Travel Insurance...Necessary Or Not While Pregnant & Cruising?

[Tansy Mews]

[quote name='kbset'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=RoyalBlue]Thanks for all the info everyone!! My husband and I booked our first cruise this past January (almost a year ago) and the 2nd one of our B2B this past September. So when we booked both of the cruises I was not pregnant yet, and the final payment for both our cruises was mid November so we already paid for them in full....so does this mean I'm SOL when it comes to getting travel insurance? :confused:
Thanks for mentioning for us to call our health insurance provider (BCBS) and asking what is covered....we never thought about doing that!! :D[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

Any advice? Her BTB starts in late January.

[Ken076]

[quote name='Tansy Mews']Any advice? Her BTB starts in late January.[/quote]

I think the advice was (1) the OP should be able to get Travel Insurance after Final Payment but won't be able to get 3rd party Policy Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions or Cancel for Any Reason, and (2) to call their Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) to see if their Policy is one of those BCBS Policies that includes Out-of-Country Coverage. ken Edited December 5, 2013 by Ken076

[Giorgi-one]

[quote name='Sherlock43031']since you say so on the web I guess she is SOL..[/QUOTE]

Not saying I have the definitive answer. I used to sell cruises and have attended several travel insurance seminars and have read the insurance policy we sold word for word. At the seminars we were told by the insurance rep that travel insurance is all about what they do not cover and to make sure our clients understand what is and what is not covered. As you might know, when you want coverage for preexisting conditions you MUST INSURE ALL NONREFUNDABLE COSTS. There was a recent letter in the Philadelphia Inquirer where a woman purchased $4000 policy when the actual nonrefundable cost was a few dollars more. The Insurance company refused her claim. She only got paid because Christopher Eilliot (travel consumer advocate) intervened with the insurance company. Bottom line is that insurance companies are pretty good about paying for covered claims but will absolutely not pay if they have a way out. Most insurance companies will not cover preexisting conditions unless you purchase insurance within 10 days or so of first booking your vacation. There are some companies which will allow purchase at final payment but OP is beyond this deadline. My point is that if anyone tells her anything different she better get it in writing from someone who has the authority to ensure coverage.

[Giorgi-one]

[quote name='macruisefan']Sure you do! That's exactly WHY you have looked at the situation and decided it makes sense for you to buy insurance. Much of what you said before this line IS cost/benefit analysis.:)[/QUOTE]

The only thing close to cost/benefit is that I do not purchase cancellation insurance and I am fine with anyone doing that. However, I think that anyone who does not purchase medical / evacutation is making a mistake and potentially putting themselves in danger if they do have a serious emergency where they have to depend on local strangers in a foreign country for their care, not to mention the potential cost they would incur.

[not_anna]

Hi!

I work for a travel insurance company, and actually with a few of the policies that others have listed on this thread. Highly recommend insurance, just to CYA in case something happens unexpectedly.

I don't have the actual policy available to review in front of me, so I'm just going off the top of my head, but this is what I would say...

-Get insurance for your trip. Within 21 days of final payment, the sooner the better. They will ask you for your travel dates so just tell them the dates covering both cruises. I don't think they would bother writing you two separate policies, and they won't ask to look at your purchase dates unless you file a claim. As long as you are fit to travel (have not been advised not to travel by your doctor) the pre-ex shouldn't count. They take into consideration if the situation was "unforeseen and unexpected" Get trip cancellation on the policy in the chance (knock on wood) that something medically prevents you from going, you have coverage to get your cruise money back.

-You can purchase the CFAR (Cancel for Any Reason) upgrade. It will cost more but worth it if you are the type of person who just wakes up one morning and doesn't feel like travelling. Trust me, this happens. Or if you just feel that going into your pregnancy the timing is off and you'd rather reschedule. You will get something like 75-80% of your money back.

-Make sure the policy comes with emergency medical evac, and that you know the number for the toll free assistance line. Again, knock on wood, but if you were to be hospitalized for something severe the assistance company can make sure you are getting adequate treatment and can guarantee payment to the hospital if the bills are large and not reasonable for you to pay and submit for reimbursement.

-The main thing is the exclusions... normal pregnancy = not covered, complications = covered. I do not believe that pregnancy is considered a pre-ex condition but again, I don't have the policy to check the exclusions.

-If you purchase a policy you should have ten days to cancel for any reason. Because the policy isn't right for you, you've found better coverage, you just don't want it. Ten days and they will refund your money no questions asked. Make sure when you purchase your policy you read the wording, especially the exclusions they stick in the back of the book.


Sorry this is wordy, I hope it helps you somewhat. Let me know if you have any questions and I can try and get my hands on a policy (I'm not at work this week to check...)

