Trip Insurance ?'s

[Firetrk]

My family and I just booked a cruise for August. The TA told us we have 3 weeks to book trip insurance. Why is there a deadline? What happens if I go past 3 weeks? Can I not get it?

 

Also I started to look up prices. Wow have they gone up. My BF and I went on a 9 day cruise this past September and it was $90 for both of us. Now I am getting prices like $140 for 7 days. Anyone know why the price jump?

[msmayor]

Your TA probably said 'three weeks' so that IF you are interested in coverage for pre-existing conditions and/or cancel for any reason, you will still be able to get those options. Most policies sold only allow those options if you purchase the insurance within 14-21 days of the initial deposit on the trip.

[GeezerCouple]

Your TA probably said 'three weeks' so that IF you are interested in coverage for pre-existing conditions and/or cancel for any reason, you will still be able to get those options. Most policies sold only allow those options if you purchase the insurance within 14-21 days of the initial deposit on the trip.

 

This would be the reason, unless there is another specific company or policy type that has rather unusual policy terms.

 

This "pre-existing exclusion clause" means that IF one has a cancellation or trip medical event that is - or CAN be - related to a previous medical situation, the claim will ordinarily be denied. (There ARE exceptions, such as if medications haven't been changed within 60 or 180 days, but our thinking is that especially if there is a large claim, the insurer is certainly going to look VERY carefully to see if there are indeed previous medical conditions that can be grounds for denial, and at best, they'll take a lot of time pouring over one's medical history to see.)

 

So many of us - and especially those with a variety of medical 'situations' (not uncommon as one ages) - pay a higher %age of the policy cost so that claims related to ANY medical situation are covered, regardless of whether there was something pre-existing that was or might have been 'related'.

 

As for the 14 - 21 day window, be careful. Each insurer/policy has its own deadline, so make sure you start looking right away if you think you want this type of coverage.

 

Fortunately, only the initial deposit (usually) needs to be insured, and then as you pay more for non-refundable travel costs, you bump up the coverage. That means one isn't paying insurance for the full costs, starting what could be a year or two in advance.

 

BUT READ THE TERMS OF *YOUR* POLICY CAREFULLY.

NOT ALL POLICY TERMS ARE ALIKE.

 

We suggest calling Steve at

TripInsuranceStore.com

 

for help with the various choices, and what your particular needs/preferences are.

 

GeezerCouple

[Firetrk]

Thank you. I will give him a call.

 

All of this insurance stuff is way over my head!

 

 

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[Mr. Click]

Another vote for Steve and TripInsuranceStore. We booked a cruise for Jan 2016 and because I now have an official pre-exsisting condition I knew I needed to insure it right away. I had a lot of questions because we have not booked the airfare yet and won't likely book it for 5-6 months and then there are this issues of primary and secondary health insurance because we are on Medicare and that insurance does not cover anything outside the USA...10 minutes with Steve and the trip is insured to cover the deposit only for now, we will need to add coverage for cruise fare and airfare as we pay for them. That is a nice bonus because it means we can effectively pay our premium over time rather than paying it all at once right now. He also found a plan with a company he has vetted that takes on primary medical coverage for us in the event of any medical problems. It cost a few dollars more for that option but it was well worth it for our peace of mind. This is the second trip we have insured with Steve and both times, he really did his best to understand our needs, circumstances and still got us a reasonable price. He knows the pitfalls and works hard to keep us out of them.