Insurance coverage

[Kathyfromstl]

I've never cruised before so when I booked our trip through a TA last summer I also purchased insurance coverage in case of illness, death in the family etc. I thought it was necessary because we had 3 elderly parents at the time (now have 2). As I read comments others have made about insurance I've seen the mention "cancel for any reason" insurance. It's too late for this trip as we sail next month, but for future reference, if we cruise again can you help me with the following questions?

 

1. Is "cancel for any reason" more expensive? It sounds like it may be better insurance, maybe it really doesn't matter.

 

2. Should I have waited until final payment is due to purchase insurance since I can cancel for any reason until then?

 

2. Is there a cost difference if you take out insurance at time of booking vs at time of final payment?

 

Thanks for your input.

 

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[I_r_a]

Hi K,

 

1. Usually.

2. Yes

3. Not usually. HOWEVER, you won't be covered for existing problems if you wait.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Ira

[cabinluvn]

If you google insuring travel, you will come up with companies that give you almost unlimited choices for insurance. I have found the most advantageous policies are offered if it is before final payment. After that the cancel for any reason options are off the table

 

 

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[Kathyfromstl]

I've never cruised before so when I booked our trip through a TA last summer I also purchased insurance coverage in case of illness, death in the family etc. I thought it was necessary because we had 3 elderly parents at the time (now have 2). As I read comments others have made about insurance I've seen the mention "cancel for any reason" insurance. It's too late for this trip as we sail next month, but for future reference, if we cruise again can you help me with the following questions?

 

1. Is "cancel for any reason" more expensive? It sounds like it may be better insurance, maybe it really doesn't matter.

 

2. Should I have waited until final payment is due to purchase insurance since I can cancel for any reason until then?

 

3. Is there a cost difference if you take out insurance at time of booking vs at time of final payment?

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

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[Hlitner]

Just beware that "cancel for any reason" is often not quite what folks think. If you expect to be able to truly cancel "for any reason" right up until the embarkation day, and not lose any money....I have a bridge to sell you in a tiny city called Brooklyn.

 

One also should carefully look at the Medical coverage offered by some of these policies...which is often capped at a minuscule $10,000. These days, medical coverage of less than $100,000 (which we think is till too low) is just nutz...for folks that do not have other international medical coverage. We are amazed at how folks will spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to insure the cost of cruise (which is a fixed and known amount) and have little concern about the truly unlimited liability of a major medical emergency.

 

Hank

[Kathyfromstl]

Just beware that "cancel for any reason" is often not quite what folks think. If you expect to be able to truly cancel "for any reason" right up until the embarkation day, and not lose any money....I have a bridge to sell you in a tiny city called Brooklyn.

 

One also should carefully look at the Medical coverage offered by some of these policies...which is often capped at a minuscule $10,000. These days, medical coverage of less than $100,000 (which we think is till too low) is just nutz...for folks that do not have other international medical coverage. We are amazed at how folks will spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to insure the cost of cruise (which is a fixed and known amount) and have little concern about the truly unlimited liability of a major medical emergency.

 

Hank

Hank, thanks for the additional thoughts. If I have health insurance through my employer and I get ill while in Alaska wouldn't I be covered under them since I am still in the US? The other part of that question is if I get ill on the ship while cruising. Is cruising considered International or US?

 

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[RuthC]

The other part of that question is if I get ill on the ship while cruising. Is cruising considered International or US?

The ship is foreign territory (Holland America ships are registered in The Netherlands).

Even an Alaska cruise spends some time in Canada, so medical plans with coverage in the US only won't help there, either.

[RocketMan275]

Hank, thanks for the additional thoughts. If I have health insurance through my employer and I get ill while in Alaska wouldn't I be covered under them since I am still in the US? The other part of that question is if I get ill on the ship while cruising. Is cruising considered International or US?

 

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As with most insurance questions, you should ask your employee about the coverage. Some will, some won't. I know this doesn't matter to you but Medicare won't cover you outside the US for example.

 

The "insurance" offered through the cruise lines is often 'cancel for any reason'. However, you don't get your money back, you get a credit which may be fine for you.

 

Here's a thought for you. My insurance company advises to buy their insurance when you book the cruise but only insure the amount of the deposit. At final payment, you then insure the rest of the cruise.

