Cruise insurance

[LYNNEFRED]

We have been on 60 cruises but none STRICTLY  in the USA. We have always taken insurance especially with evacuation.

now we find ourselves on a cruise in the United States.  I know my Medicare and supplemental will take care of us should something happpen (always got to be prepared).  My question..is it necessary to get any other protection besides a cancellation policy?

any advice would be very welcome.  Thank you

lynne

[CDNPolar]

6 hours ago, LYNNEFRED said:

We have been on 60 cruises but none STRICTLY  in the USA. We have always taken insurance especially with evacuation.

now we find ourselves on a cruise in the United States.  I know my Medicare and supplemental will take care of us should something happpen (always got to be prepared).  My question..is it necessary to get any other protection besides a cancellation policy?

any advice would be very welcome.  Thank you

lynne

 

If you are buying cancellation insurance, then it usually includes trip interruption as well.

 

I am not sure what other insurance you would want or need, since you have your medical taken care of.

[sparks1093]

You still might find yourself in need of medical evacuation, which could include a transfer between hospitals.

[klfrodo]

10 hours ago, LYNNEFRED said:

We have been on 60 cruises but none STRICTLY  in the USA. We have always taken insurance especially with evacuation.

now we find ourselves on a cruise in the United States.  I know my Medicare and supplemental will take care of us should something happpen (always got to be prepared).  My question..is it necessary to get any other protection besides a cancellation policy?

any advice would be very welcome.  Thank you

lynne

Are you talking about a river cruise totally 100% within the US?

If so, then I wouldn't buy any insurance. There are no travel insurance policies that cover only comprehension/cancellation etc, without including medical as part of the policy.

 

Myself, when in a situation like this, I risk going without. As a backup, I do have some shared risk coverage with my credit card that I use to purchase my travel and I also have Medjet Assist for any situation I may find myself in once I get 150 miles from home.

[WatchHill]

We recently had medical issues while on a transatlantic cruise.We have Medicare and a supplement that is very inclusive that covers us when out of the USA. I have a letter stating we have full secondary coverage. The secondary reimburses us for what Medicare doesn't cover and has a 100K medivac rider. We still opted into cruise/travel insurance, too.  Of course we have to pay for medical services, then apply for reimbursement.  That's the portion that takes time and lots of patience. 

 

First, we have to submit everything [itemized bills from the ship's medical center and final bill from the cruise and the dated itinerary] to Medicare and then get the rejection of coverage letter. Medicare will automatically submit to our secondary coverage. If anything isn't covered, then I have to submit to the cruise/travel insurance. I spoke with the cruise/travel insurance rep who sent me a claim form link to use once Medicare and our secondary claims are processed. 

 

Darcy

 

[evandbob]

The OP seems to be a frequent cruiser, with 60 sailings so far.  Rather than insure each trip individually, the OP may be better suited to get an annual travel insurance policy.

 

There may be wider coverage options available for annual policies than individual ones. Getting a more personal policy at a much lower price seems to be a win-win.

[jsn55]

You're very smart to look at this before you need it.  Every traveller should have emergency medical evacuation insurance.  The relatively small amounts of money you would lose for a cancellation or interruption can't compare with a serious medical emergency.   Evacuation to your home hospital and medical professionals can easily reach $100K.   In 2015, my husband broke his hip our first night in Paris .  The service I received from MedJet was excellent ... they took care of everything, including sending a nurse over to accompany him home and even arranging my ticket.  I would have been lost without MedJet.  As all insurance premiums increase rapidly as you age, 'self-insuring' might be feasible ... each trip needs to be evaluated carefully.  My only other advice would be to get a credit card with built-in travel insurance ... and never buy insurance from your travel provider.  Re-check your medical insurance before every trip outside the US so you know exactly what you have.  Blue Shield paid 80% of all his medical bills.

[Flatbush Flyer]

13 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

If you are buying cancellation insurance, then it usually includes trip interruption as well.

 

I am not sure what other insurance you would want or need, since you have your medical taken care of.

They may think they have “medical taken care of.” But I advise that they double check. 
As we all know, Medicare itself is useless outside of the USA. And, while some Medicare supplements (like ours) converts to the company’s basic coverage when you leave the US, that basic coverage may be onl for emergency care and not all in-patient hospitalization. Likewise, while ur regular health insurance (Medicare plus Supplement) will cover air ambulance when needed for immediate care/treatment, that is a very different item than is MedEvac (from wherever you are treated abroad to home or a U.S. Hospital.

All that said, there’s another little challenge for folks who are looking solely for trip cancel/interrupt protection: very few travel insurers sell only that coverage. In most cases, it is bundled with the medical policy (for not much more cost than travel medical alone. 
And, finally, one more caution: If you can find a stand alone trip cancel/interrupt policy (separately purchased or a perk with your credit card), know that it most often excludes coverage due to causation by an insurance-defined pre-existing condition (which is not the same as a medically defined pre-existing condition).

[klfrodo]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

They may think they have “medical taken care of.” But I advise that they double check. 
As we all know, Medicare itself is useless outside of the USA. And, while some Medicare supplements (like ours) converts to the company’s basic coverage when you leave the US, that basic coverage may be onl for emergency care and not all in-patient hospitalization. Likewise, while ur regular health insurance (Medicare plus Supplement) will cover air ambulance when needed for immediate care/treatment, that is a very different item than is MedEvac (from wherever you are treated abroad to home or a U.S. Hospital.

All that said, there’s another little challenge for folks who are looking solely for trip cancel/interrupt protection: very few travel insurers sell only that coverage. In most cases, it is bundled with the medical policy (for not much more cost than travel medical alone. 
And, finally, one more caution: If you can find a stand alone trip cancel/interrupt policy (separately purchased or a perk with your credit card), know that it most often excludes coverage due to causation by an insurance-defined pre-existing condition (which is not the same as a medically defined pre-existing condition).

Good information, however, the OP posted that their cruise is sailing in US waters only. Therefore, any medical coverages via Medicare will be covered just as if they were at home.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, klfrodo said:

Good information, however, the OP posted that their cruise is sailing in US waters only. Therefore, any medical coverages via Medicare will be covered just as if they were at home.

Would’ve been helpful for OP to define what they mean by “within the US. 

[CDNPolar]

9 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

All that said, there’s another little challenge for folks who are looking solely for trip cancel/interrupt protection: very few travel insurers sell only that coverage. In most cases, it is bundled with the medical policy (for not much more cost than travel medical alone. 
And, finally, one more caution: If you can find a stand alone trip cancel/interrupt policy (separately purchased or a perk with your credit card), know that it most often excludes coverage due to causation by an insurance-defined pre-existing condition (which is not the same as a medically defined pre-existing condition).

 

This may be the difference between Canada and the USA, because our insurance is separate, but in Canada there are plenty of options for trip cancellation / interruption alone that is not packaged with medical.  I know because I have very comprehensive medical for travel through my employer and only need to buy cancellation / interruption insurance.  Yes, it will have pre-existing condition attached to it if you are cancelling for a medical reason tied to your reason for cancelling.