. I finally acknowledged that I wasn't getting better after about four days and went to the Medical Center. Like the OP's wife, I was given a stack of medications and they tested me for a virus. No virus. I crawled into bed for a couple of days and after about 48 hours, felt a lot better. When I got home, I submitted the Medical Center invoice to Anthem Blue Cross and was denied. Submitted the invoice to Berkley Care and received the refund about ten days later.

[Croptop]

Thank you all for posting your experiences with the Princess Platinum insurance. I have always purchased it for my cruises but have never had the need to use it. It is reassuring to hear that I'm not wasting my money on coverage that makes it impossible to actually file a claim.

[Hlitner]

Forgive me for being a contrarian but we will be consistent with some of our other posts elsewhere on CC. If you get a cold, flu, or even something more serious the Princess Platinum plan may well pay-off without too many hassles. Yes, that is a good thing.

 

However, lets say you have a real serious medical problem, have to be evacuated to a hospital in a foreign land, and quickly run-up $80,000 in medical bills for critical care, surgery, etc. That same Princess plan will pay $20,000 and then say....that is all we will pay. My point is that while the plan is fine for relatively minor things, once your expenses go over $20,000 they say "too bad, you exceeded our maximum." Now some folks might thing that $20,000 of Medical is generous coverage, but we have seen that amount exceeded very quickly when you have a major problem. So for those that have no other insurance that will give them coverage outside the country we always suggest finding a travel med policy with at least $100,000 in medical coverage,,,and that should be the bare minimum. Buying insurance that will pay off for minor claims of a few hundred or even thousand dollars is fine, but not having coverage for a truly major medical issue is taking a gamble with your entire financial future (for most folks).

 

If I have to fight with an insurance company over a $300 claim my life will not change if they refuse to pay or if they are nice and do pay. But if I am fighting to get reimbursement for a $80,000 claim or even a $30,000 claim and they have a $20,000 limit it is going to be a very bad day for me :).

 

Hank

Edited June 9, 2015 by Hlitner

[Colo Cruiser]

Very good points. :)

[alonzo14]

Forgive me for being a contrarian but we will be consistent with some of our other posts elsewhere on CC. If you get a cold, flu, or even something more serious the Princess Platinum plan may well pay-off without too many hassles. Yes, that is a good thing.

 

However, lets say you have a real serious medical problem, have to be evacuated to a hospital in a foreign land, and quickly run-up $80,000 in medical bills for critical care, surgery, etc. That same Princess plan will pay $20,000 and then say....that is all we will pay. My point is that while the plan is fine for relatively minor things, once your expenses go over $20,000 they say "too bad, you exceeded our maximum." Now some folks might thing that $20,000 of Medical is generous coverage, but we have seen that amount exceeded very quickly when you have a major problem. So for those that have no other insurance that will give them coverage outside the country we always suggest finding a travel med policy with at least $100,000 in medical coverage,,,and that should be the bare minimum. Buying insurance that will pay off for minor claims of a few hundred or even thousand dollars is fine, but not having coverage for a truly major medical issue is taking a gamble with your entire financial future (for most folks).

 

If I have to fight with an insurance company over a $300 claim my life will not change if they refuse to pay or if they are nice and do pay. But if I am fighting to get reimbursement for a $80,000 claim or even a $30,000 claim and they have a $20,000 limit it is going to be a very bad day for me :).

 

Hank

 

Thank you for sharing this! I think you've made a very good point. I always try to get high coverage for this very reason. Also, depending on the type of evacuation needed and where medical evacuation can get very expensive much less adding medical cost to that.

[riclop]

Thanks for the updates.

[dicksue]

Thanks for the report. I have Tricare for Life so this was particularly interesting. I've been using USAA for insurance but now that we're Platinum, I've been considering Princess insurance.

 

Actually, the correct way to submit the claim is to use TRICARE OVERSEAS, if you were not in the US, or TRICARE STD if within the US. They are the 1st payer. AON will pay you any unpaid portion including giving you back the deductible you had paid with TRICARE. Princess insurance is treated the same as the secondary insurances offered by the various service organizations. TRICARE really should make known the process as many current and retired military do not do it correctly.

