Travel insurance by the year

[Sherry H]

There has been much discussion re: taking out travel insurance on our cruises. Not cheap.........however.........I would not schedule a cruise without it.

 

Have 2 cruises planned and have purchased insurance on both.

 

Spoke with my friends from Canada who do not take out insurance for individual cruises as they have a travel insurance policy for the entire year!

They pay something like $35 per month per person.

 

Please note.......I am not talking about medical evac...........we already have a policy for that.

 

Anyone heard of a yearly travel insurance policy here in the USA?

[twodogmom]

What is the difference between the two types of insurance? Do you book your medical evacuation insurance by cruise/or a yearly policy?

 

Thanks for the help, I hope people respond to your post.

 

donna

[sail7seas]

IF, IF your evacuation coverage is an annual policy written by MedJetAssist, (which many people here have), be sure to make note they will not evacuate you from a ship.... only from the next port if you become ill at sea. We had that policy for years before I was aware of that. We still write it and consider it a good policy but that is something important I was happy to learn without actually needing to make a claim.

 

I have read here some people mention American Express may have a travel policy you can buy annual if you have a certain level of card with them. I have never fully investigated it.

[lizziebargain]

Perhaps check with American Automobile Association to see if they sell such a policy?

 

 

 

 

There has been much discussion re: taking out travel insurance on our cruises. Not cheap.........however.........I would not schedule a cruise without it.

 

Have 2 cruises planned and have purchased insurance on both.

 

Spoke with my friends from Canada who do not take out insurance for individual cruises as they have a travel insurance policy for the entire year!

They pay something like $35 per month per person.

 

Please note.......I am not talking about medical evac...........we already have a policy for that.

 

Anyone heard of a yearly travel insurance policy here in the USA?

[fann1sh]

Speaking as a Canadian who gets yearly out of country medical insurance....this is to fill a very specific, very Canadian need, and you won't find anything similar in the U.S.

 

Health care in the U.S. cost much more than similar services in Canada. (Please - no need to go into the reasons?) So, a Canadian with perfectly adequate private insurance for Canada will be under insured for services provided in the U.S.

 

And, many Canadians visit the U.S. by car just for a shopping day. I've cut down to around 35 visits per year. :rolleyes: But, that's a lot of exposure for mishaps.

 

But, U.S. residents with perfectly adequate private insurance for the U.S. are NOT under insured to visit Canada. So, no market for this kind of policy in the U.S. for cross border shopping.

 

And, those yearly policies may cover you worldwide, but have very firm caps and limitations. Canadians covered by such a policy have very specific needs when shopping for cruise insurance.

 

I guess I'm sayin' - fuhgeddaboudit.

[sail7seas]

Actually not all your facts are correct.

 

Some people's private U.S. medical insurance does NOT pay out of country. They may be well insured for medical care while in U.S. but would be stuck with high medical bills should they become ill in Canada or elsewhere out of U.S. The bills for those without Canadian National coverage are much higher than the bill would be for citizens with coverage. Same happens in U.S........ those with good insurance have lower bills their insurance pays than they themselves would get if they had no coverage. Insurance companies negotiate fees they will pay for various services. Providers get caps on what they can charge the insurance company but no cap on the individual stuck with the bill to pay themselves.

 

Medicare, which is the health program for seniors, does not pay out of country. Some people purchase additional insurance over and above Medicare which might pay out of country. There are so many different insurers and types of policies it would be very difficult for an American to know a fraction of them let alone someone from out of country.

 

It is necessary for many U.S. travelers to purchase medical coverage for when they are out of the country.

 

It is confusing to say those things to 'new travelers' who are not fully aware of what coverage they have and does them a disservice for them to use that as a guide that they would be covered if ill when out of the country.

 

[SwissMyst]

I use DAN (Divers Assist Network) for med-evac and other travel benefits, and they provide trip insurance as well. We never use it because it is fairly pricey. So we make our plans at risk - so far, so good so I suppose it all nets out at some point.

 

Money lost on one trip versus collective amounts paid insuring against the risk that so far has never happened? We are ahead of the game now not taking out the travel plan insurance policies. All depends upon one's own tolerance of risk and personal circumstances.

 

However, I do think the med-evac insurance is a good bet because it has a very reasonable annual rate (which only proves few people ever need to use it, but if/when one does it is a blessing to have.)

 

If you search the entire CC forum you will find this is a common topic and you can get lots of good suggestions to explore on both parts of this topic: med evac and trip insurance. One poster suggested only insuring part of your trip costs for a lower premium, which means you can only collect this lower amount but it might be worth the savings over time.

[sail7seas]

We have not insured for trip cancellation or interruption for at least our last 55+ cruises and have saved tens of thousands of dollars in premiums we didn't pay. We have been blessed to never have to cancel a cruise during penalty period but even it we do now, we'd be so far ahead it would be fine.

 

We have always been sure to have health coverage outside U.S. and evacuation coverage. Being evacuated from a ship in an emergency can be very pricey. Even if you are in the best of health, anyone can have an accident.

 

We were at risk for measurable loss the first 5 or so cruises we took without cancellation coverage. After that, it was all profit as the amount we started to be saving equaled the average price it would cost for us to cancel.

 

[fann1sh]

Thank you for correcting the errors in my post, sail7seas. It's true when I spoke of "adequate private insurance for the U.S.", I expected people to know whether their own coverage ended at the border.

 

However, a 100% uninsured U.S. resident visiting Canada can expect an ER visit bill 80% lower than a Canadian getting similar services in a U.S. ER. I base that statement on (among other things) bills invoiced for a Michigan resident visiting Ontario who broke an arm - versus - invoices to our insurance for a Michigan ER visit for a broken arm.

