Access America vs Travelguard

[Eager2Travel]

Our travel agent encourages us to take Access America insurance as it covers preexisting conditions if purchased within 14 days of deposit and if you cancel trip, insurance cost can be used on another trip within 2 years.

However, our trip is one year away and we will need to put out money now rather than at final pay. The sum is not small because of our age and the cost of the air and cruise.

 

Does anyone have any other ideas? We definitely need preexisting conditions covered. Thanks for any help.

Ann

[Host Caroline]

Our travel agent encourages us to take Access America insurance as it covers preexisting conditions if purchased within 14 days of deposit and if you cancel trip, insurance cost can be used on another trip within 2 years.

However, our trip is one year away and we will need to put out money now rather than at final pay. The sum is not small because of our age and the cost of the air and cruise.

 

Does anyone have any other ideas? We definitely need preexisting conditions covered. Thanks for any help.

Ann

 

If you look on a site like insuremytrip.com you can find other companies that offer preexisting condition coverage - how long after deposit you have to purchase it varies, however.. I "think" last time I looked 21 days was max. I've read on boards here somewhere that there's a company allowing coverage for preexisting if you purchase ins. at time of final payment but that prices are quite high for that. Unfortunately you may have to ante up the ins. now to avoid exposure later to a condition not being covered... is this first time it has come up cruising for you or what have you done in the past? Access America's been around a while.. is TA pushing it or just "suggesting".. if they are pushing may get commission for it? don't know how that works anymore.

[Eager2Travel]

Thanks for your reply. I spent a fair amount of time on the insuremytrip site and did some comparing. CSA does allow you to purchase at final pay with preexisting covered but it is double the cost of booking now with Access America. My TA is low keyed and I do trust him. However, he is busy and that is why I thought I should check it out on my own. It is my compulsive nature. It was helpful to me to do the extra investigating because I now feel comfortable and ready to purchase the Access America policy. We have used them in the past.

Thanks again for your response.

Ann

[cruiseco]

Thanks for your reply. I spent a fair amount of time on the insuremytrip site and did some comparing. CSA does allow you to purchase at final pay with preexisting covered but it is double the cost of booking now with Access America. My TA is low keyed and I do trust him. However, he is busy and that is why I thought I should check it out on my own. It is my compulsive nature. It was helpful to me to do the extra investigating because I now feel comfortable and ready to purchase the Access America policy. We have used them in the past.

Thanks again for your response.

Ann

 

If you restrict yourself to insuremytrip you're only seeing some of the CSA plans. And if you need pre-existing condition coverage you're having to step up to the more expensive Custom Luxe plan.

 

The Custom and Custom Luxe pricing is unlike any other plan out there. The more time between the policy purchase date and your departure date the higher the premium. So if you buy it now for a trip one year away you'll probably pay about double what you would pay if you bought the plan 60 or 90 days prior to your departure. It really is designed to give the best value to those that will be buying the policy close to their departure time which for most cruisers is when the penalties kick in. If you need to buy sooner there's a big cost penalty.

 

The Freestyle and the Comfort plans are not like that -- if you buy the policy today for a trip next month you'll pay the same as if you buy a policy today for a trip next year. And since you don't have to step up to the more expensive Luxe versions to get the pre-existing condition coverage there can be another pretty good savings there.

 

For the Freestyle plan try http://www.travelinsurancecenter.com

 

For the Comfort plan try http://www.travelprotect.com

[Eager2Travel]

Thanks so much for the info! I did indeed see only the Luxe plan. Unfortunately I bought the other insurance from the TA an hour ago. I just looked at the freestyle and comfort plan. Both would have worked and I could have waited until December to buy them. They also cost no more. I think I may have 10 days to look over the plan bought and get my money back. I could then wait and get the CSA plan. I greatly appreciate getting the info you sent. I am disappointed the TA wasn't aware of this plan. I guess he has too many other details to think about.

