Trip Insurance

[Babr]

9 hours ago, teddie said:

I always purchase through a reputable provider and buy an enhanced medical plan, which covers transportation back to your hospital of choice.  Otherwise, you will be taken to the closest appropriate facility for hospital care should it be needed.  That means, if you are sailing in the caribbean, you could be transported to a hospital in Miami for care. 

 

So, if you reside in, let's say, Minnesota, you may have to shell out cash for medical tranport to get back home, if your private health insurance won't cover that cost.  I speak from experience through my work as a program coordinator for a well-known rehabilitation hospital in New Jersey. I've worked with families who've had to pay $20,000  or more for air ambulance services to get back to their home hospital.

 

Stay safe!

 

Teddie

If you are a member of a medical transport group like MedJet Assist, you can request a transfer once you have been admitted to a hospital.

 

Any comprehensive travel policy will transport you to the nearest hospital and evacuate you to a more appropriate one if the first is not adequate for your care. The patient most often is returned home or to the hospital of choice by commercial air with a medical escort if necessary or by other appropriate means if additional treatment is necessary.

 

What policy are you buying that transports you directly to your hospital of choice?

Edited July 21, 2023 by Babr

[FishOn55]

12 hours ago, RedIguana said:

After eating the cost of trip insurance for a cruise I canceled the day before final payment due to the shutdown (canceled in March 2020 for a June 2020 cruise....pretty easy to see the writing on the wall at that point...did not want to give 5k to a cruise line for a cruise that was not going to happen), I obtain my trip insurance when I make final payment. Granted I don't have any pre-existing conditions myself, but some of my travel companions on the policies have, and there are plenty available that you can obtain at final payment that waive pre-existing conditions that are well controlled. 

Can you share which companies allow policies to be obtained at final payment that waive pre-existing conditions? I just booked Utopia of the Seas for Nov. 2024 but would prefer to wait and purchase a policy closer to the travel date. All of the companies I have checked so far require purchase w/i 14 days of deposit  to cover a pre-existing condition. Thanks.

[Babr]

26 minutes ago, FishOn55 said:

Can you share which companies allow policies to be obtained at final payment that waive pre-existing conditions? I just booked Utopia of the Seas for Nov. 2024 but would prefer to wait and purchase a policy closer to the travel date. All of the companies I have checked so far require purchase w/i 14 days of deposit  to cover a pre-existing condition. Thanks.

 

If I may - 

 

 CSA, Generali, and IMG all offer plans that allow the waiver if purchased before or within 24 hours of final payment. Be careful if you have ill family members who are not traveling with you but may cause you to cancel if need to care for them. Not all of these will cover them. CSA Freestyle does not extend the waiver to non-traveling family members. IMG LX does.

 

Also be sure to check for other requirements of the policy such as insuring all non-refundable expenses or being able to travel at the time of purchase.

 

 

[teddie]

4 hours ago, RB9643 said:

 

What possible benefit would there be to pay $20k to get back to their home hospital?  Just get me out of Honduras, I'm good.

 

 

Are you sure?  If you have a serious injury with a potentially prolonged hospital stay, would you want you and your family stuck in a state faraway from home? 

2 hours ago, Babr said:

If you are a member of a medical transport group like MedJet Assist, you can request a transfer once you have been admitted to a hospital.

 

Any comprehensive travel policy will transport you to the nearest hospital and evacuate you to a more appropriate one if the first is not adequate for your care. The patient most often is returned home or to the hospital of choice by commercial air with a medical escort if necessary or by other appropriate means if additional treatment is necessary.

 

What policy are you buying that transports you directly to your hospital of choice?

I am talking about serious injuries like brain injuries or multiple trauma that require an actual air ambulance with nurses and EMTs on board because the injured person is unconscious and/or requires a respirator or other life-sustaining care that is well beyond a simple medical escort on a commercial flight.  The patient can get as stabilized as possible at the closest appropriate facility which can be in another country or a far-away state.  Once stable enough for further transport, that seriously injured person’s family may want their loved one to receive further treatment in their hospital of choice in their home state and requires air ambulance to get there.   I’ve worked with international coordinators for travel insurance companies whose job is to assist the patient to get back home.  No one likes to think these things might happen but believe me; they do.

 

I typically purchase my policy through Travelguard and choose the enhanced medical add-on.  
 

Stay healthy and safe, 

teddie 

Edited July 21, 2023 by teddie

[RB9643]

5 minutes ago, teddie said:

Are you sure?  If you have a serious injury with a potentially prolonged hospital stay, would you want you and your family stuck in a state faraway from home?

 

 

I guess you would have to define "prolonged", combined with the odds that such a traumatic event would happen on a random cruise. My point is simply that it would have to be very, very prolonged for us not to be perfectly happy being at any hospital in the US.

 

 

[teddie]

20 minutes ago, RB9643 said:

 

I guess you would have to define "prolonged", combined with the odds that such a traumatic event would happen on a random cruise. My point is simply that it would have to be very, very prolonged for us not to be perfectly happy being at any hospital in the US.

