Insurance on Royal Carribean

[Chanel#5]

Just looking for advice re travel insurance (particularly the medical cover) for a senior aged 78 years with existing medical conditions.

It would seem that we cannot get cover due to one condition co-existing with another (eg cardiovascular disease and diabetes) even though both of these conditions have been well controlled for some time, cardio four years plus, with no further issues, and the diabetes controlled with diet only, no meds. A doctors certificate stating this is not a problem.

Has anyone experienced anything similar or are we just looking at the wrong insurance companies?

Even though these companies advertise they are for seniors with pre-existing conditions, they don't offer cover for anything pre-existing.

Has anyone taken the plunge and travelled without insurance under these circumstances and does RCI ask for proof of travel insurance with the right kind of coverage for seniors?

Can anyone offer any companies we should try that cover this sort of thing.Thanks in advance for your replies.

[Royalty X]

Hi Chanel#5, I highly recommend Covermore Travel Insurance. I use them whenever I travel and my parents, who have had similar issues finding an insurer to cover my mother due to pre-existing medical conditions, use them as well (they're the only ones who will cover my mother). :)

[MMDown Under]

I arranged insurance, under similar circumstances, for my MIL through National Seniors.

[Boboz]

G'day

Try these PPL I am 73 with similar pre existing conditions got a quote the other day much cheaper than the other company I have been using

http://www.insureandgo.com.au/travel-insurance/cruise-travel-insurance.html

regards Bob

[Chanel#5]

Thanks very much for your replies. We have tried Covermore, National Seniors and Insure and Go but none will cover the pre-existing conditions. They do offer cover for the other things, accidents, loss of luggage and the usual, but exclude cover for anything we have listed as pre-existing.

We have been applying for this online and maybe that is the problem. A doctors certificate stating his condition of health is not a problem but no companies offer for any supporting documentation like this.

I have thought about going back to our TA to see what they might be able to do, but after reading all the fine print as we have been doing for days, I wonder if you are actually covered for what the TA says you are covered for.

 

Thanks again Finetuneit, Marion & Bob

 

Louise

[Dashman]

Hi there Louise,

My daughter has some pretty serious pre existing medical conditions (although they are NOT the ones that you are referring too) & we get cover for her through Columbus Direct Travel Insurance.

 

They will only cover her if she has not been hospitalised for her condition in the previous 12 months but other than that we have not had any issues.

 

You will need to ring them as they do not deal with pre existing conditions online.

 

Cheers

Darryl

[Royalty X]

Thanks very much for your replies. We have tried Covermore, National Seniors and Insure and Go but none will cover the pre-existing conditions. They do offer cover for the other things, accidents, loss of luggage and the usual, but exclude cover for anything we have listed as pre-existing.

We have been applying for this online and maybe that is the problem. A doctors certificate stating his condition of health is not a problem but no companies offer for any supporting documentation like this.

I have thought about going back to our TA to see what they might be able to do, but after reading all the fine print as we have been doing for days, I wonder if you are actually covered for what the TA says you are covered for.

 

Thanks again Finetuneit, Marion & Bob

 

Louise

Hi Louise, that surprises to me to be honest. I'm diabetic and have hypertension (high blood pressure) which I take medication for (for both conditions) and I am covered for these things with Covermore... :confused:

[Pushka]

Hi Louise, that surprises to me to be honest. I'm diabetic and have hypertension (high blood pressure) which I take medication for (for both conditions) and I am covered for these things with Covermore... :confused:

 

Yes, I can see that you are covered for both. The only complication with high blood pressure is if you also have some kind of heart disease.

[Steve & Sue]

I have unclipped brain aneurysms (inoperable) and epilepsy. 4 years ago I had to have brain surgery to fix an area that was haemmorhaging.

Allianz Insurance which we have aquired through our TA is covering us (however I am only in my late 40's not my 70's) for $138 for a 14 day cruise with $100 excess.

 

Maybe they might help.

[winrob]

Hi Chanel # 5

It surprises me that Covermore would not cover you for your pre existing things.

They were the only ones that would cover me for our Australian East Coast cruise in April this year.

My pre-existing heart problems included :

Heart attack 1995,

3 stent implants last one in 2005,

Ventricular-tackycardia (rapid heart beat) 2008.

Pacemaker/defibrillator inserted 2008,

Pulmonary oedema (fluid on the lungs) 2010,

Also chronic kidney disease diagnosed 2009,

All were in stable condition.

Cost for D/W and self.

Base premium $129.00, cancelation cover $61, pre existing conditions $66.00 - Total $256.00.

I found it best to apply over the phone, answering multiple question as required. Depending on your answers they will decide if you need a medical assessment from your doctor.

Forms are emailed to you to complete along relevant forms for your doctor. Completed forms were scanned/sent back to Covermore. The whole procedure only took about 72 hours.

Winrob

[Esilef]

Covermore are very good. We will book our insurance with them.

[Aussieflyer]

The other thing to consider is that even if you can't get insurance for the pre existing conditions you will be covered for everything else. Going without insurance at all is not advisable as there are many other things that could arise and lead to a claim.

