Confused as to options

[Shmoo here]

We've booked a cruise for later in the year. We've decided (I think) that we're really not interested in the cancellation coverage as we're no paying off the cruise until the last minute, and we're OK with losing what we've paid for it if we need to cancel.

 

However, we're sure we want to get medical/evacuation coverage.

 

When I requested a quote from insure my trip and square mouth, they both came up with polices that still seem to include cancellation coverage. Is this normal? Not all the policies did, just some.

 

What's a good amount of coverage for a 3 week trip, including a cruise as a major part of it? Medical - $50,000 or $100,000. Evacuation - I have no clue as to how much to get. Help.

[cruiseco]

 

When I requested a quote from insure my trip and square mouth, they both came up with polices that still seem to include cancellation coverage. Is this normal? Not all the policies did, just some.

 

 

What figure did you use for the trip cost to be insured? $0.00?

 

Some plans don't have a separate "zero trip cost" premium bracket. So you'll be shown a premium for the lowest allowed amount -- usually $500. So you'll get a non-zero figure for both the trip cancellation and interruption benefits.

 

Some plans will accept $0.00 as a valid input for trip cancellation but automatically have a minimum trip interruption benefit of $500 or $,000. So if you enter a trip cost of $0.00 you'll see a trip cancellation benefit of $0.00 but a trip interruption benefit of $500/$1,000.

[Shmoo here]

What figure did you use for the trip cost to be insured? $0.00?

 

Some plans don't have a separate "zero trip cost" premium bracket. So you'll be shown a premium for the lowest allowed amount -- usually $500. So you'll get a non-zero figure for both the trip cancellation and interruption benefits.

 

Some plans will accept $0.00 as a valid input for trip cancellation but automatically have a minimum trip interruption benefit of $500 or $,000. So if you enter a trip cost of $0.00 you'll see a trip cancellation benefit of $0.00 but a trip interruption benefit of $500/$1,000.

 

Sorry, I'm being slow on understanding. I don't do well with fine print and all the intertwined language in insurance policies.:o

 

I went and changed the criteria I used to show $0.00 for trip cost. And the same options come up. Some of which have trip interruption coverage. Would that mean if the trip is interrupted due to medical? or any reason?

 

Also, the "look back" thing. What does it mean 2 years, or 18 months, or 2 months?

 

Is $50,000 coverage for medical a good number? Or should we go for $100,000? And I'm thinking that we want something like $500,000 for evacuation, does that sound OK?

[cherylandtk]

All trip insurance is for specific, named reasons only unless it is any reason coverage. Mostly these are medically related reasons, but can include bad weather, terrorism or your home is uninhabitable. Policies vary, so you will want to read the policies you are considering to see if their coverage is what you have in mind.

 

Cancellation coverage is for before the trip starts, and if you don't want or need that coverage, you can insure a zero or $1 cost. It makes your policy, essentially, just a medical coverage policy since you are not insuring for cancellation. But you do get trip interruption coverage, if something should happen on the trip. The 'something' is the same list of reasons as would have applied to cancellation coverage, which again, is mostly medical issues.

 

The look back period is the amount of time before you purchase the policy, some are as short as 30 days, some are as long as 6 months. If you have a medical condition (any condition) during that period of time, it is generally not covered by the policy; it is a pre-existing condition. Some stable medical conditions are not considered pre-existing if they meet certain requirements.

 

Since you are purchasing the policy near final payment, and you are not insuring the full cost of the trip, you are not eligible for the waiver of that pre-existing condition exclusion. This could be a crucial omission for people who just want a medical policy and don't really care about cancellation coverage, if they have a pre-existing condition they want covered during the trip.

[Shmoo here]

All trip insurance is for specific, named reasons only unless it is any reason coverage. Mostly these are medically related reasons, but can include bad weather, terrorism or your home is uninhabitable. Policies vary, so you will want to read the policies you are considering to see if their coverage is what you have in mind.

 

Cancellation coverage is for before the trip starts, and if you don't want or need that coverage, you can insure a zero or $1 cost. It makes your policy, essentially, just a medical coverage policy since you are not insuring for cancellation. But you do get trip interruption coverage, if something should happen on the trip. The 'something' is the same list of reasons as would have applied to cancellation coverage, which again, is mostly medical issues.

 

The look back period is the amount of time before you purchase the policy, some are as short as 30 days, some are as long as 6 months. If you have a medical condition (any condition) during that period of time, it is generally not covered by the policy; it is a pre-existing condition. Some stable medical conditions are not considered pre-existing if they meet certain requirements.

 

Since you are purchasing the policy near final payment, and you are not insuring the full cost of the trip, you are not eligible for the waiver of that pre-existing condition exclusion. This could be a crucial omission for people who just want a medical policy and don't really care about cancellation coverage, if they have a pre-existing condition they want covered during the trip.

 

We are not purchasing the insurance close to final payment. We are purchasing the insurance now (within 2 weeks of initial payment). So I think we're good with being eligible for the pre-existing waiver.