 

 

I am a registered nurse and worked for 15 years at a  rehabilitation hospital as their  brain injury program admissions liaison. 

 

Real life examples of “prolonged” need for hospital care:

 

#1 A 40 year old female dislocates a shoulder at a port of call in the Dominican Republic.  Goes to local hospital to have it straightened out under general anesthesia,  Unfortunately, she has a cardiac arrest on the operating table and sustained a brain injury due to lack of oxygen to the brain.  She is then unconscious and unresponsive and doesn’t wake up.  Family needs/wants to get her back to New York.  Needs air ambulance to safely and appropriately get there.

 
#2  50 year old has a motor vehicle accident while in a port on a cruise in Europe and sustains a spinal cord injury.  Requires ventilator care and is paralyzed from the chest down. Wants to return to their home state in the USA for further hospital care and rehabilitation.  Requires air ambulance for safe transport with these specialized care needs.  
 

As I said, no one likes to think these things can happen, but they do.  I am not going to take any kind of chance with myself or my family member, despite the low odds you may feel make it out of the realm of possibilities for it happening to you. I’ll spend the extra cash for the enhanced medical coverage.    
 

teddie 

Edited July 21, 2023 by teddie

[FishOn55]

7 hours ago, Babr said:

 

If I may - 

 

 CSA, Generali, and IMG all offer plans that allow the waiver if purchased before or within 24 hours of final payment. Be careful if you have ill family members who are not traveling with you but may cause you to cancel if need to care for them. Not all of these will cover them. CSA Freestyle does not extend the waiver to non-traveling family members. IMG LX does.

 

Also be sure to check for other requirements of the policy such as insuring all non-refundable expenses or being able to travel at the time of purchase.

 

 

Thank you so much for the above information. I'm going to take a look at these companies today.

[Tlbecker1]

19 hours ago, steveru621 said:

 

We have a second policy from GeoBLUE.

We do also.

[Babr]

7 hours ago, teddie said:

Are you sure?  If you have a serious injury with a potentially prolonged hospital stay, would you want you and your family stuck in a state faraway from home? 

I am talking about serious injuries like brain injuries or multiple trauma that require an actual air ambulance with nurses and EMTs on board because the injured person is unconscious and/or requires a respirator or other life-sustaining care that is well beyond a simple medical escort on a commercial flight.  The patient can get as stabilized as possible at the closest appropriate facility which can be in another country or a far-away state.  Once stable enough for further transport, that seriously injured person’s family may want their loved one to receive further treatment in their hospital of choice in their home state and requires air ambulance to get there.   I’ve worked with international coordinators for travel insurance companies whose job is to assist the patient to get back home.  No one likes to think these things might happen but believe me; they do.

 

I typically purchase my policy through Travelguard and choose the enhanced medical add-on.  
 

Stay healthy and safe, 

teddie 

I read the policy, and the language seems to be the same as other comprehensive policies, including those with hospital-of-choice provisions. All of them will get you the needed care - even an air ambulance if deemed medically necessary. The difference is that hospital-of-choice will transport you to any hospital not just one near your home as long as the facility will accept you and you can survive the flight.

[pstone1]

On 7/19/2023 at 7:30 PM, steveru621 said:

 

The $5,000 is only once per year.

Are multiple trips eligible under the Allianz coverage if an individual claim is less than $5K?  Just curious.  We too have an annual GeoBlue policy for medical but have not had/needed trip insurance.  The Annual Allianz policy looks like it might be a good addition.

[Ashland]

3 hours ago, pstone1 said:

Are multiple trips eligible under the Allianz coverage if an individual claim is less than $5K?  Just curious.  We too have an annual GeoBlue policy for medical but have not had/needed trip insurance.  The Annual Allianz policy looks like it might be a good addition.

In simple terms what does the Annual Allianz offer as an added one to GeoBlue....thank you.

[steveru621]

3 hours ago, pstone1 said:

Are multiple trips eligible under the Allianz coverage if an individual claim is less than $5K?  Just curious.  We too have an annual GeoBlue policy for medical but have not had/needed trip insurance.  The Annual Allianz policy looks like it might be a good addition.

 

I thought it was multiple trips, but it seems they changed the T&C to an annual total of, in my case, $5000.  I need to do more research.

[steveru621]

28 minutes ago, Ashland said:

In simple terms what does the Annual Allianz offer as an added one to GeoBlue....thank you.

 

There is lots of overlap in coverage.  Allianz has trip protection that GeoBlue does not.  Geoblues' medical and evacuation is far superior.  The problem with Geoblue maybe you need to have another state-side medical policy.

 

I haven't really tried too hard to find it, but I would prefer an Allianz trip protection policy only.

[Babr]

13 minutes ago, steveru621 said:

 

I thought it was multiple trips, but it seems they changed the T&C to an annual total of, in my case, $5000.  I need to do more research.

