Planning around medical issues

[birdman518]

My wife and I took our first cruise (AMA Waterways Rhine) last April.   At that time we did not book until
February, partly because we just decided to do it.   We had no problems getting a spot on the peak

Amsterdam part in early April.

We want to do another one (Danube), next May, but I have a few health issues that might pop up.  I do understand
that trip insurance may be one way to cover this, but what if the problem is (like mine) cancer, where although
everything looks clear now (it does!) one does not know what could happen (mine has already come back

once).   My understanding is that travel insurance may not cover pre-existing conditions.. what about something

like this?

The second part of my question is:  what is the latest date you would recommend committing to this?   E.g. I 

will have scans every 3 months, so the next one will be Feb. 1, then one around May 1.   With cancer, any

scan could have you in surgery within a week.

 

I would think I am not the only person to be in this position....  Thanks!   P.S.  I am clear now and do NOT expect
any problems.

[GeezerCouple]

11 minutes ago, birdman518 said:

My wife and I took our first cruise (AMA Waterways Rhine) last April.   At that time we did not book until
February, partly because we just decided to do it.   We had no problems getting a spot on the peak

Amsterdam part in early April.

We want to do another one (Danube), next May, but I have a few health issues that might pop up.  I do understand
that trip insurance may be one way to cover this, but what if the problem is (like mine) cancer, where although
everything looks clear now (it does!) one does not know what could happen (mine has already come back

once).   My understanding is that travel insurance may not cover pre-existing conditions.. what about something

like this?

The second part of my question is:  what is the latest date you would recommend committing to this?   E.g. I 

will have scans every 3 months, so the next one will be Feb. 1, then one around May 1.   With cancer, any

scan could have you in surgery within a week.

 

I would think I am not the only person to be in this position....  Thanks!   P.S.  I am clear now and do NOT expect
any problems.

 

Welcome to CruiseCritic, and welcome to cruising! 🙂 

 

Are you located in the USA?

Travel insurance can work very differently in different countries.

If you are in the USA, then for starters, take a look (and browse for a while, plus posting questions) on the CC subforum for travel insurance:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

 

One very important thing for you (others, too, but this is definitely relevant to your situation) is that the definition of "pre-existing condition" as used for most travel insurance policies is *very* different from most "everyday usage".  That can be good or bad, depending upon the situation, but my guess is it might work to your benefit.

 

Please CALL www.TripInsuranceStore.com

(CALL!  You can read on the website, including the very short policy summaries, but do NOT rely upon those summaries entirely. There is just too much "fine print" plus varying personal situations, and it's especially complicated for "newbies"... and all of us who now use travel insurance a lot - including having many claims paid - obviously were once "newbies"! 😉 )

 

Discuss your specific medical issues and concerns with them.

They are a travel insurance broker (no extra cost to the traveler, plus they can help with claims if that happens to be needed), and they work with several vetted travel insurers.

 

You may find that if you make a new reservation and start the coverage within approx 10-21 days (state-dependent), it won't even matter IF you have a pre-existing condition - as long as you are "fit to travel" on the day you start the policy.

Note: One time we encountered this situation, while DH was recovering from a medical emergency that had led to our first (and relatively large) travel insurance claim.  He wasn't "fit to travel" for a while.

However, as soon as his physician said, "Yup, you are good to go now!", I asked him to write down on his letterhead that DH was "fit to travel as of <date>".  We then went home, made a deposit for a trip, and immediately called TIS to start the insurance coverage.

 

You usually only need to pay for payments already made, so it was just the deposit (refundable or not) at first.  Then one ups the coverage as more non-refundable payments are made.

 

Hopefully you can start planning a nice trip, and then start using and enjoying the other sections of CruiseCritic!

 

GC

 

[birdman518]

Thanks, GeezerCouple...  Yes we are in the USA.   We will deciding exactly what we *want* to do and when very shortly.  I will take your advice!   FWIW, we plan to go back with AMA Waterways because it was a top-notch experience, in every way.

Edited October 18, 2023 by birdman518
added answer

[capriccio]

Another vote for contacting the Trip insurance Store.  Steve, the owner, contributes threads to the CC insurance forum a couple of times a year.  He is very knowledgeable and very thorough.  He and his staff will ask lots of questions and provide lots of guidance.

[Blues51]

We ran into a similar situation 9 years ago when we traveled to Europe (by land, not a cruise).  My wife's brother was, unfortunately, diagnosed with cancer.  He has since passed, but at the time, his prognosis was fair to good. 

We insured our trip via InsureMyTrip.com.  We were afraid we might have to cancel at the last minute if her brother worsened.  The agent at InsureMyTrip was very helpful.  But it was her opinion, and only an opinion, though an informed one, that if we were to do so, normal trip insurance would deny a claim due to pre-existing conditions.

Our solution, at her suggestion, was a policy known as "cancel for any reason" insurance.  It's pricier than a normal policy, to be sure.  And IIRC, it only reimburses 75% of the cost.  But it was good peace of mind for us.

I hope this helps you.