Recommendation for "Pick and Choose" coverage

[SuitCaseBears]

I didn't see this posted too recently so apologies if I just missed a thread.

 

My medical insurance covers medical emergencies world-wide. If my husband or I fall ill, our carrier pays for all emergency services, including follow up, if it's authorized. So I don't need medical coverage.

 

What I would like is

 

• Baggage Loss
  
• Baggage Delay
  
• Trip Delay
  
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption
  
• Medical Evacuation
  

I've found a company that does medical evacuation as a stand alone policy. And some companies that seem to let you pick and choose but only for travel in the US (we're going to the Caribbean) Has anyone come across a company that lets you pick and choose these other types of coverage, without having to get medical.

 

I would like what most companies consider the premium coverage for these items, but they always seem to lump them together with higher medical coverage, which is a big cost, and I don't need.

 

Any suggestions?

[CruisinGerman]

The medical coverage portion of travel insurance policies is very inexpensive. Before you discard it:

 

1. Even though your home medical insurance includes out-of-country medical emergencies, under what conditions does it do so? Do you first have to meet a large deductible? Does it cover foreign hospitalization and medical care at in-network or out-of-network benefits?

 

2. Is there a travel assistance service built into this benefit? That is, in order to receive care out-of-country, does your insurer use one of the multinational travel assistance companies? These companies generally provide payment guarantees to hospitals so that you don't have to pay the bill and then submit for reimbursement.

 

Please evaluate the above before you discard medical coverage, since as I say, this coverage is a very inexpensive portion of most comprehensive travel insurance policies.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[SuitCaseBears]

The medical coverage portion of travel insurance policies is very inexpensive.

 

Thanks. I had assumed it was actually a big part of the cost. And yes, my insurance covers everything you mentioned. No special deductible ($40 US is my co-pay) I have used it in the past and they actually do a great job of taking care of all of the financial arrangements for a medical emergency.

 

However if the price is going to be close, of course I wont reject the medical coverage. I just assumed there'd be a difference.

[cruiseco]

Thanks. I had assumed it was actually a big part of the cost. And yes, my insurance covers everything you mentioned. No special deductible ($40 US is my co-pay) I have used it in the past and they actually do a great job of taking care of all of the financial arrangements for a medical emergency.

 

However if the price is going to be close, of course I wont reject the medical coverage. I just assumed there'd be a difference.

 

It's impossible to get a cost for each of the benefits included in one of the package plans but you can at least figure out how much of the total premium the trip cancellation/interruption coverages are by checking the rates without those benefits.

 

For example, for one CSA plan a traveler 60 years old and insuring a $3000 trip cost the premium would be $169. With a trip cost of $0 (no cancellation/interruption coverage) the premium drops to $25.

 

That $25 covers:

 

Medical

Emergency Evacuation

Trip Delay

Baggage Delay

Baggage Loss/Damage

Rental Car CDW

Accident AD&D

24-hour assistance

Identity theft coverage

 

Although it can't be broken down further into the individual benefit costs, you can see that the medical coverage can't be much.

[SuitCaseBears]

I really had only mentioned cost in the sense that I thought the cost of the medical part of a package policy was a "big chunk" and that buying a policy without medical might be cheaper.

 

But thinking about it, while the medical costs could be very high in an emergency, they don't happen often. While missed flights and lost luggage is much more common. So maybe it wouldn't be much cheaper to buy a "no medical coverage" policy if I could find one.

 

I'm going to make a few phone calls tomorrow and see what I can find.

[sail7seas]

It's impossible to get a cost for each of the benefits included in one of the package plans but you can at least figure out how much of the total premium the trip cancellation/interruption coverages are by checking the rates without those benefits.

 

For example, for one CSA plan a traveler 60 years old and insuring a $3000 trip cost the premium would be $169. With a trip cost of $0 (no cancellation/interruption coverage) the premium drops to $25.

 

That $25 covers:

 

Medical

Emergency Evacuation

Trip Delay

Baggage Delay

Baggage Loss/Damage

Rental Car CDW

Accident AD&D

24-hour assistance

Identity theft coverage

 

Although it can't be broken down further into the individual benefit costs, you can see that the medical coverage can't be much.

 

 

Cruiseco......

 

Do you know the medical coverage limit on the policy you reference?

 

Thanks.

 

[cruiseco]

Cruiseco......

 

Do you know the medical coverage limit on the policy you reference?

 

Thanks.

 

 

The medical limit is $50K, $250K for evacuation coverage.

 

Just keep in mind that CSA is a little unusual in that those benefit limits are per POLICY, not per person. So if two cruisers on the same policy are both injured in an accident that $50K has to cover both of their medical bills.

 

With CSA it's often better to split into two policies to make sure you get the maximum benefit amount for each person. The only downside is that they charge a $6/policy admin fee. If two cruisers are on one policy they pay that $6 once. If they split up to maximize the medical/evac coverage they pay that $6 twice.

[sail7seas]

The medical limit is $50K, $250K for evacuation coverage.

 

Just keep in mind that CSA is a little unusual in that those benefit limits are per POLICY, not per person. So if two cruisers on the same policy are both injured in an accident that $50K has to cover both of their medical bills.

 

With CSA it's often better to split into two policies to make sure you get the maximum benefit amount for each person. The only downside is that they charge a $6/policy admin fee. If two cruisers are on one policy they pay that $6 once. If they split up to maximize the medical/evac coverage they pay that $6 twice.

 

 

Penny Wise and Pound Foolish......

 

I'd look at the $6/policy admin fee as the price to purchase $25,000 more medical coverage and more evacuation coverage though $250,000 is most likely adequate. (Speaking only for myself, we renew MedJetAssist each year.)

 

For a couple to not buy two policies seems foolish.

The premium for medical only/no cancellation is silly low. For anyone to travel without medical when it can be bought for that premium from a reputable company should be considered really ridiculous. IMO

 

 

THANK You, as always. You're a tremendous help.