The All Trips Premier offers four levels of coverage which have always been the policy cap depending on which one you choose. You can take as many trips as you want costing as much as you are willing to spend, but you are covered only for the maximum scheduled benefit per year. The highest option is $15,000.  When you have consumed that amount, you are done whether it is one claim or several.

 

 

4 hours ago, pstone1 said:

Are multiple trips eligible under the Allianz coverage if an individual claim is less than $5K?  Just curious.  We too have an annual GeoBlue policy for medical but have not had/needed trip insurance.  The Annual Allianz policy looks like it might be a good addition.

 

[steveru621]

7 minutes ago, Babr said:

The All Trips Premier offers four levels of coverage which have always been the policy cap depending on which one you choose. You can take as many trips as you want costing as much as you are willing to spend, but you are covered only for the maximum scheduled benefit per year. The highest option is $15,000.  When you have consumed that amount, you are done whether it is one claim or several.

 

 

 

Thanks for the clarification. I guess I didn't read the policy 😕. My fault. 

[pstone1]

1 hour ago, steveru621 said:

 

I thought it was multiple trips, but it seems they changed the T&C to an annual total of, in my case, $5000.  I need to do more research.

Thank you so much for responding!  We are looking at Allianz as an overlap to GeoBlue.  We’ve had our GeoBlue policy for years and don’t plan to give it up, but would like to add a reasonably priced annual trip coverage policy.  It looks like the Allianz coverage cost is roughly 10% of the limit.  I did see the higher coverage options, but wanted to make sure the coverage was for cumulative expenses during a one year period, and not just for one trip.

[pstone1]

1 hour ago, Babr said:

The All Trips Premier offers four levels of coverage which have always been the policy cap depending on which one you choose. You can take as many trips as you want costing as much as you are willing to spend, but you are covered only for the maximum scheduled benefit per year. The highest option is $15,000.  When you have consumed that amount, you are done whether it is one claim or several.

 

 

 

Thank you so much!  We will look closer at adding an Allianz policy this year!

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, pstone1 said:

Thank you so much!  We will look closer at adding an Allianz policy this year!

Which Allianz policy are you considering adding ?

[pstone1]

7 minutes ago, Ashland said:

Which Allianz policy are you considering adding ?

I’m going to have to take a more careful look and give it more thought, but the All Trips Executive is what I was looking at.  It’s $510 each for $5K in coverage each, and $635 each for $7,500 in coverage each.  We haven’t ever needed it (over 100 cruises), but have thought about getting it.  Lots of trips outside the US between now and the beginning of next year so it may be a good time.  

[Babr]

14 minutes ago, pstone1 said:

I’m going to have to take a more careful look and give it more thought, but the All Trips Executive is what I was looking at.  It’s $510 each for $5K in coverage each, and $635 each for $7,500 in coverage each.  We haven’t ever needed it (over 100 cruises), but have thought about getting it.  Lots of trips outside the US between now and the beginning of next year so it may be a good time.  

You or family members won’t be covered for pre-existing conditions if the trips are already booked. You have to book them during the coverage period unless you purchased the policy within 14 days of the first deposit.

[pstone1]

3 minutes ago, Babr said:

You or family members won’t be covered for pre-existing conditions if the trips are already booked. You have to book them during the coverage period unless you purchased the policy within 14 days of the first deposit.

That’s exactly why we have had an annual GeoBlue policy, which covers all medical/medivac.  We would only be buying the Allianz policy for the trip coverage.  If the same applies for the trip coverage, I would never buy their policy.  Again, haven’t really looked at the text yet.

[Babr]

2 minutes ago, pstone1 said:

That’s exactly why we have had an annual GeoBlue policy, which covers all medical/medivac.  We would only be buying the Allianz policy for the trip coverage.  If the same applies for the trip coverage, I would never buy their policy.  Again, haven’t really looked at the text yet.

Pre-existing conditions applies to all provisions, not just medical. If you have to cancel or interrupt your trip because of a pre-existing condition, your claim will be denied.

[pstone1]

15 minutes ago, Babr said:

Pre-existing conditions applies to all provisions, not just medical. If you have to cancel or interrupt your trip because of a pre-existing condition, your claim will be denied.

Thanks for the clarification!  Actually, neither of us have pre-existing conditions but Allianz might not be for us.  They sound difficult and picky, which is why we never considered them for medical.

[Babr]

2 minutes ago, pstone1 said:

Thanks for the clarification!  Actually, neither of us have pre-existing conditions but Allianz might not be for us.  They sound difficult and picky, which is why we never considered them for medical.

 

In this case it applies to family members as well - something to consider if you have  parents who are being treated for something. Look for that language in any policy you might buy even if you do not think you need it for yourselves. And remember the insurance company will examine your medical records for a defined number of days prior to the effective date of the policy to see if there is anything related to your reason for cancellation or interruption.

[RB9643]

 

I'm noticing quite a bit of talk about annual Allianz policies.  I have Allianz AllTrips Premier, and the maximum benefit amount for pre-existing conditions is exactly the same as the maximum benefit for ANY conditions.

 

Correct me if I'm mistaken?