Travel Insurance

[PatMunits]

Manulife is an underwriter. In addition to their generic travel insurance plans they have dozens of slightly different branded plans for various Travel Agencies. Manulife and Travel Agencies review, tweak and renew their agreements on annual basis. This is all public info.

Bottom line is that plans and coverage vary. You can't just go an buy a "Manulife" insurance based solely on price. You really need to make sure you obtain the coverage you seek.  TA that sell travel insurance get training to explain to customers what their options are.

Manulife also has a call center in Canada that one can call and inquire about travel insurance. Unless Manulife merged their call centers and responsibilities the people who work there are actually pretty knowledgeable about different options.

[iancal]

7 hours ago, PatMunits said:

Manulife is an underwriter. In addition to their generic travel insurance plans they have dozens of slightly different branded plans for various Travel Agencies. Manulife and Travel Agencies review, tweak and renew their agreements on annual basis. This is all public info.

Bottom line is that plans and coverage vary. You can't just go an buy a "Manulife" insurance based solely on price. You really need to make sure you obtain the coverage you seek.  TA that sell travel insurance get training to explain to customers what their options are.

Manulife also has a call center in Canada that one can call and inquire about travel insurance. Unless Manulife merged their call centers and responsibilities the people who work there are actually pretty knowledgeable about different options.

Very good advice.   Our experience over the years is two fold.   Some TA's view insurance as an add on and really do not know much about the policy details beyond the sales 'cheat sheet' that they have.

 

Second is that there there may be differences between manulife (or any other underwriter's policies sold through various channels). 

 

 We have a manulife travel policy as part of a retirement benefit.  Each year I read the T's and C's to ensure that there were no adjustments made that impact me.  And I make a point of emailing then if I have a question about ambiguity.   They have been very prompt in the recent past of responding in writing and in detail.

 

We travel fairly frequently and sometimes for several months at a time. .  We view out of country medical/evac costs as our biggest financial risk.  So if we are not sure of something....we ask the insurer.

Edited January 7, 2022 by iancal

[edrussell]

Does anyone happen to know offhand how far in advance we need to purchase the Manulife plan?  Also what their cancelation policy is should we cancel the trip entirely (ie a positive pre-tip test)?

 

We are supposed to sail on Jan 20 and will likely leave to cross the border after work on Jan 18, stay somewhere along the way that night and then head to Baltimore and stay there on Jan 19.

 

Thanks all.

 

[PatMunits]

7 hours ago, edrussell said:

Does anyone happen to know offhand how far in advance we need to purchase the Manulife plan?  Also what their cancelation policy is should we cancel the trip entirely (ie a positive pre-tip test)?

 

We are supposed to sail on Jan 20 and will likely leave to cross the border after work on Jan 18, stay somewhere along the way that night and then head to Baltimore and stay there on Jan 19.

 

Thanks all.

 

If you intent to have an insurance that covers travel expenses (trip interruption) then you need to buy it essentially at the time when you buy your vacation. If you just need travel medical insurance then you can buy it a day in advance.

A simple medical insurance likely won't offer any reimbursement for out of pocket expenses if you test positive for Covid just before boarding. Medical insurance is for covering medical treatments when you get sick.

To get covered for cancellations by cruise companies when you're already en route you likely need some type of trip interruption insurance. Trip interruption coverage options are expensive compared to simple medical coverage for people 65 and under. Always get a medical insurance, it's a huge negation of risks. Trip interruption, lost luggage, etc are nice to have but really are just perks for people who can afford it. On the other hand virtually no one can easily afford to pay on their own out of province medical bills for anything bigger than a bruise or cut that needs just four stiches.

[gnome12]

Deleted

Edited January 8, 2022 by gnome12

[Happytobeme2]

Has anyone used TourMed travel medical insurance?  
 

[petite07]

Anyone know more about the Goose Insurance for trip interruption/cancellation?