 

There's a lot more to it. You might want to read this forum on cruise insurance here on cruise critic: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

[RuthC]

The "insurance" offered through the cruise lines is often 'cancel for any reason'. However, you don't get your money back, you get a credit which may be fine for you.

Holland America refunds in cash when you cancel for any reason. However, it is not refunded at 100%. The premium plan refunds at 90%.

[Kathyfromstl]

As with most insurance questions, you should ask your employee about the coverage. Some will, some won't. I know this doesn't matter to you but Medicare won't cover you outside the US for example.

 

The "insurance" offered through the cruise lines is often 'cancel for any reason'. However, you don't get your money back, you get a credit which may be fine for you.

 

Here's a thought for you. My insurance company advises to buy their insurance when you book the cruise but only insure the amount of the deposit. At final payment, you then insure the rest of the cruise.

 

There's a lot more to it. You might want to read this forum on cruise insurance here on cruise critic: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

Thanks for this link. I tried searching on travel insurance but nothing came up.

 

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[Kathyfromstl]

The ship is foreign territory (Holland America ships are registered in The Netherlands).

Even an Alaska cruise spends some time in Canada, so medical plans with coverage in the US only won't help there, either.

Thanks Ruth. I'll call my insurance company tomorrow to see if they cover anything.

 

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[Hlitner]

The ship is foreign territory (Holland America ships are registered in The Netherlands).

Even an Alaska cruise spends some time in Canada, so medical plans with coverage in the US only won't help there, either.

 

We have no idea about what you are trying to say. So lets talk about it. HAL is an American Corporation (with headquarters in Seattle) and is part of the Carnival (CCL) empire which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (and subject to US laws). The ships, like nearly all cruise ships are registered in a non-US country (many call it a "flag of convenience) for tax and labor purposes. But none of this has anything to do with medical coverage. Even if the ship was registered in the USA (we know of at least one ship that cruises in Hawaii that is US registered) it would not impact US medical insurance. For example, Medicare does not give any coverage outside the USA...except in a few rare circumstance (such as any cruise ship within 6 hours of their US port).

 

If one gets sick on an Alaskan cruise and is evacuated to an Alaskan hospital they would be covered by any US policy. But if they ended up in a Canadian hospital they would generally be out of luck...unless their policy included emergency coverage in a foreign hospital (many US policies do include this type coverage...but many do not!).

 

Hank

[take us away]

One thing you need to be careful with is 'pre-existing conditions' so you need to read the fine print. Many insurance companies will only cover your pre-existing conditions if you buy your insurance within a short time of the initial deposit for your cruise. Example is diabetes; if you have an issue and need hospitalization and did not buy your insurance within the pre-existing requirements, the insurance company can refuse any reimbursement.

 

Always buy insurance when I make the initial deposit due to the pre-existing clause. Have had to cancel a cruise and the prepaid insurance was refunded which was great. It was before final payment so HAL also completely refunded the deposit, etc.

 

A good site is insuremytrip dot com where you can compare various company policies.

[RuthC]

We have no idea about what you are trying to say.

Then we will be happy to explain it to you.

We said that the ship is foreign territory, so any medical bills incurred on board will not be covered by US-only insurance coverage.

[Bowie MeMe]

May I suggest that you also check coverage under your credit card agreement. Some billing themselves (and do the bill!!) as travel cards have some coverage. For a first time cruiser, start slowly and go step by step. Here is how I do it. There are other ways just as effective but this is my way.

 

1. When I book a cruise I immediately have my Travel Agent buy insurance for us from an independent company. Currently I am using Allianz travel insurance. I insure my travel period from the day before leaving to the two days after (winter travel need to take off early or delay in coming back). I also estimate what I might have to pay out before the trip and not get back. So I insure an amount equal to the cost of the trip estimated --- this can be changed later. I do this because I have many pre-exisiting conditions and need those covered by the insurance. My first medical insurance is Medicare and I have secondary insurance Blue Cross/Blue Shield that covers when and what Medicare doesn't. I have had some luck getting my ship's Dr. services paid from BC/BS -- all Dr. bill on ship show up on your sea pass charge and they are as high or higher than what you would have at home. If your insurance at home is limited to a set of Dr. (like Kaiser maybe) then would need to find out if travel insurance needs extra coverage for medical. I have MedJet Assist -- an insurance that provides assistance and transportation from one hospital to another (we often travel to far away places and getting back home is expensive in emergencies.). For getting from where you are hurt/sick to where you can get treatment is called evacuation insurance and is part of some travel insurance policies -- this as others said needs to be in the range of $100.000 as it is terribly expensive to go out and get you and you are not in any way in position to negotiate the price or find a loan right then. My credit card provides lost luggage, car rental and some other benefits. Go on-line and print off the benefits you have with your account. If you have none, maybe want to consider opening a travel type credit card.