 

I'm sure people will post about many excellent insurance alternatives for Americans.

 

I was responding only about the low cost Canadian yearly policies described by the OP. Mine works out to under $10 a month, paid annually. The cost is so low due to the market it's aimed at and the kind of claims that arise. Under those policies "evacuation" is likely to be a 30 minute ambulance ride.

[MadManOfBethesda]

Please note.......I am not talking about medical evac...........we already have a policy for that.

 

Anyone heard of a yearly travel insurance policy here in the USA?

 

Although not directly on point, if you are interested in just the travel protection (trip cancellation, trip delay, trip interruption, baggage claims, etc.) and not the associated health insurance, I'd point out that some credit cards have now started offering such coverage for free if you book the cruise with their cards.

[iancal]

We live in Canada. Our current employer provided travel insurance expires next month so we are now looking for an annual policy.

 

We expect to get one with at $5000. deductable. This should reduce the premium substantially. The potential claims that worry us the most of the big ones.

[sail7seas]

Thank you for correcting the errors in my post, sail7seas. It's true when I spoke of "adequate private insurance for the U.S.", I expected people to know whether their own coverage ended at the border.

 

However, a 100% uninsured U.S. resident visiting Canada can expect an ER visit bill 80% lower than a Canadian getting similar services in a U.S. ER. I base that statement on (among other things) bills invoiced for a Michigan resident visiting Ontario who broke an arm - versus - invoices to our insurance for a Michigan ER visit for a broken arm.

 

I'm sure people will post about many excellent insurance alternatives for Americans.

 

I was responding only about the low cost Canadian yearly policies described by the OP. Mine works out to under $10 a month, paid annually. The cost is so low due to the market it's aimed at and the kind of claims that arise. Under those policies "evacuation" is likely to be a 30 minute ambulance ride.

 

 

You may have heard U.S. health care and insurance is in flux at the moment and many insured have no idea what their policies cover anymore. Employers, who are the major source of coverage for most Americans, are cutting back on the inclusiveness of their policies because of high premiums and unless an employee is vigilant, they are getting caught in 'I thought I had coverage for........' when, indeed, they no longer do.

 

My post was meant as a caution to any American who assumes they are abreast of their policies so they do not get an unpleasant surprise.

 

[Christine Frances]

We live in Canada. Our current employer provided travel insurance expires next month so we are now looking for an annual policy.

 

We expect to get one with at $5000. deductable. This should reduce the premium substantially. The potential claims that worry us the most of the big ones.

 

 

I know CAA has an annual plan though I have not investigated it. Our Annual Plan through Medoc is $12/mo for both of us, has $5,000,000 medical and $12,000 trip cancellation.

[luxurysailer]

The experience of a friend's daughter is what prompted us to carry year-round airevac insurance. His daughter was in Acapulco when she developed a life threatening medical condition. Before they could get an airevac plane to even leave the ground the husband and father had to put up $25,000 which required that they both max out their credit cards. (What if they couldn't have guaranteed the $25,00 with their credit cards?) And this was at least 20 years ago with a flight only from San Diego, CA to Acapulco. Can you imagine what the cost would be from Europe? Or what about Australia?

 

We've carried the Medjet Assist insurance for years. Why? Because we travel by car within the U.S. and Canada, and an automobile accident is probably one of the riskiest things most of us do. We're not willing to run the risk of having to stay in a hospital a long way from home for weeks, or even months, simply because of the expense involved in airevac.

 

 

I think the basic requirements to qualify for Medjet airevac are: must be in a hospital and must be at least 150 miles from your home. Then you have to get to an airport where they can come in with a small jet. They will then take you to the hospital of your choosing within the U.S.

 

Medjet will also give much other assistance in the event you require medical care while out of the U.S. I'm pretty sure all this is on their website.

[sail7seas]

 

<snip>

 

 

I think the basic requirements to qualify for Medjet airevac are: must be in a hospital and must be at least 150 miles from your home. Then you have to get to an airport where they can come in with a small jet. They will then take you to the hospital of your choosing within the U.S.

 

Medjet will also give much other assistance in the event you require medical care while out of the U.S. I'm pretty sure all this is on their website.

 

 

Yes. That is all correct so far as I know.

[Sherry H]

Let me be more specific.

 

Husband and I have medavac ins.

 

We also have medical insurance that will cover us when we are out of the country (reimbursement on return)

 

We are concerned about having to cancel for health reasons, and other things covered by trip insurance.

 

We have two cruises scheduled for 2011:

28 day........cost of cruise........$12,000..........trip ins. paid.......$950

17 day........cost of cruise.........$4,000...........trip ins. paid.......$265

 

Looking to add a third cruise so can't help but think there must be a more economical way to cover trips when making several a year.

[sail7seas]

I hope you find what you are seeking and if you do, please share here about it.

There might be many who are interested in it.

 

[ocngypz]

The only one I've found.. isn't cheap.....and while is does have trip cancellation benefits.......the maximum coverage is only $1500 per person.

 

Let's say you had 4 trips planned for the year. First $900pp, second $1200pp, third $2200pp, fourth $900pp.

 

Let's say you cancelled trip one. That would only leave $600pp in cancellation benefits available to you for the remainder of the year. The other limit amounts were not very generous either.

 

I do have an annual policy through a trade association. However, there are no cancellation benefits. It is medical and repatriation, which is my primary concern since our health coverage doesn't cover out of the US.

[xxoocruiser]

Can get annual quote comparisons for Travel Insurance on http://www.squaremouth.com/travel-insurance-quotes