[Kellie Poodle]

Our travel agent encourages us to take Access America insurance as it covers preexisting conditions if purchased within 14 days of deposit and if you cancel trip, insurance cost can be used on another trip within 2 years.

However, our trip is one year away and we will need to put out money now rather than at final pay. The sum is not small because of our age and the cost of the air and cruise.

 

Does anyone have any other ideas? We definitely need preexisting conditions covered. Thanks for any help.

Ann

 

I just had a bad experience with Access America. My netbook computer was damaged by TSA when they inspected our stuff before we boarded our first flight of 3 to Barcelona. I did not find that the computer was broken until we arrived in Barcelona and it was Thanksgiving day in the US. I immediately called Access America who made me call the airline, who gave me the web site for TSA. I paid the hotel to use their computer to email TSA but the email process uses their web site, not one's own email account. We sailed on Sunday, so it was impossible to even try to call TSA.

 

Access America denied my claim even before TSA ruled on it because I did not report it within 24 hours. If you read their policy there is a clause that says that you have to report the damage within 24 hours of the damage occurring. It does not matter that you are in an airplane or cannot report it. The 24 hour rule stands.

 

Thankfully, the great state of Texas protects its citizens from such "weasel" practices. I filed a complaint with the state insurance division and Access America paid up as a "good will" measure but still maintained that their 24 hour rule estopped my claim.

 

Access America is also a secondary insurer. When you look at companies, you want a primary insurer in case some really expensive medical thing happens. The primary insurer will foot the bill and then try to recover what they can from your insurance. Secondary coverage will not pay for medical expenses. If you have pre-existing conditions, you just might need good medical coverage, so get a policy that is primary. Also I strongly suggest you look into covering yourself with MedJet Assist on top of the insurance.

 

It does not matter if you have a million dollars in medical evacuation coverage (as we did with Travel Guard a few years ago) their people make the decisions, not the doctors. With MedJet Assist, if your home doctor says you need to be in the hospital, they take you home. No nasty paramedics calling the shots like Travel Guard did with us. I will never leave medical evacuation up to a travel insurance company again!

[pamgall]

I have purchased insurance for several years and had to use it this last trip in December for the first time. Access America has so many rediculous loop holes that they obviously feel they don't need to meet their agreement that you think you are getting. Be careful when picking a company. I had to really fight to get a tiny check from them that should have been allot more. I would say a death is no brainer for trip interuption. Never will I recommend this company. Trust me on this, google it and you will see allot of bad reviews. I did not google it until after the fact. I am not sure if I will ever get insurance again from what they put me through. Good Luck

[Eager2Travel]

Thanks everyone for your reply. I will have to hope for the best as I did not have an opportunity to change Access America within the 14 days after we bought it.

Ann.

[griffy116]

I have a pre-existing condition (heart) and just booked and paid deposit last night. Travel agent sent info on Access. He sent copies of all. I originally thought the "cancel any reason"...but looks like I need the Deluxe or whatever. Can anyone please recommend a company and type policy. I've never had to deal with a pre-existing condition before. Also, since my daughters, mother, sister, etc will be traveling and would certainly be reluctant to go if I'm dead or hospitalized, what policy would cover them???

Thanks,

[uprrp]

We always insure our trips for cancellation/interruption. I choose travel companies that include the pre-existing condition waiver when the policy is purchased no more than 24 hours AFTER the final payment. For me, it is the best option because I book our cruises very early and do not feel comfortable purchasing insurance so many months in advance.

 

I use insuremytrip.com and theinsurancestore.com to get comparison quotes from different companies. Most of the time I have chosen CSA.

 

I hope this has been useful.

[Eager2Travel]

We are in the exact same situation. Which CSA policy works best under these circumstances?

[uprrp]

I usually purchase the CSA Freestyle to cover the pre-existing conditions waiver.

[Eager2Travel]

Thanks. I will keep that in mind when we do our next final pay. I made a note to myself with our insurance info. I hate purchasing at deposit in case we decide the trip wont work out. The insurance question sometimes keeps me from reserving a cruise that looks like a great possibility.