 

Happily I have had very little experience collecting on these policies. I hope it stays that way. If you do not choose to insure that is called "self-insurance" because you would be paying out of pocket. This is OK too and lots of folks think this is the way to handle this part of cruising. I'm with Hank, I can handle loosing the cruise fare -- it is the truly huge amounts of money necessary if you have a major medical emergency or problem far away from home where the systems and care may be very different. When I first started cruising -- I too was primarily concerned with the fare if I couldn't go. I have seen and heard of stories that prove you need to study insurance options very carefully THEN you get to look at menus and excursions.:D Enjoy your cruise.

[twentyknots]

My TA has an arrangement with insurance company which allows pre existing waiver if the policy is initiated within 21 days after deposit. At that time, only the deposit amount is covered. Subsequently, whenever additional trip arrangement are made, e.g. airline tickets, final payment, coverage is added and the insurance must be paid with 21 days after each new trip addition to maintain the pre existing waiver. I like this arrangement since I dont have to pay all of the insurance cost up front when I'm not always certain I will do the cruise.

Edited June 7, 2016 by twentyknots

[serendipity1499]

Hank, thanks for the additional thoughts. If I have health insurance through my employer and I get ill while in Alaska wouldn't I be covered under them since I am still in the US? The other part of that question is if I get ill on the ship while cruising. Is cruising considered International or US?

 

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

 

We have no idea about what you are trying to say. So lets talk about it. HAL is an American Corporation (with headquarters in Seattle) and is part of the Carnival (CCL) empire which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (and subject to US laws). The ships, like nearly all cruise ships are registered in a non-US country (many call it a "flag of convenience) for tax and labor purposes. But none of this has anything to do with medical coverage. Even if the ship was registered in the USA (we know of at least one ship that cruises in Hawaii that is US registered) it would not impact US medical insurance. For example, Medicare does not give any coverage outside the USA...except in a few rare circumstance (such as any cruise ship within 6 hours of their US port).

 

If one gets sick on an Alaskan cruise and is evacuated to an Alaskan hospital they would be covered by any US policy. But if they ended up in a Canadian hospital they would generally be out of luck...unless their policy included emergency coverage in a foreign hospital (many US policies do include this type coverage...but many do not!).

 

Hank

 

Hank If you are in a U.S. Hospital in Alaska your U.S. insurance should pay but (big but) if you were treated on board by a HAL physician then it would not pay because a HAL ship is considered a foreign country....

 

Ruth is absolutely right.. When you are on board a HAL ship you are in a foreign country.. We were stopped in Alaska because we tried to take a package of clothes & Articles we had purchased to the post office & mail them home..

 

We had to be cleared by Customs first.. The Customs & Immigration Officer explained this to us.. All HAL ships are registered in Rotterdam & they are considered Foreign carriers ..

 

Our Friend, who was on board with us last year, was treated on board by the ships physician & all their Medical bills had to be submitted to their Travel Insurer..

 

We have medical coverage in the U.S. from DH's company however we have to purchase travel insurance when we travel on a HAL ship.. We use the travel Insurance for any treatments by the Physician on board..

 

Edited June 8, 2016 by serendipity1499

[HELENPSL]

I usually take the insurance thru HAL but after reading your posts I decided to check around. So many different prices. My question is - when you have to list the estimated price of the trip, what exactly do you include? Obviously the cruise and airfare would be included but what else? We are starting in Singapore and will prepay our hotel where will be stay for 5 days before the cruise. We will also prepay our hotel in Tokyo at the end of the cruise. Is there something else that I should include in the estimated amount?

 

Thanks so much for your help.

