US Ports, Coronary Stent and Travel Insurance

[Wastegirl]

I am getting desperate, off on a cruise next August - Sydney to Sydney to Tahiti and Hawaii on the Golden Princess. 5 Port stops in Hawaii.

 

Our annual policy with Covermore runs out at the end of March and I thought I had better look at either renewing or just getting a one off policy for this trip.

 

Now a bit of background - my husband is 63 has genetic cholestoral, diagnosed early so the doctors have been monitoring him. Has had two stents inserted BEFORE he could have a heart attack and he is slim, healthy and holds down a physical job.

 

Imagine my surprise that starting with Covermore, then Insure & Go and then Suresave all refused to cover my husbands pre existing condition. Covermore did tell me I could email to their assessment team for an individual review but the email I got back asked for so much medical information that it was just not practical (eg record of GP visits for the last 2 years, all medical records from the hospital since the condition commenced, etc, etc, etc).

 

So my question is, does anyone know of any company that covers for this type of condition when travelling in the US.

 

Thanks

Edited December 23, 2016 by Wastegirl

[The_Big_M]

It may be best to go through a broker.

 

However, I found this selected list of companies that may accept insurance involving a stent, so it should make your checking easier:

 

https://www.finder.com.au/travel-insurance-for-heart-conditions

 

From another discussion it seems likely that if insurance is offered, it won't be cheap though.

[Pushka]

As far as getting medical records, if you log into your Medicare account there is a record of every Doctors visit you have made - just the name and date but it might be a start.

 

I would have thought Insureandgo would have worked - I was going to suggest that. Bummer.

[Wastegirl]

One of the companies I spoke to said they'd recently reviewed all their policies. So I wonder whether they all have tightened up their conditions. Could make it difficult for some of us cruisers.

 

 

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[Pushka]

One of the companies I spoke to said they'd recently reviewed all their policies. So I wonder whether they all have tightened up their conditions. Could make it difficult for some of us cruisers.

 

 

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Certainly for me.

[Wastegirl]

The company I work for has an insurance broker, so I am asking him what can be done.

 

 

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[MicCanberra]

Good luck, unfortunately insurance companies only want to insure people who they consider low risk.:(

[Russell21]

I'm very surprised that Insure & Go won't cover him, I'm 72 with a cardiac stent and cholesterol and I get cover.

I'd speak to them on the phone again if I were you.

[Wastegirl]

I'm very surprised that Insure & Go won't cover him, I'm 72 with a cardiac stent and cholesterol and I get cover.

 

I'd speak to them on the phone again if I were you.

 

 

We can get cover normally, it's the Hawaii portion that is throwing the spanner in the works. Insure and Go when I spoke to them were actually quite abrupt, they were the ones that said their policies had been recently reviewed and they wouldn't be giving anything different to what was said in the online application.

 

 

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[jspqld]

I know this feeling only too well. having got cancer 3 years ago insurance companies don't want to know me, even though I'm relatively fine now. One company may decide to cover you today, but not tomorrow and if they do it's expensive. I can spend days running around in circles till I find some cover. Try Tick and southern cross. I can't remember the name but if you do some googling there is a company that claims to cover all medical, but last time I did a quote with them it was in the thousands.

[The Other Tom]

Maybe you can glean some info from this link

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2364852

 

Or maybe this one:

https://www.insuremytrip.com/insuring-your-trip/insuring-cruise/?linkId=30022&gclid=CjwKEAiAs_PCBRD5nIun9cyu01kSJAA-WD-ro9t_mq3P9lBe5Dr5K9zdBXfgOdN0tfKWyaOrgTQUiRoCTUPw_wcB#

Edited December 24, 2016 by The Other Tom

[cruisine21]

Try Tick and southern cross. I can't remember the name but if you do some googling there is a company that claims to cover all medical, but last time I did a quote with them it was in the thousands.

 

Someone on Facebook said Tick cover coronary problems.

[rickays]

We can get cover normally, it's the Hawaii portion that is throwing the spanner in the works. Insure and Go when I spoke to them were actually quite abrupt, they were the ones that said their policies had been recently reviewed and they wouldn't be giving anything different to what was said in the online application.

 

 

I have used Insure & Go for insurance for my husband who is the same age and has had bypass graft (no previous heart attack only agina). Have just done a dummy booking on their website and entered all his medical details including cholesterol and they will cover for a 4 week trip Worldwide for an extra $528 on top of the normal cost.

Declared conditions:

CABG

Cholesterol levels

Cost: $528.64

 

Try doing the complete medical on their website and see what you come up with. If your husband is fit and healthy and doesn't suffer angina it may be ok with an extra premium. Otherwise try you credit card insurance. Our last trip 6 weeks to USA 2016 was with the credit card insurance and they covered him also with an extra premium. He had no trouble on the trip but they had to pay out nearly $30,000 for me, who got a bad dose of food poisoning.

[Wastegirl]

Did try full medical assessment on Insure & Go, fine with standard Worldwide but as soon as you choose the Worldwide including United States, he was declined. Will try our Credit Card company.

 

 

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[Pushka]

Did try full medical assessment on Insure & Go, fine with standard Worldwide but as soon as you choose the Worldwide including United States, he was declined. Will try our Credit Card company.

 

 

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Credit card insurance will be much tougher. :(

[Beanb41]

Blame the US medical system. Their charges are so high that many insurance companies wont cover pre exisiting conditions for overseas visitors who visit there. One has to realise as well the the primary function of an insurance company is to make money for its shareholders. Looking after the medical needs of its customers is secondary