What is the best insurance. Son has pre-existing condition.

[Univfire]

My son (9yrs old) has a kidney disease. He is currently in remission and doing well. We want to take a cruise with other family members in April of 2014. I am really worried about booking so far in advance because we don't know how my son will be doing at that time (along with any of us really).

 

I talked to our travel agent and she recommended Travel Guard Gold over Carnival's trip insurance.

 

I'm looking for advice on what the absolute best insurance is for us to purchase. I would like to be reimbursed our trip expenses if we have to cancel last minute. I would also want to be covered if we needed to leave the ship and get medical care in a foreign country. I'm not sure what the insurance covers. I've read stories of people needing to pay thousands of dollars up front and also arrange their own hotel stays to be with family members and flights back home. Does trip insurance cover all of this? I do have a brochure for Travel Guard but I'm not really sure about all this.

 

Do y'all have any other recommendations or tips on which insurance would be best for us?

 

Thanks.

[paul929207]

Most travel insurance will cover pre-exhisting conditions if purchased within 14 days of booking the cruise.

[sirwired]

TravelGuard Gold would probably be a better choice than the Carnival plan.

 

However, note that except for a super-serious medical issue, pretty much all plans (including the one sold by cruise lines) require you to "front" the money for treatment, and then get reimbursed afterwards.

 

Really, I would strongly consider something like MedJet as a medevac supplement, given that you are possibly more likely to need medevac vs. a standard cruiser. And most 3rd-party policies will only provide evac to the "closest suitable facility" This usually works out, but given the likely complex medical needs your son might have, MedJet will get you to the hospital of your choice instead. (Although I think some 3rd-party providers DO have an enhanced medevac supplement.)

 

Whatever you do, buy promptly in order to keep your options open.

[Univfire]

Thank you. I have been researching this ever since posting this question. I have found a few websites that clarify all of this a bit for me.

 

Right now what I'm stumped on is: My son is medically able to travel today. His doctor would agree to that 100%. However, the pre-existing condition waiver says he has to have not been treated for his condition within (anywhere from) 60-180 days prior to the date I purchase the insurance. My son is monitored closely and has appointments at least every month to make sure his treatment is working. They try to lower his medication at every appointment which sometimes causes relapses. His medication is always changing. From what I am reading, due to this I would not be able to get a pre-existing condition waiver for my son? I'm very confused.

 

The way I see it now, I buy the insurance and HOPE he is covered or don't buy insurance and he definitely won't be covered. *sigh*

[cruiseco]

 

Right now what I'm stumped on is: My son is medically able to travel today. His doctor would agree to that 100%. However, the pre-existing condition waiver says he has to have not been treated for his condition within (anywhere from) 60-180 days prior to the date I purchase the insurance. My son is monitored closely and has appointments at least every month to make sure his treatment is working. They try to lower his medication at every appointment which sometimes causes relapses. His medication is always changing. From what I am reading, due to this I would not be able to get a pre-existing condition waiver for my son? I'm very confused.

 

What you're looking at is the DEFINITION of a pre-exisgin condition and its exclusion, not the WAIVER of that exclusion.

 

If you qualify for the plan's waiver of the pre-existing condition exclusion all of that "60 - 180 days" stuff simply goes away. It's waived. It no longer can/will be used in making any claims decision. Once you have the waiver in place, your son's medication/treatment could have been changed a dozen times in the 60 - 180 days prior to buying the policy or at any time following the purchase and it just doesn't matter.

[Univfire]

THANK YOU! for clarifying that! LOL

 

This is not my first cruise, but my first time I've been worried about this since my son was diagnosed in the last year. Always something to keep us on our toes.

 

That makes me feel much better!

[alwaysfrantic]

If you transfer your booking to Costco, they will offer trip insurance with the pre existing condition waiver up to the time of final payment. It's a good deal since you are reserving so far ahead. If you buy a policy now and cancel the cruise at no penalty in a few months, you are still out the insurance fee. If you wait and buy at final payment, you are covered for the penalty phase and still get coverage for an unexpected kidney flair up.

[cruiseco]

If you transfer your booking to Costco, they will offer trip insurance with the pre existing condition waiver up to the time of final payment. It's a good deal since you are reserving so far ahead. If you buy a policy now and cancel the cruise at no penalty in a few months, you are still out the insurance fee. If you wait and buy at final payment, you are covered for the penalty phase and still get coverage for an unexpected kidney flair up.

 

The problem with that is that Costco, like other travel agencies has in the past, and probably will in the future, changed insurance programs/suppliers. So, if six months from now they decide to go with some other insurer that does not offer the ability to purchase a plan at final payment and get the pre-ex coverage you're out of luck with them. You'd still have options such as with CSA but you'd have those options anyway without going through the trouble of moving the booking around.