 

Helen

[RuthC]

My question is - when you have to list the estimated price of the trip, what exactly do you include? Obviously the cruise and airfare would be included but what else?

Include anything that won't be refunded if you can't make it.

 

Will you still have to pay for those hotels if you cancel, or don't complete the trip? Are there entrance fees to attractions, either before, after, or during the trip, that are pre-paid and non-refundable? Do you have to pre-pay any private tours, and will be out the money?

 

You can add insurance as you incur expenses, so you don't have to think of everything all at once.

[Hlitner]

Absolutely agree that the US Medicare program will not pay for foreign treatment (there is one notable exception) which includes on a ship. Some (not all) supplemental policies might reimburse you (after the fact) for onboard treatment...but that seems to be a realy hot or miss kind of thing. Private insurance plans (like the Blues, Aetna) etc. also may or may not pay for onboard treatment. Having worked in the medical insurance industry (at a government agency) for over thirty years.....I still would not be able to predict (with certainty) whether a claim for shipboard treatment would actually get paid, and how much they would pay. It is a lousy answer, but crazy claims (which is what I called them at work) sometimes depend upon whose desk they rest :).

 

Another issue has to do with the quality of treatment onboard. Until recently, HAL was one of the few cruise lines to only use North American (US or Canadian) Emergency Room (traumatologists) physicians. But we have heard that now HAL has abandoned this policy in favor of using physicians from other parts of the world. While these physicians may be top notch (or not)....only HAL knows :). But there are a few reasons why cruise lines prefer to not use North American physicians....which include cost and liability issues. In a related issue, we just read a horrid account of mis treatment of a patient on an Oceania cruise...where a simple case of Vertigo ended up costing the passenger thousands of dollars due to lousy medical treatment (both onboard and at a shoreside clinic which was arranged by the onboard physician).

 

Personally, the thought of having a major medical problem on a cruise scares me! These days, the tendency of cruise line medicine is to kick off, at the next port, anyone who has a real problem. At that point it is no longer the cruise line's problem, But if you are tossed off the ship in a place with substandard medical care....then it is truly your own problem. Very scary.

 

Hank

[Hlitner]

Hank If you are in a U.S. Hospital in Alaska your U.S. insurance should pay but (big but) if you were treated on board by a HAL physician then it would not pay because a HAL ship is considered a foreign country....

 

Ruth is absolutely right.. When you are on board a HAL ship you are in a foreign country.. We were stopped in Alaska because we tried to take a package of clothes & Articles we had purchased to the post office & mail them home..

 

 

 

....You mis understood my post. Medicare would certainly not pay for onboard care (unless within 6 hours of a US Port under certain circumstances) but many supplemental and other insurance policies do cover emergency (and sometimes Urgent) care in a foreign country which would include a cruise ship.

 

The Medicare Supplemental Policies fall under several different categories (controlled by law and regulations). Depending which type supplemental policy you have.....you may or may not be able to get reimbursed for some or all of the cost of onboard care. This is why we suggest that if anyone is not sure...simply call your supplemental provider or private insurer.

 

And if it makes you feel better, despite the fact that I worked over thirty years in the health insurance industry....I still do not always have a clue :). When I was in the business we had about 10,000 diaganosis codes (ICD 9CM) which drives reimbursement. But our wonderful government recently upgraded to their new ICD 10 codes....and expanded to about 68,000 codes. That is one reason (among many) why many sole practitioners have thrown up their hands and sold their practice to a health care system. And unless an onboard physician knew how to properly code a medical bill, there is no way you would ever be able to collect on a claim from a Medicare Supplemental policy. The foreign doctors that work on cruise ships have no clue about the US System....so we would never hold our breath for reimbursement.

 

Hank

P.S. My own personal physician laughed about the new codes and speculated that they now have a code if you are bitten by a yellow jacket on the left arm after exiting a movie theater on a rainy night.

Edited June 8, 2016 by Hlitner

[serendipity1499]

....You mis understood my post. Medicare would certainly not pay for onboard care (unless within 6 hours of a US Port under certain circumstances) but many supplemental and other insurance policies do cover emergency (and sometimes Urgent) care in a foreign country which would include a cruise ship.