[Pam in CA]

Hank, very good points. No matter what insurance you get, it's a gamble or hedge against something happening. We see so many heartbreaking stories here on CC by someone who didn't get insurance and something unexpected happens. It's important for everyone to know what their medical and travel insurance covers.

[seamanfs]

Actually, the correct way to submit the claim is to use TRICARE OVERSEAS, if you were not in the US, or TRICARE STD if within the US. They are the 1st payer. AON will pay you any unpaid portion including giving you back the deductible you had paid with TRICARE. Princess insurance is treated the same as the secondary insurances offered by the various service organizations. TRICARE really should make known the process as many current and retired military do not do it correctly.

 

Great point! We had an experience a few yrs. ago with my illness and subsequent air-evac to Miami and had Princess Platinum and they were great. Had TriCare Std as primary and submitted the bill for the Ruby Princess charges which were about $ 3500. The tricare rep. called and told us they were "walking it" over to the Intl. desk for payment as it took place outside the U.S. We appreciated the service and did not realize the need to file with a different tricare branch.

[GolfMom321]

Does the Princess Platinum cover pre-existing conditions? That's always the one that gets me.

[NavyVeteran]

I had the same excellent response from Princess Travel Protection as the OP.

 

My wife and I are covered under Medicare (primary) and Tricare for Life (secondary). Outside the United States where Medicare does not provide coverage, Tricare for Life becomes Primary.

 

However, Tricare for Life is secondary to any other health insurance - except for a policy that is specifically written as a Tricare supplement, and those of us on Medicare and Tricare for Life normally don't have a Tricare supplement. Even though the Princess Vacation Protection is sold as secondary insurance, it is not a Tricare supplement. The US law making Tricare for Life secondary overrules the language in the Princess Vacation Protection stating it is secondary.

 

As the OP said, when I notified the insurance company for Princess Vacation Protection that my other insurance was Tricare for Life, they asked me to submit directly to them - without submitting to Tricare for Life first. They paid everything in full with no problems.

 

I agree with the comment that Princess Vacation Protection coverage limits may not be adequate for someone with no other medical insurance, including someone with Medicare only (which provides no coverage outside the US). However, Princess Vacation Protection may be adequate for those of us with Tricare for Life since we only need insurance to cover the copayments and deductibles under Tricare for Life.

 

I normally purchase Princess Vacation Protection whenever I am cruising if I do not have non-Princess pre- or post-cruise activities to cover. I purchase it for the following reasons:

• I have received excellent response on claims.
  
• We have Tricare for Life, so I don't have to cover all of our potential medical expenses.
  
• Unlike third party insurance, it is not age rated. Therefore it is generally less expensive for those of us who are a little older (especially with the Platinum upgrade for Ruby and higher).
  
• It includes coverage for cancellation for any reason. I realize this is in the form of a cruise credit, but we always have another cruise scheduled.
  

[seamanfs]

I had the same excellent response from Princess Travel Protection as the OP.

 

My wife and I are covered under Medicare (primary) and Tricare for Life (secondary). Outside the United States where Medicare does not provide coverage, Tricare for Life becomes Primary.

 

However, Tricare for Life is secondary to any other health insurance - except for a policy that is specifically written as a Tricare supplement, and those of us on Medicare and Tricare for Life normally don't have a Tricare supplement. Even though the Princess Vacation Protection is sold as secondary insurance, it is not a Tricare supplement. The US law making Tricare for Life secondary overrules the language in the Princess Vacation Protection stating it is secondary.

 

As the OP said, when I notified the insurance company for Princess Vacation Protection that my other insurance was Tricare for Life, they asked me to submit directly to them - without submitting to Tricare for Life first. They paid everything in full with no problems.

