Celebrity Travel Protection Insurance

[mayleeman]

21 minutes ago, ghstudio said:

If you have a medical condition that is stable and has been stable during the lookback period (number of days back from the day you are buying the policy), then you do NOT have a pre-existing condition that would cause the policy not to pay a claim.  What does stable mean...that's defined in the same definition.....it essentially means that you have had no change in medication and no change that caused you, or should have caused you to make a special trip to your doctor...you do not have a "pre-existing condition".

Interesting gamble you recommend. When you have a-fib, high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary artery obstructions, etc, it is really hard to know months ahead of time if your medication will change or if there will be a change in condition. If you have preexisting conditions, buying when booking might cost a few extra dollars if you would have had that money invested, but it can insulate you from thousands of dollars in disputed claims and endless aggravation even if you win appeals.

 

If you wait to buy hoping to fall safely into the lookback period, then some nitwit serves you something with a triggering additive, and you go into a-fib requiring a bout of blood thinners, boom! No waiver, no insurance coverage for a related event on the cruise. 

Edited June 12, 2019 by mayleeman

[ghstudio]

I am not suggesting anyone gamble.  Our decision has been that if something happens before the final payment date, we'll probably cancel the cruise anyway.  In our case, we do have $50K of non-USA medical without cruise insurance...and we have an annual MedJet policy and those factor into our decision to delay buying the insurance.  Everyone has to assess their own situation...the biggest risks are flights home and medical costs.  Evacuation from ship to hospital is, in most cases, is no cost (a worldwide agreement in place to assure that injured folks on any type of ship can get emergency medical help)....for example, the US Coast Guard does not charge for emergency evacuations from a ship. There are, of course, exceptions.

 

The real message is that everyone should talk to a travel insurance expert....that does not include your travel agent or the cruise line.  If you have no other insurance, my opinion is that the insurance offered by celebrity and it's competition is inadequate in some areas, should  you have a serious problem.  Others will disagree.   But whatever you decide to do....read the policy to understand what you are buying. 

 

BTW, I do have one of those "pre-existing" conditions  you mentioned...it's just been very stable for many years.

Edited June 12, 2019 by ghstudio

[OT-Miami]

Travel insurance is very personally specific for each traveler’s needs and, as evidence by some of the previous posts, can elicit very strong opinions.  DH & I have only started purchasing TI in the past five years or so, and thankfully have never had the need to use it, so my input is going to relate solely to my experience researching and purchasing TI.

 

As newbies to TI we purchased coverage through the airlines with Allianz, and CruiseCare from Celebrity.   We also have trip cancellation and interruption coverage from our credit card.  After doing some research we felt that we wanted more comprehensive coverage that can offer emergency evacuation in addition to medical evacuation (they are not the same thing).  I have an elderly MIL and a disabled brother for whom I am legal guardian, so we need a plan that provides cancellation and trip interruption coverage for emergencies related to others not traveling with us.

 

As others have mentioned, stable pre-existing conditions are usually covered under most policies provided there is no change within the policy’s look-back period.  But if you purchase your cruise months in advance like we do, there is no guarantee that that stable condition won’t require a visit to the doctor, so it might no longer be covered.

 

We checked out squaremouth.com and insuremytrip.com, but eventually went with tripinsurancestore.com.  They provide quotes for some of the best companies, including Geo-Blue, MedJetAssist, Travelex, Travel Guard, etc., and provide side-by-side comparisons with multiple insurers for each specific trip.  Their customer service is top notch and everyone is very friendly, knowledgeable and happy to answer the endless questions I kept coming up with.  For our recent trip in May I received an email two weeks before departure to make sure that I had my travel policy documents and answer any last-minute questions before our trip.  I have used them multiple times over the years and have been very happy with their service.  Again, we have been very fortunate to never have actually used the insurance.

 

The bottom line is you need to research coverage that meets your specific needs.  Once you find a company / policy that you like, I would recommend coming back to CC (and the travel insurance board specifically) to inquire about other travelers’ experience with your selected company / plan.  Good luck and safe travels 😊

[Luckiestmanonearth]

So except for pre existing medical conditions, if we don’t have that, is there any reason to book any kind of travel insurance when I book my cruise (which is Mar 2020)?

