A satisfied claimant for Travel Insured, but....

[rkacruiser]

I needed to visit the Medical Center during my Nieuw Statendam cruise due to a very severe sinusitis condition.

The Medical Center provided documentation that explained the charges incurred as well as the complete diagnosis by the doctor.

 

Starting to file a claim at Travel Insured, I was "greeted" with a multitude of items that needed to be fulfilled in filing my claim.  I needed to file a claim with my primary health insurance company first.  (As a Medicare Advantage policy holder, I knew that Medicare would deny any claim for out of the country medical service.  Why is this necessary?)  A medical report from the Nieuw Statendam's Medical Center needed to be included in my claim.  The documentation that I was given was as detailed as it could be.  Why would anything more be required?    Easily, I was able to complete the rest of the claim form.

 

Contacting the Company about concerning my Medicare status and asking why should my insurance company needs to be involved, I was asked:  "Where do you live?"  Ohio, I answered.  Return reply:  "You don't need to do so if you live in Ohio."  Travel Insured Medical Coverage becomes primary rather than secondary.  

 

The form provided to me from the ship's Medical Center did provide the necessary information that Travel Insured's "requirement" of a formal medical report.  

 

My claim was approved.  The check was received and has been cashed.  But, it just seems to me that there are too many hoops that a senior citizen using Medicare as their primary health care insurance had to jump through to get it approved.  Plus, the "requirement" that an additional medical report was required--when it was not--!

 

Probably have little interest in purchasing another of their policies in the future based upon this experience.

[GeezerCouple]

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

I needed to visit the Medical Center during my Nieuw Statendam cruise due to a very severe sinusitis condition.

The Medical Center provided documentation that explained the charges incurred as well as the complete diagnosis by the doctor.

 

Starting to file a claim at Travel Insured, I was "greeted" with a multitude of items that needed to be fulfilled in filing my claim.  I needed to file a claim with my primary health insurance company first.  (As a Medicare Advantage policy holder, I knew that Medicare would deny any claim for out of the country medical service.  Why is this necessary?)  A medical report from the Nieuw Statendam's Medical Center needed to be included in my claim.  The documentation that I was given was as detailed as it could be.  Why would anything more be required?    Easily, I was able to complete the rest of the claim form.

 

Contacting the Company about concerning my Medicare status and asking why should my insurance company needs to be involved, I was asked:  "Where do you live?"  Ohio, I answered.  Return reply:  "You don't need to do so if you live in Ohio."  Travel Insured Medical Coverage becomes primary rather than secondary.  

 

The form provided to me from the ship's Medical Center did provide the necessary information that Travel Insured's "requirement" of a formal medical report.  

 

My claim was approved.  The check was received and has been cashed.  But, it just seems to me that there are too many hoops that a senior citizen using Medicare as their primary health care insurance had to jump through to get it approved.  Plus, the "requirement" that an additional medical report was required--when it was not--!

 

Probably have little interest in purchasing another of their policies in the future based upon this experience.

 

We've had several claims with Travel Insured, and no problems.  Also, we purchase our policies through TripInsuranceStore, and IF there are any difficulties, they'll help figure it out.  (One example, we were overseas and I landed in hospital, and we had very high extra non-medical costs, and we were worried about whether they'd be covered.  While I was recuperating - part of the cost involved - we queried Steve at TIS by email, and within a day, he had contacted TI for us, and sent us the exact part of our policy that *would* cover the situation.  Not surprisingly, although the situation seemed "odd" to us, it wasn't all that uncommon...)

 

But you mentioned that once you contacted them, they cleared it up.

Why hesitate to contact them at the first sign of any difficulty?  (We didn't call them, b/c we were still overseas and hadn't yet filed the claim; we didn't want to call from Europe for a non-emergency question, although we could have, of course.)

And why complain publicly if they DID answer your questions satisfactorily AND paid the claim properly?