 

I agree with the comment that Princess Vacation Protection coverage limits may not be adequate for someone with no other medical insurance, including someone with Medicare only (which provides no coverage outside the US). However, Princess Vacation Protection may be adequate for those of us with Tricare for Life since we only need insurance to cover the copayments and deductibles under Tricare for Life.

 

I normally purchase Princess Vacation Protection whenever I am cruising if I do not have non-Princess pre- or post-cruise activities to cover. I purchase it for the following reasons:

• I have received excellent response on claims.
  
• We have Tricare for Life, so I don't have to cover all of our potential medical expenses.
  
• Unlike third party insurance, it is not age rated. Therefore it is generally less expensive for those of us who are a little older (especially with the Platinum upgrade for Ruby and higher).
  
• It includes coverage for cancellation for any reason. I realize this is in the form of a cruise credit, but we always have another cruise scheduled.
  

We now have Medicare and TriCare for Life too. Thank you for the info.Hope never to need to submit any claims but now I know what to do!!

[twiggycat]

 

I was hurt on the bus( princess) going to the airport. When we arrived the bus driver insisted I get off even though I could not walk. He "helped" me get off to the waiting arms of Princess employees who did not know what to do with me. They insisted it was no longer their problem as the trip was now over.

DH went into airport and they helped with a wheelchair and helped (carried) me on and off the plane.

 

We have MEDJET , and Princess Platinum. and secondary insurance. Medicare doesn't work In Canada.

To use MEDJET we would have to call an ambulance , go to hospital get ok to fly and wait for an available flight they pick. We were already at the airport so all I could think of was just get home.

 

Went straight to the ER upon landing.

 

So here is the question-- Should we send the bills our insurance is not paying to Princess Insurance even though they say it is not their problem.

Would we have to prove injury was on the bus. ( track down the bus driver).

 

We were not going to as the bill that night was only $35 for ER but now we getting more and more bills that are adding up.

 

Waiting on having surgery . Torn Meniscus.

[caribill]

 

 

 

Medicare doesn't work In Canada.

To use MEDJET we would have to call an ambulance , go to hospital get ok to fly and wait for an available flight they pick. We were already at the airport so all I could think of was just get home.

 

Went straight to the ER upon landing.

 

So here is the question-- Should we send the bills our insurance is not paying to Princess Insurance even though they say it is not their problem.

 

We were not going to as the bill that night was only $35 for ER but now we getting more and more bills that are adding up.

 

Waiting on having surgery . Torn Meniscus.

 

Since you are back in the USA, wouldn't Medicare and your secondary insurance cover almost everything now?

[NavyVeteran]

 

I was hurt on the bus( princess) going to the airport. When we arrived the bus driver insisted I get off even though I could not walk. He "helped" me get off to the waiting arms of Princess employees who did not know what to do with me. They insisted it was no longer their problem as the trip was now over.

DH went into airport and they helped with a wheelchair and helped (carried) me on and off the plane.

 

We have MEDJET , and Princess Platinum. and secondary insurance. Medicare doesn't work In Canada.

To use MEDJET we would have to call an ambulance , go to hospital get ok to fly and wait for an available flight they pick. We were already at the airport so all I could think of was just get home.

 

Went straight to the ER upon landing.

 

So here is the question-- Should we send the bills our insurance is not paying to Princess Insurance even though they say it is not their problem.

Would we have to prove injury was on the bus. ( track down the bus driver).

 

We were not going to as the bill that night was only $35 for ER but now we getting more and more bills that are adding up.

 

Waiting on having surgery . Torn Meniscus.

 

Remember the Princess "employees" at the airport may not actually be Princess employees. At many airports, they are employed by another company that provides meet and greet for several different cruise lines. I am not surprised that they would not be prepared to handle this kind of a problem.

 

However, your question is not about Princess's liability. It is about the liability of the insurance company under Princess Vacation Protection, and that is a completely different thing.