[Giorgi-one]

[quote name='not_anna']Hi!

I work for a travel insurance company, and actually with a few of the policies that others have listed on this thread. Highly recommend insurance, just to CYA in case something happens unexpectedly.

I don't have the actual policy available to review in front of me, so I'm just going off the top of my head, but this is what I would say...

-Get insurance for your trip. Within 21 days of final payment, the sooner the better. They will ask you for your travel dates so just tell them the dates covering both cruises. I don't think they would bother writing you two separate policies, and they won't ask to look at your purchase dates unless you file a claim. As long as you are fit to travel (have not been advised not to travel by your doctor) the pre-ex shouldn't count. They take into consideration if the situation was "unforeseen and unexpected" Get trip cancellation on the policy in the chance (knock on wood) that something medically prevents you from going, you have coverage to get your cruise money back.

-You can purchase the CFAR (Cancel for Any Reason) upgrade. It will cost more but worth it if you are the type of person who just wakes up one morning and doesn't feel like travelling. Trust me, this happens. Or if you just feel that going into your pregnancy the timing is off and you'd rather reschedule. You will get something like 75-80% of your money back.

-Make sure the policy comes with emergency medical evac, and that you know the number for the toll free assistance line. Again, knock on wood, but if you were to be hospitalized for something severe the assistance company can make sure you are getting adequate treatment and can guarantee payment to the hospital if the bills are large and not reasonable for you to pay and submit for reimbursement.

-The main thing is the exclusions... normal pregnancy = not covered, complications = covered. I do not believe that pregnancy is considered a pre-ex condition but again, I don't have the policy to check the exclusions.

-If you purchase a policy you should have ten days to cancel for any reason. Because the policy isn't right for you, you've found better coverage, you just don't want it. Ten days and they will refund your money no questions asked. Make sure when you purchase your policy you read the wording, especially the exclusions they stick in the back of the book.


Sorry this is wordy, I hope it helps you somewhat. Let me know if you have any questions and I can try and get my hands on a policy (I'm not at work this week to check...)[/QUOTE]

Good advice but I believe the OP has already made final payment. I do not believe the CAFR would cover pregnancy.

[not_anna]

You need to purchase the policy within 21 days of final payment.

CFAR is cancel for any reason. You pay more money to get the no questions asked cancelation.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

[jcl410]

I took a look at the plan on [url]www.travelguard.com[/url]...

It's true that they don't cover "pregnancy", but then you really don't need insurance for a normal pregnancy any way (at least while on the cruise)

They DO cover "complications from pregnancy". If the complication first appears on the cruise, then you would be covered. i.e.; it wouldn't be a preexisting condition.

I urge you to read the plan yourself.

Aloha,

John

[kbset]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=RoyalBlue]My husband called our insurance company (BCBS) and they said as long as it was for an emergency, we would be covered...I'm going to have him call them back to verify and hopefully have them e-mail/send us a letter reiterating what was said over the phone just to be on the safe side.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[lynzie2662]

One of the reasons to get insurance is so that if something comes up before your cruise that causes you to have to cancel, you can get money back. My daughter's father-in-law passed away the day before they were to sail, and they got their money back. Another couple on another chat may have to cancel next week's cruise for the same reason, but they do not have insurance. I feel for them and hope they can get RCCL to let them rebook for January and not lose their money. Insurance is also if you get to a foreign country and need to be brought home by air, you can make it back. In that case, you must have a passport, birth certificates won't work then.

[Mom.to.2]

[quote name='kbset'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=RoyalBlue]My husband called our insurance company (BCBS) and they said as long as it was for an emergency, we would be covered...I'm going to have him call them back to verify and hopefully have them e-mail/send us a letter reiterating what was said over the phone just to be on the safe side.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

Excellent idea to get it in writing. Make sure coverage extends to emergency care on board & in the countries where your ports of call are. Not just in the US.

I would specifically ask about emergency evacuation coverage. If your BCBS doesn't cover this to at least $50k, I would recommend you purchase the evacuation coverage separately.

One last thing to be clear on...God forbid you do need emergency care while out of BCBS network, are you prepared to cover all medical costs out of pocket until you are able to submit the bills to BCBS for reimbursement?

[Ken076]

[quote name='kbset'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=royalblue]My husband called our insurance company (BCBS) and they said as long as it was for an emergency, we would be covered...I'm going to have him call them back to verify and hopefully have them e-mail/send us a letter reiterating what was said over the phone just to be on the safe side.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]

What BCBS Policy do you have? Any chance you're FEP?

A letter isn't much use, as the company isn't bound by what the reps (may erroneously) tell you, only by what's in the contract.

ken