[edrussell]

It looks like we will be a go for our Jan 20 sailing on Enchantment.  My wife had been feeling a little 'off' lately so we used on the of the at home antigen tests that my employer had.  She tested negative.  We still have 2 left which we will take with us to use at some point during the cruise.  We also are going to try and snag a few along the way (we are driving) at CVS/Walgreens if we can find them.  We will be taking our Switch Health tests Tuesday morning.  So it is time to buy insurance now.  Is the Manulife Covid-19 Pandemic Travel Plan the policy the one people are recommending?

 

[chelsea brown]

On 6/25/2021 at 11:06 PM, Debra_Murdock said:

We are having trouble finding an insurance company who will cover us for cruising. Has anyone had any success in getting medical and trip cancellation? We are booked for a cruise in mid September but may have to cancel if we can’t purchase travel insurance. We are both retired and travelling with my Mom and her friend, both in their 80’s. 
 

Thanks

On 6/25/2021 at 11:06 PM, Debra_Murdock said:

We always just buy the cruise line insurance . Covers ad much and at times more than most other insurance companies .

 

 

 

[oceancrusin]

On 6/26/2021 at 12:26 PM, Fouremco said:

My wife and I have annual coverage with Medoc Travel Insurance though Johnson Inc. As retired federal employees, it costs us a bit less as we get group coverage that takes into account our provincial medical coverage as well as the more generous Public Service Health Care Plan. On our last cruise, DW had a medical issue that resulted in over $11K in medical and associated costs, including a delayed return to Canada from Amsterdam. We were out a few dollars for a couple of non-covered things like our dog's extended kennel stay, but the vast majority of costs were reimbursed without difficulty.

Hey @Fouremco,

First of all, always appreciate your wealth of knowledge in the forums!

 

I have what probably seems like an odd question. I was looking into getting coverage with Medoc through the wife as she is a member of one of the required groups. My odd question is in relation to the provincial coverage / PSHCP.

 

Do you have to go through provincial/PSHCP BEFORE you can deal with Medoc, or can you deal directly with Medoc for everything? It would be more convoluted if you had to go through provincial / PSHCP first, then Medoc. One of the only things I don't like about Medoc is the fact that they want banking information for payment, I would much rather pay with CC.

 

Comparing Manulife vs Medoc, it seems as though Manulife is more than double the cost of Medoc, $560 vs $235. This is of course for multi trip all inclusive yearly.

Edited January 24, 2022 by oceancrusin

[Fouremco]

7 minutes ago, oceancrusin said:

Hey Fouremco,

First of all, always appreciate your wealth of knowledge in the forums!

 

I have what probably seems like an odd question. I was looking into getting coverage with Medoc through the wife as she is a member of one of the required groups. My odd question is in relation to the provincial coverage / PSHCP.

 

Do you have to go through provincial/PSHCP BEFORE you can deal with Medoc, or can you deal directly with Medoc for everything? It would be more convoluted if you had to go through provincial / PSHCP first, then Medoc. One of the only things I don't like about Medoc is the fact that they want banking information for payment, I would much rather pay with CC.

 

Comparing Manulife vs Medoc, it seems as though Manulife is more than double the cost of Medoc, $560 vs $235. This is of course for multi trip all inclusive yearly.

Thanks @oceancrusin.

 

MEDOC uses both Global Excel Management and Allianz Global Assistance to help you through any incident and to handle your subsequent claims. In our experience, Allianz's focus is on medical costs while Global Excel's is on everything else. So, for example, we had to complete an Emergency Medical Expenses PSHCP Claim Form and submit it to Allianz, but we never had to deal directly with the PSHCP.

 

An interesting aspect of the two companies being involved arose over the issue of the PSHCP generally paying only 80% of approved expenses. Allianz only reimbursed us the 80% approved by the PSHCP, and we had to make a separate request to Global Excel for the remaining 20%. It wasn't a big issue, and Global Excel paid with no questions or delay, but you do need to keep track of things.

 

I'd not given any thought to payment of my annual fees. Since I started several years ago, I simply renew annually and they take a small amount monthly in the form of a pre-authorized deduction.

 

BTW, as your annual fees include an amount designated for medical insurance, you get a letter with the breakdown and the reminder that the premium paid towards medical coverage may qualify as an income tax credit.