Primary or Secondary Insurance

Hi everyone, so deciding on cruise insurance for our royal caribbean july cruise mostly if medical issue arises on board, I read that some say to get Primary its less hassle pays better but I found good plan for us that"s secondary. Which is better to have in case of emergency on board?? THANKS!!

If you have another insurance (medicare, secondary, etc) that WILL NOT cover you on a cruise ship or outside of the country, then a secondary policy (usually less costly) will actually become a primary insurance, as once you submit the costs of services to your primary insurance, it will be rejected. You then will submit it to the secondary that you purchased. I suggest you look at the TripInsurance Store for a lot of information and comparative pricing.

Primary insurance means your travel insurance will indemnify you without first filing a claim with your regular health insurer.

Secondary insurance means you must file a claim with your regular health insurer first and what ever is not paid by them the travel insurer will, subject to the terms of the policy.

In most cases with travel insurance you need to pay the provider (ER, MD, hospital) first out of your own pocket*. Then you file a claim with the travel insurance and provide the records they want.

When service is provided it's best to try to get detailed billings and doctor's reports before leaving the facility or ship. Once you leave the ship or it sails from a port good luck going back and getting those.

*My uncle passed away on vacation, the hospital would not release him until their bill was settled. The mortuary would not sign off on the paperwork to release him to my aunt until they were paid in full.