We could each complain about almost countless potential problems with just about any form for anything, but usually if we don't understand something... we ask.  You asked, and they answered, and you found their response satisfactory.  AND they paid your claim!  (There are many posts here on CC about travel insurance problems where the claim was denied, full stop!)

 

We've found them VERY easy to deal with once we filed our first claim, and for the others.  No surprise, the subsequent claims were easier, as we were familiar with how the process "works".

 

As for the Medicare "gotcha", that IS a problem, but it's not a problem caused by TI.  UNLESS you have a "primary" policy (which it turns out you DID have), then the policy is clear that you must FIRST submit a claim to any other insurer, and then show what remains unpaid, or that the claim is denied entirely.  Everyone should *read* the terms of their own policy - or of policies being compared/considered.  Again, that's what an insurance broker can help with.  TIS specifically mentioned to us the "primary" vs. "secondary" issue, and for a relative pittance, we changed our policy from secondary to primary.  It didn't affect our actual coverage (although in SOME cases, it could affect one's long term non-travel policy limits), but yes, it made the claim much easier.

 

Also, YOU "knew" that your Medicare Advantage plan would deny it, but how could TI be sure of that without the documentation of denial?  Not all Medicare Advantage/Medigap plans are identical.  Some plans DO cover international travel, and others may not.  So it's reasonable for TI to require documentation for those not having a primary policy.. But in your case, it turned out you had a primary policy.  If you had called TI sooner, you wouldn't have been aggravated by these concerns or difficulties.

 

And your medical records from the ship apparently DID suffice.  Why complain unless you had difficulty procuring proper documentation?  (If someone doesn't keep their medical report from the ship, or any foreign doctor/hospital, that's a separate issue; of *course* documentation of the charges would be needed.)

 

I'm not understanding the "... but..." in your title.  You filed a claim, and got paid in full, it appears.  They answered your questions once you asked them.

Their forms need to be general enough to apply initially to ALL potential claims.  Then each claimant fills it out as is appropriate for the specific claim.   For example, not everyone has a medical cost to begin with.  Not everyone has a family member at home with an emergency.  Etc...... 

So some parts of the claim form are more relevant than others at times.

 

???

 

But the good news is that there are other travel insurance companies out there.

However, given that TI paid properly, AND explained things when you asked, AND you now understand their procedures... why would you try some unknown company next time?

But that certainly is your choice! 

 

GC

[rkacruiser]

GeezerCouple,

 

I appreciated reading your reaction to my post.    Thank you for making the effort of informing me of your thoughts.

 

In your situation the Store through which you purchased your mentioned policy assisted you.  I purchased my policy through my travel agent and her Company's insurance employee helped getting my claim resolved.

 

Unfortunately, I have had to make much more substantial claims on my travel insurance policies purchased in the past with another Company than this one.  I was made whole on all of those claims.  What I found most objectionable with Travel Insured was the lengthy list of "requirements" that had to be met in order for the claim to be processed.  That was not my previous experiences with the other Company.  Yes, certain documents needed to be submitted, but those requirements were not as intimidating to a possible claimant as Travel Insured's requirements were.  Just my opinion, to which you will probably disagree, the requirements that TI listed are designed to discourage small claim filers such as me from filing a claim.

 

 

  

[LDVinNC]

May I then ask why you did not insure that trip with the "other Company" since you had a good experience with them? 

 

And, yes, all insurance companies will do what they can to minimize payment of claims.  Nice?  No, but that is business!

[rkacruiser]

9 hours ago, LDVinNC said:

May I then ask why you did not insure that trip with the "other Company" since you had a good experience with them? 

 

There was a significant difference in the price between the two companies of exactly the same type of policy.

[klfrodo]

34 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

There was a significant difference in the price between the two companies of exactly the same type of policy.

So,,, one provided much better service albeit more expensive, the other provided service that was less than desirable but much cheaper. You chose the one that was much cheaper and are upset because you didn't receive the same level of service. Although at the end of the day, both provided the end product. A paid valid claim.

 

Sounds familiar with the airline industry. Basic fare, which only gives you a seat or a premium fare which provides add services and yet both fares get you to your destination.