 

Under Princess Vacation Protection, "Your coverage automatically ends on the earlier of 1) the date the Covered Cruise Vacation is completed; 2) the Scheduled Return Date; 3) your arrival at the return destination on a round-trip, or the destination on a one-way trip; 4) cancellation of the Cruise Vacation covered by the Plan."

 

Therefore it should cover you for any accident on the way to the airport (even if it were not a Princess transfer) or at the airport. It would not cover you for an accident after you arrived home.

 

I see no reason not to submit a claim for the amount not covered by your other insurance. I believe they should cover it. You may need to provide documentation that the accident happened on the trip, but your statement along with the date and time of the flight and the date and time of the emergency room admittance may be enough.

 

I can't guarantee what they will pay. However, there is one thing I can guarantee - If you do not submit a claim, they will not pay anything.

[dicksue]

I had the same excellent response from Princess Travel Protection as the OP.

 

My wife and I are covered under Medicare (primary) and Tricare for Life (secondary). Outside the United States where Medicare does not provide coverage, Tricare for Life becomes Primary.

 

However, Tricare for Life is secondary to any other health insurance - except for a policy that is specifically written as a Tricare supplement, and those of us on Medicare and Tricare for Life normally don't have a Tricare supplement. Even though the Princess Vacation Protection is sold as secondary insurance, it is not a Tricare supplement. The US law making Tricare for Life secondary overrules the language in the Princess Vacation Protection stating it is secondary.

 

As the OP said, when I notified the insurance company for Princess Vacation Protection that my other insurance was Tricare for Life, they asked me to submit directly to them - without submitting to Tricare for Life first. They paid everything in full with no problems.

 

I agree with the comment that Princess Vacation Protection coverage limits may not be adequate for someone with no other medical insurance, including someone with Medicare only (which provides no coverage outside the US). However, Princess Vacation Protection may be adequate for those of us with Tricare for Life since we only need insurance to cover the copayments and deductibles under Tricare for Life.

 

I normally purchase Princess Vacation Protection whenever I am cruising if I do not have non-Princess pre- or post-cruise activities to cover. I purchase it for the following reasons:

• I have received excellent response on claims.
  
• We have Tricare for Life, so I don't have to cover all of our potential medical expenses.
  
• Unlike third party insurance, it is not age rated. Therefore it is generally less expensive for those of us who are a little older (especially with the Platinum upgrade for Ruby and higher).
  
• It includes coverage for cancellation for any reason. I realize this is in the form of a cruise credit, but we always have another cruise scheduled.
  

 

As usual the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing. My experience was just the opposite when my wife broke her leg in Greece while on a cruise. TRICARE FOR LIFE had me submit the claim FIRST to them and than Princess Protection picked up the unpaid portion and the deductible. They told me that Princess Protection is INDEED a secondary insurance in this case. I agree that no matter what, the biggest advantage for Princess Protection in our case is the cancellation provision. Guess it all depends on who answers the phone.

[RASHOPPER2]

Does Princess Platinum cover pre-existing conditions? If so, what are their provisions for this very important coverage?

[caribill]

Does Princess Platinum cover pre-existing conditions? If so, what are their provisions for this very important coverage?

 

Per the Princess web site:

 

Yes! Princess Vacation Protection provides reimbursement for conditions that are stable during the 60-days prior to purchase, so if you have had no changes in your health (even if you are continuous unchanged medication), you would be protected.

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/prepare.jsp#Princess_Vacation_Protection

[JoAnneNYI]

Princess insurance does not have the pre existing condition exclusion. Pre existing exclusion...unless I have it wrong....does not have any look back period..i.e. 60 days.

 

We always get a policy with that exclusion....especially due to having elderly parents that have many health conditions. The older they get the more apt we may have to cancel a trip if they get ill...whether traveling with you or not.

 

Usually the policy needs to be paid for within 15 days of first trip payment.

Always use Squaremouth or insuremytrip dot com to compare.

[JoAnneNYI]

http://www.travelinsurancereview.net/coverages/pre-existing-condition/

[cruisequeen4ever]

So glad it worked well for you, and thank you for sharing your experience!