 

The Medicare Supplemental Policies fall under several different categories (controlled by law and regulations). Depending which type supplemental policy you have.....you may or may not be able to get reimbursed for some or all of the cost of onboard care. This is why we suggest that if anyone is not sure...simply call your supplemental provider or private insurer.

 

And if it makes you feel better, despite the fact that I worked over thirty years in the health insurance industry....I still do not always have a clue :). When I was in the business we had about 10,000 diaganosis codes (ICD 9CM) which drives reimbursement. But our wonderful government recently upgraded to their new ICD 10 codes....and expanded to about 68,000 codes. That is one reason (among many) why many sole practitioners have thrown up their hands and sold their practice to a health care system. And unless an onboard physician knew how to properly code a medical bill, there is no way you would ever be able to collect on a claim from a Medicare Supplemental policy. The foreign doctors that work on cruise ships have no clue about the US System....so we would never hold our breath for reimbursement.

 

Hank

P.S. My own personal physician laughed about the new codes and speculated that they now have a code if you are bitten by a yellow jacket on the left arm after exiting a movie theater on a rainy night.

 

 

Understand Now.. Sorry I did mis-understand you..

 

But we don't have Medicare Supplemental policies either... We do have a supplemental policy for DH & me which is provided by the company he's retired from... I keep telling DH he has to outlive me, as I will loose that policy if he goes first..

 

However, His policy does not cover re-patriation & medevac which we need now that we are much older..Years ago we did not take out travel insurance, & only started purchasing it in the past 10 years.. When I worked for a Foreign Airline my Company Insurance would cover us out of the country...We've since lost that policy as I opted to take early retirement while still in my 50's..Did not worry then, as DH's health insurance covered us... My Friend used to do billing for her DH, who was a Dentist, & has said the codes kept getting more & more complicated..

 

Thanks for the explanation..

Edited June 9, 2016 by serendipity1499

[Bowie MeMe]

Go to the AARP page and see if they are still partners with MedJet Assist. If so, this insurance helps you get back home hospital from another hospital. Private jet, medical ambulance plane etc. We have carried this for about 9 years. Now that we are getting over 70 not sure how much longer they will insure us. Medical evacuation is the biggie! Our travel insurance policy carries this and it needs to be in the range of 100 thousand or more. I have been commenting a lot on the insurance questions lately and the more you find out the scarier the risk is! Might be that you do the best you can and you keep learning and you pray a lot that "it" doesn't happen on vacation or when you are far away. The only other alternative is to NOT GO and that is certainly not a choice I would make! I guess you INSURE that you have fun and that will have to do it.

[k9x8]

 

The foreign doctors that work on cruise ships have no clue about the US System....so we would never hold our breath for reimbursement.

 

Hank

P.S. My own personal physician laughed about the new codes and speculated that they now have a code if you are bitten by a yellow jacket on the left arm after exiting a movie theater on a rainy night.

 

My insurance covers me anywhere. However, it took several months of back and forth with NCL to get an answer from their legal department- we don't do codes. My company could have simply sent a letter of denial, but the claims person worked out the codes and they sent my check.

 

Travel insurance covered my three nights in the Livorno hospital. They would have booked our flights home, but I preferred to finish recuperating on the Amalfi coast.

 

Now I'm still trying to get NCL to refund taxes and fees, as I was disembarked after 24 hours on board. They are telling me they owe me nothing, and it has become somewhat of a game for me. Thank goodness there is no deadline with Allianz, who have been helpful throughout the process.

[Tampa Girl]

Go to the HAL website for Cancellation Protection Plans:

 

"Four reasons to choose the Holland America Line Cancellation Protection Plan:

 

YOU CAN CANCEL BEFORE DEPARTURE FOR ANY REASON. Even if it's up to 24 hours before departure under our Standard Plan or right up to departure with our Platinum Plan. Your reservation may be easily cancelled for any reason whatsoever - no claim forms to submit or fine print to review.

 

 

YOU GET MONEY BACK. Holland America Line refunds 80-90% of eligible amounts paid, regardless of your reason for canceling, as long as you cancel more than 24 hours prior to departure (right up to departure with the Platinum Plan)."

 

 

I don't know why posters keep mentioning pre-existing conditions. That is a consideration with third party providers, but not with HAL's CPP. I would cheerfully pay 10 - 20% for the opportunity to cancel up to 24 hours before departure if such a necessity existed.