 

For example , if we’re only interested in the medical evac and treatment if something happens during the cruise

Edited June 12, 2019 by Luckiestmanonearth

[Luckiestmanonearth]

??

[OT-Miami]

3 hours ago, Luckiestmanonearth said:

So except for pre existing medical conditions, if we don’t have that, is there any reason to book any kind of travel insurance when I book my cruise (which is Mar 2020)?

 

For example , if we’re only interested in the medical evac and treatment if something happens during the cruise

Coverage for pre-existing conditions is only available if purchased within 14-21 days of your initial cruise deposit, regardless of when you actually sail.  This is also true for most cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) coverage.   Without CFAR, you are only covered if you cancel or your trip is interrupted due to covered reasons. 

 

If you are beyond 21 days after initial deposit (or simply don’t care for pre-existing coverage or CFAR) there is no urgency to purchase any type of coverage until final payment, when you would stand to lose money in the event of a cancellation. 

 

This is why I like the Trip Insurance Store.  They have options for as much or as little coverage as you want or need.  You can get quotes for travel delay/interruptions/cancellation, medical only, evacuation only, or anything that meets your needs.  Their website has a ton of information and is super easy to use.  I cannot recommend them enough.

[sippican]

For those who travel frequently, both in the US and internationally, you may want to consider an annual policy for evacuation. MedJet Assist will get you home if you are hospitalized more than 150 miles from home, and need continued care.  You get to choose which facility you want to be transferred to and be deemed stable to be transported. This is very different from standard evacuation  coverage, which will only transport you to the nearest qualified medical facility - whether that be Tanzania, or Russia. If you want to get home, you are on your own.

Another popular insurer will get you back to the US only if it is medically necessary to be treated in the US. It is very importanrt to us at this stage in our lives to know that we would have the option to receive treatment in a hospital of our choice, near home.

[Luckiestmanonearth]

3 hours ago, OT-Miami said:

 

If you adon’t care for pre-existing coverage, there is no urgency to purchase any type of coverage until final payment, when you would stand to lose money in the event of a cancellation. 

 

This is why I like the Trip Insurance Store.  They have options for as much or as little coverage as you want or need.  You can get quotes for travel delay/interruptions/cancellation, medical only, evacuation only, or anything that meets your needs.  Their website has a ton of information and is super easy to use.  I cannot recommend them enough.

 

Great advice.  I think I’ll wait until final payment time.

 

Thanks

Edited June 12, 2019 by Luckiestmanonearth

[Suzanne123]

19 hours ago, mayleeman said:

The one thing that might be most important is to make your insurance decision within 15 days of your first payment for the cruise. For many policies, this is the period in which you can get coverage for preexisting conditions (they call it waiver of the lookback period, or some such). We didn't do any insurance homework until near final payment for our cruise and discovered we would have had to pay a lot more to get preexisting coverage by then, if it was even available. Turned out we didn't need it, fortunately.

 

If you have a refundable deposit, you can cancel your cruise and rebook and then get insurance.

I’m pretty sure that you cannot just cancel and rebook in order to get the “within 15 days of booking” waiver.  From Trip Insurance Store:

1. n. and
2. Your trip must be “the first and only booking for this same destination and dates of travel” as a condition of waiving the pre-existing medical condition exclusion (except CSA). The reason is that you cannot cancel your trip & re-book it to just reset your initial trip deposit date. Read Steve’s Blog post to find out more.

 

[mayleeman]

@Suzanne123 Thank you for trying to keep me from misleading anyone.  I obviously have no future in scams!

[Suzanne123]

5 minutes ago, mayleeman said:

@Suzanne123 Thank you for trying to keep me from misleading anyone.  I obviously have no future in scams!

LOL.