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, klfrodo said:

You are upset 

 

I am NOT upset.  Others, including you, have misinterpreted the reason why I made my original post.  The CC Forums are designed, as I understand their purpose, to share experiences and information of those who choose to post.  I made my original post to share my experience with this insurance claim.  My intent was nothing more.

[BridgeMates]

14 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I am NOT upset.  Others, including you, have misinterpreted the reason why I made my original post.  The CC Forums are designed, as I understand their purpose, to share experiences and information of those who choose to post.  I made my original post to share my experience with this insurance claim.  My intent was nothing more.

 

The title you chose "but" does infer a negative and you were unhappy with TI.  

We've used them numerous times and have had a couple of claims over the years.

Since it's always cheaper,  we do take the policy that requires submission to Medicare first.  Slows things down but I can understand their reasoning.  Hope you find another company next time that suits you better.

[alreadypacked]

On 6/17/2019 at 7:07 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

I am NOT upset.  Others, including you, have misinterpreted the reason why I made my original post.  The CC Forums are designed, as I understand their purpose, to share experiences and information of those who choose to post.  I made my original post to share my experience with this insurance claim.  My intent was nothing more.

 

rkacruiser,

 

Thanks for your post.

I appreciate your posted experience as it arms me with even more knowledge in navigating the travel insurance landscape.

 

Your experience was one I hadn't considered, especially if, for instance, I was traveling with [and likely made the travel arrangements for] my elderly mother who is not internet savvy and whose insurance is Medicare based. 

[kitty-sail]

On 6/15/2019 at 8:02 PM, rkacruiser said:

Contacting the Company about concerning my Medicare status and asking why should my insurance company needs to be involved, I was asked:  "Where do you live?"  Ohio, I answered.  Return reply:  "You don't need to do so if you live in Ohio."  Travel Insured Medical Coverage becomes primary rather than secondary.  

 

 

Hi - My husband & I are also on Medicare Advantage in NJ and have pre-existing heart conditions. Trying to find the best coverage for our upcoming cruise next year. Travel Insured gave me what appears to be a comprehensive coverage plan and I am opting for the additional premium to convert it to primary coverage. Nice to hear that Travel Insured was easy to work with.

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, kitty-sail said:

I am opting for the additional premium to convert it to primary coverage.

 

Making the medical coverage primary is the less stressful to insure.  After my most recent trip, I have another medical claim to have paid.  This time, I insured through Allianz.  It will be interesting to see how they "perform" as compared to the other companies which I have patronized.

 

Good wishes for a cruise that generates NO claims.  

[GeezerCouple]

2 hours ago, kitty-sail said:

Hi - My husband & I are also on Medicare Advantage in NJ and have pre-existing heart conditions. Trying to find the best coverage for our upcoming cruise next year. Travel Insured gave me what appears to be a comprehensive coverage plan and I am opting for the additional premium to convert it to primary coverage. Nice to hear that Travel Insured was easy to work with.

 

We have had excellent claims experiences with them.  Our very first time insuring with them (thanks to the recommendation of Steve, at TripInsuranceStore.com) was handled without any nonsense, and it was a large claim.   The only "glitch" was not TI's fault:  The physician forgot to put in the "diagnosis" [NOTE TO TRAVEL INSURED:  THAT LITTLE BOX *IS* EASY TO MISS!].  And I didn't catch the omission.  So we just had to have him give us a new one, with that filled out.  Once that was in, we were notified that our claim was approved, and a check would be sent out within a week; about 10 days later, the check arrived.

 

Now, about the "primary"... there are several reasons to have this (especially IF your regular health insurance has a limit for out-of-country care).  But one is that with "primary", there is no need to "first submit to your own insurer" (and with plain Medicare, it's almost 100% going to be rejected) before the travel insurer will even consider your claim.  You can just send the claim in right away.  That can speed things up considerably.

That's not the reason we get that particular policy, but it is nice.

 

GC