Travel Insurance...yes or no?

[thinfool]

is better to buy the insurance through the TA or from a third party? what should one look for when shopping for travel insurance?

 

In most cases any commission will either go to the TA or the 'third 'party'. The customer will see little to no difference.

 

FYI, cruise pricing is the same....book thru a TA or direct....little to no difference. EXCEPT that, for a few cruise lines, some TA's offer nice discount and/or perks that the cruise line will not match.

[LMaxwell]

One medical evac or issue left behind in port could cause significant financial strain on household. Do not want to make that mistake. Insurance is cheap in comparison to everything else.

 

I would also hate to lose the cost of the trip, but I can absorb that without too much strain. It's the 5 figure evac transportation costs that would hose me. Could not ever imagine traveling out of US borders without at least good medical insurance. People have a duty to protect their families long term stability and skipping a few hundred bucks on insurance is short sighted. Insurance isn't about keeping you healthy, it is about protecting your assets.

 

OP, sorry about the loss of your dad. But thank you for sharing this as a reminder to others to give the insurance serious consideration.

Edited February 17, 2014 by LMaxwell

[DebJ14]

Someone commented about coverage from health insurance and Credit Card travel insurance.

 

Speaking from personal experience only -

 

Health insurance did a pay an percentage of the foreign country and on board medical expenses, but my Dad's Medicare didn't cover anything.

 

Health insurance said, "no" to the medivac transport. Medicare..."no" to everything.

 

Credit Card insurance said, "file through all other insurance companies first (they were secondary policy and had limited medivac insurance) they would review the request, after we submitted all the documents, and give their decision with in 10 working days".

 

The medivac company (fox flight) Carnival's insurance company arranged to transport my Dad, was a "payment upfront" operation. Because of the travel insurance we didn't have to worry about coming up with the $28,500 and then wait to be reimbursed.

 

Check all policies very, very carefully, some cover only a percentage and some only cover certain countries and some don't cover on-board medical expenses.

 

Yes, we all have the right to make the choice on whether to purchase travel insurance. I just wanted to share our real costs in an unexpected emergency.

 

We have switched to using Travel Safe for trip insurance precisely because it is PRIMARY insurance. Our health insurance from Aetna specifically states it does NOT cover any medical care out of the country. The credit card insurance is secondary and you have to subrogate to the Primary, which takes us back to Travel Safe.

When we have used travel insurance in the past we have always had to pay all the bills out of country on the spot to receive medical care. This is especially true at the good private hospitals. If you can't pay up front then they stabilize you and transfer you to the nearest public hospital. That could be a nightmare in 3rd world countries.

 

I often worry about many travelers who don't buy insurance and don't have credit cards. Can you afford $28,000 out of pocket for 6 days in a hospital in Mexico? Do you have high enough credit card limits? Do you have enough cash or credit for family members to stay in a hotel and eat for an extra week?

 

Read some of the blogs online and you will quickly realize how unprepared the masses are if they have a heart attack, get sick or injured out of the US.

We always purchase travel insurance AND have high limit credit cards and access to lots of cash if need be when we are out of the country. Google the man who had a heart attack at the Iberostar resort in Mexico and the woman injured in a taxi cab wreck in the Bahamas. In the Iberostar case she had an AMEX card and paid $28,000 for her husband's stay at the hospital and was reimbursed by her travel insurance. In the Bahamas case the NCL passengers had no insurance and family members had to take a second mortgage to get the money to pay for the care and the ride home.

Edited February 17, 2014 by DebJ14

[vbecky]

Any suggestions who to go through for insurance I used my Alaska airline miles for our flights so not sure how to insure those? Any input greatly appreciated.:confused:

[midwestcruiser2001]

We have switched to using Travel Safe for trip insurance precisely because it is PRIMARY insurance. Our health insurance from Aetna specifically states it does NOT cover any medical care out of the country. The credit card insurance is secondary and you have to subrogate to the Primary, which takes us back to Travel Safe.

When we have used travel insurance in the past we have always had to pay all the bills out of country on the spot to receive medical care. This is especially true at the good private hospitals. If you can't pay up front then they stabilize you and transfer you to the nearest public hospital. That could be a nightmare in 3rd world countries.

 

I often worry about many travelers who don't buy insurance and don't have credit cards. Can you afford $28,000 out of pocket for 6 days in a hospital in Mexico? Do you have high enough credit card limits? Do you have enough cash or credit for family members to stay in a hotel and eat for an extra week?

 

Read some of the blogs online and you will quickly realize how unprepared the masses are if they have a heart attack, get sick or injured out of the US.

We always purchase travel insurance AND have high limit credit cards and access to lots of cash if need be when we are out of the country. Google the man who had a heart attack at the Iberostar resort in Mexico and the woman injured in a taxi cab wreck in the Bahamas. In the Iberostar case she had an AMEX card and paid $28,000 for her husband's stay at the hospital and was reimbursed by her travel insurance. In the Bahamas case the NCL passengers had no insurance and family members had to take a second mortgage to get the money to pay for the care and the ride home.

 

Thanks for the tip on Travel Safe. I have it bookmarked for future cruises (we are already covered this trip through Allianz). We were lucky the hospital billed us and didn't charge our credit card the $30,000 which bought us time to work with all of the insurance companies involved.

[idjaffe]

We book ours through Travel Guard ro Travel Insured (they go back and forth on costs) - family of 4 is usually a couple of hundred.

 

Like most - it is not for the cost of the trip - it is the cost of the medical/evacuation. Like my home insurance, I am not looking to cover the $1,000 damage - I am looking to cover the $100,000....

 

But PLEASE don't forget to book the insurance quickly - in order to cover Pre-existing (like diabetes, heart, etc.) you need to buy the insurance within a week or so of booking the trip. AND if your travel agent offers to cover the insurance for you, make sure they purchase it at time of booking. Once had an agent not buy it right away, and ended up having to cancel the whole trip and re-book on another cruise - since we have medical issues, and need the coverage.

[J_Viggy]

I'm somewhat surprised that so many people purchase travel insurance!

 

I don't buy the insurance, never have. One thing, and maybe my health plan is unusual in this, but we are covered for emergency medical care outside the country. The costs of flights/cruise itself I figure I'm willing to eat.

 

I don't know, I think of it much like the Best Buy people trying to sell me a coverage plan on a camera or something, I just never pay the extra money for it. Perhaps I will regret it one day....

[KNowme1st]

I never bought cruise ins either, untill our cruise for next month. We purchansed it because we are traveling with 2 kiddos 11 and 12 years of age. Felt it was a wisw thing since boys that age can get into things a in a heart beat. Hopefullfully wont need it. But better safe then sorry.

[idjaffe]

I never bought cruise ins either, untill our cruise for next month. We purchansed it because we are traveling with 2 kiddos 11 and 12 years of age. Felt it was a wisw thing since boys that age can get into things a in a heart beat. Hopefullfully wont need it. But better safe then sorry.

 

1 broken arm, or a few stitches, and all the insurance you bought for all the years you travel is covered....

[sparks1093]

The TravelGuard Gold plan that I bought last year for our upcoming cruise is a package plan that covers everything and it cost $30 per person. Because I purchased it within 2 weeks of initial payment I recieved a pre-existing condition waiver and TravelGuard will pay as primary insurance for medical. (Of course if I were to buy the same policy right now it would cost more.)

[sacnaillady]

I always buy the insurance. You never know what life will bring you. I'm a healthy 53 yr. old and out of the blue I got an infection that eventually required surgery. Bam! I'm out of work for a month (self employed so no sick pay) and had to cancel 2 trips due to recovery. So you just never know. Get travel insurance!