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Hello,

 

My parents are taking a long overdue Bahamas cruise to celebrate my mom's recent retirement. This is their first cruise being on Medicare. They are looking for reasonable cruise insurance on one of the popular sites and are a little overwhelmed by all of the options. My mom spoke with someone at Medicare and it sounds like if anything were to happen while they were away, they would be covered at 80 percent. Does anyone know if travel insurance would pick up any of the remaining portion?

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My mom (and I) use Travelguard. Ya just need to buy it within so many days of purchasing the cruise for it to cover pre-existing conditions. We think one of the most important parts of trip insurance is that it will pay to medivac us back to the states if needed. When we book our trip I am on the phone making the call for insurance. We would have a hard time going on a cruise without it.

 

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  • 1 month later...

As a travel agent, I don't necessarily agree with some of the advice given above. You DO want to to insure your trip for the FULL AMOUNT of the cost of your trip, including any pre or post cruise hotel rooms, airfare etc so that you are able to file a claim for reimbursement should you need to cancel your trip and have cancellation penalties with non-refundable expenses like airfare and/or the cost of your cruise. Do not under-insure yourself that is bad advice.

 

Trip insurance is a reimbursement type of policy for any out of pocket expenses you may incur that your primary medical insurance (which may be Medicare for some) does not cover. There are some trip protection policies out there that can act as your primary medical insurance, as well as cover all the other typical things that are covered under travel insurance policies, but you MUST do your due diligence and research and call the companies to ask if they offer a policy that would act as your primary medical insurance. Travel Insured International has a policy like this...I know because I work with them. These policies cost a good bit more than the standard policies that may include cancellation or reimbursement for out of pocket expenses related to a "pre-existing medical condition." Good luck and good for you looking out for your parents!

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Medicare WILL NOT cover health care services on the ship when the ship is more than 6 hours away from a US port.

Except in limited situations, Medicare does not pay for health care services you get outside the US.

See the facts sheet regarding this at, Medicare.gov.

Foreign hospitals are not required to file Medicare claims. You may have tp personally file those forms.

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Check out www.Travelinsurancestore.com

They have done right by me in the past.

My father has Medicare.

Any insurance you get will be primary as

Medicare is not primary out of the U.S.

Also you don't need to insure the trip for the full

cost of the trip to have medical coverage.

Go for a lower amount, say $500 and save $$

You DO need to insure the trip for the full amount of the trip to have medical coverage. When you file a claim, the carrier will ask for a paid bill of your trip. If you did not insure for that amount, your claim will be denied.

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You might also try insuremytrip.com. The site gives options from which you can choose.

I second using this site. I have used them for years and used the chat feature as well as calling them with questions. I even had to file a claim once and they assisted. They give you a wide variety of options

 

The other insurance site mentioned is a one man show who has premiums that were a lot more for my next cruise and some of the larger carriers were not even posted when I requested for a quote on my next cruise.

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Medicare WILL NOT cover health care services on the ship when the ship is more than 6 hours away from a US port.

Except in limited situations, Medicare does not pay for health care services you get outside the US.

See the facts sheet regarding this at, Medicare.gov.

Foreign hospitals are not required to file Medicare claims. You may have tp personally file those forms.

 

This is correct! We spoke with someone on our cruise 2018 who is on Medicare. Slip and fall on the ship required medical attention. $5,000 bill that Medicare does not cover as we were out at sea. Of course it would never happen to you? Get the additional insurance!

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  • 5 weeks later...
Hello,

 

My parents are taking a long overdue Bahamas cruise to celebrate my mom's recent retirement. This is their first cruise being on Medicare. They are looking for reasonable cruise insurance on one of the popular sites and are a little overwhelmed by all of the options. My mom spoke with someone at Medicare and it sounds like if anything were to happen while they were away, they would be covered at 80 percent. Does anyone know if travel insurance would pick up any of the remaining portion?

Definitely do not travel anywhere abroad without travel insurance. Medicare provides no coverage at all(certain very limited coverage very close to borders with specific rules). Also most policies provide emergency evacuation back to states with can run into tens of thousands of dollars. If anyone in USAA try going through them. That is what we always use. NEVER the cruise company coverage which is way more restrictive and way more expensive.

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