[ipeeinthepool]

14 hours ago, sippican said:

For those who travel frequently, both in the US and internationally, you may want to consider an annual policy for evacuation. MedJet Assist will get you home if you are hospitalized more than 150 miles from home, and need continued care.  You get to choose which facility you want to be transferred to and be deemed stable to be transported. This is very different from standard evacuation  coverage, which will only transport you to the nearest qualified medical facility - whether that be Tanzania, or Russia. If you want to get home, you are on your own.

Another popular insurer will get you back to the US only if it is medically necessary to be treated in the US. It is very importanrt to us at this stage in our lives to know that we would have the option to receive treatment in a hospital of our choice, near home.

 

One of the key concepts here is that you need to be an inpatient at a hospital before these evacuation services start.  You need to be in the local hospital and have the resources available for initial treatment and diagnosis.  The ships doctor can't authorize your trip home.

[sippican]

37 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

One of the key concepts here is that you need to be an inpatient at a hospital before these evacuation services start.  You need to be in the local hospital and have the resources available for initial treatment and diagnosis.  The ships doctor can't authorize your trip home.

 

Post does say "if you are hospitalized".

Med Jet was very useful for an acquaintance who required complicated orthopedic surgery and follow-up care for a broken leg sufferd during a ski trip to Austria. Without the additional coverage - the financial burden of getting back to the US would have fallen on her.  Now that we are in the age of broken hips, etc., something we think about, but hopefully will not need. We also travel in the US, and up and down the east coast twice a year, so it's not just useful on our trips abroad.

Edited June 13, 2019 by sippican

[ipeeinthepool]

50 minutes ago, sippican said:

 

Post does say "if you are hospitalized".

Med Jet was very useful for an acquaintance who required complicated orthopedic surgery and follow-up care for a broken leg sufferd during a ski trip to Austria. Without the additional coverage - the financial burden of getting back to the US would have fallen on her.  Now that we are in the age of broken hips, etc., something we think about, but hopefully will not need. We also travel in the US, and up and down the east coast twice a year, so it's not just useful on our trips abroad.

 

If anyone participates in adventure sports such as skiing, they should confirm their medical insurance covers injuries from these activities.  Some policies specifically exclude these activities.  But to be clear Med jet does not cover expenses from complicated surgery or follow-up care.  Just out of curiosity, how did they travel home from Austria?

 

Good Health and Safe Travels

[sippican]

15 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

If anyone participates in adventure sports such as skiing, they should confirm their medical insurance covers injuries from these activities.  Some policies specifically exclude these activities.  But to be clear Med jet does not cover expenses from complicated surgery or follow-up care.  Just out of curiosity, how did they travel home from Austria?

 

Good Health and Safe Travels

 

 

Just to be clear - I am talking about medical transport only, not medical expenses. 

(FWIW - our supplemental insurance covers skiing injuries - we know from experience, unfortunately, lol!)

They traveled home by commercial air, both travelers and an escort of some sort - prior to surgery in Boston. They got to choose the destination hospital.

[ghstudio]

Just to add clarity to why you might want to consider MedJet in addition to your travel policy.  The key questions are who has to approve your transport and what they have to approve.

 

MedJet requires only three things.  1) you are currently in a hospital over 150 miles from home and continue to need hospitalization; 2) your request to be transported to another hospital of your choosing; 3) the medical staff at the hospital you are in (and I think MedJet) has to agree that you are medically stable enough to be transported.  

 

Why does this matter.  You find yourself in a hospital in (pick your city) with a heart problem complicated by some other chronic condition.  Dakar hospital says they can treat you....but you suspect (know) they don't have the latest treatments, etc. but your insurance company says okay, they can treat you so you will stay in Dakar.   Contrast that with MedJet flying you home with a doctor/medical team, if necessary, so you can get the latest advanced medical help.  Many scenarios. 

 

Do you want your insurance company representative and the remote doctor to decide where you will get your medical treatment?  where your family will stay while you are being treated? etc?  

 

[Gracie115]

We make it easy on ourselves, we have MedJet and an annual medical travel policy through Geo Blue and our credit card covers the trip cancellation stuff.  The Geo Blue costs a little more than individual trips but if you do more than 1 trip a year the annual policy is less.  AND Geo Blue covers pre existing conditions....so it works for us....