Though I am surprised you can't get cover. Our son has a mental illness and that is never covered - even if he is not travelling. If he became unwell and we had to cancel, no insurance claim! We have only had one instance of this luckily.

[Sydney32203]

Medibank Private is pretty good with covering per-existing conditions. Quite a few per-existing also do not need a letter from a doctor whereas many other insurance require them.

 

I have previously made a cancellation claim with them and they made it easy and hassle free for us compared to someone else I know who went with another company and it took them weeks and weeks and paper work going back and forth before the claim was approved for very similar cancellation circumstances.

[Chanel#5]

Thanks again everyone for your replies. I have been busy working for a while and not able to respond. Thanks Winrob for your details, it helps to know that other people have similar issues and can still get cover. We are reluctant to go without any insurance and even though my father-in-law is well and his conditions are stable, they are still things we would like to be covered for just in case.

 

He has had angina, one heart attack and a triple bypass with no angina since. That was in 2009 we think.

He was diagnosed with diabetes with quite high levels in 2008 and initially on insulin but now has no medications and is diet controlled.

He has had a bypass of his femoral artery in the right leg about eight years ago.

Has recently,within the last six months had a stent in one of his lower legs.

Has asthma and he thinks has emphysema.

 

Some things we are not 100% sure of because he is not quite clear of what happened and when. We have an appointment with his GP early next week to gain a clear picture and then will ring covermore.

 

Everything we have done has been on-line so far and hopefully talking to a real person will be more helpful. We have cover for ourselves with covermore and for our previous travels. Never had to claim, even though my daughter tried hard to break her leg on our last night on Waikiki. It turned out to be a very bad sprain (the swelling was almost instant and increased the size of her ankle threefold). We rang covermore, told them what had happened and where we were (the doctors on Waikiki, we were too far from the hospital, had no transport and the Honolulu festival was in full swing with wall to wall people) they gave us the ok for treatment and an authority number. Always remember to get this first otherwise you cannot claim. The eventual cost was not too much more than our excess so we decided not to claim, but it could have been a lot worse, I wont travel without insurance.

 

I will come back when I have good news hopefully. Thanks again everyone for your advice, it is much appreciated.

 

Louise

[Guest012]

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I will come back when I have good news hopefully. Thanks again everyone for your advice, it is much appreciated.

 

Louise

 

Hi Louise hope things work out for you all soon, we are using InsureandGo this up coming trip in January for my husband, triple bypass 2007 no heart attack, and now a leaky valve but all under control, they are the only one's we could get coverage with as this trip we will be in the USA for a couple of days... policy for one month for him is $776.00 full coverage of pre-existings. Other insurance companies cover him but not if he is going to the US....we did U.K, Europe, Middle East and Asia earlier this year only cost $325.00 for 6 weeks for him;).... me i have a tachy heart condition, controlled with surgeries, and i only have to pay an extra $75.00 on top of premium total just under $300. So this trip insurance is just over $1000.00 for the 2 of us, I hate having to pay so much but losing much more if something goes wrong is more scary.........just as well Arcadia cruise was cheap cheap cheap:D......cheers Shiona

 

Meant to add the quote i did online was too dear around $1200 for top coverage a lot of the extras we didn't need, so when i didn't go ahead online they rang

me I told them they were too dear and was given the prices for the other levels of coverage, that option wasn't online......

[Chanel#5]

Just back from the doctor's with full list of conditions for father-in-law

 

Cardio vascular disease - heart attack and triple bypass 2009, angina prior to this proceedure but not since.

Peripheral vascular disease -femoral artery bypass about 8 years ago and stent in lower leg April this year.

Carotid endarterectomy 2010 with TIA 2010, no further problems.

Blood pressure is normal and has never been an issue.

Cholesterol is well managed on medication.

Asthma managed well with puffers.

Diabetes well managed with diet only, no medication.

Has gallstones that caused him grief in July this year with a hospital visit and is waiting to see a specialist surgeon for removal of gall bladder.

Heart specialist performed stress test in August confirming his heart is in good shape for the operation, no issues there.

 

I went to the TA with this info and tried again with Covermore and was sadly not covered for any pre-existing.

 

TA suggested APIA, I rang them and they seem confident that he will get cover on the older conditions but maybe not the gallstones (fair enough) and have sent forms for the doctor to fill in. There is hope yet.

 

Also rang National Seniors, they offered similiar by printing a form from their website for the doctor to fill in but no guarantees on cover.

 

It would seem that talking to a real person does help. Fingers still crossed.

[Talveena]

I have private health with Medibank Private, and have had breast cancer in the past and they've been great. Dont know if you've tried your private health insurance provider, they may be more amenable.

[Sydney32203]

I have private health with Medibank Private, and have had breast cancer in the past and they've been great. Dont know if you've tried your private health insurance provider, they may be more amenable.

 

Agree with Talveena. I know Medibank Private covers breast cancer, pancreatic tumor, genetic heart disease, high blood pressure but of course not all in one person.

[Pushka]

I'm surprised anyone covers pancreatic cancers. They are usually nasty.

[Sydney32203]

I'm surprised anyone covers pancreatic cancers. They are usually nasty.

 

It was a different type of pancreatic tumor. Not pancreatic cancer.