Travel insurance question

[sjde]

 

I have bought Trip insurance many times but now I am wondering about piecemeal policies.

 I no longer need emergency medical care coverage while oversease because our Medicare supplemental plan covers us. 

I don't care about insuring for lost or damaged luggage. 

All I'd like is coverage for emergency evacuation (and then only if on an ocean cruise probably)  and for trip cancellation , if we or close family were to get seriously ill before a trip causing us to need to cancel after we've paid the large non-refundable portion.

Does anyone know what kind of policy might be a good option for this? I know I can buy a policy for evacuation from Med-Jet. TIA!

[All That Jazz]

Suggest you visit https://tripinsurancestore.com/

Steve and his staff will be happy to answer your questions and help you design the policy that is best for your needs. He is also active on the Cruise/Travel Insurance forum here at CC. They answer calls and emails promptly.

 

[Jersey42]

3 hours ago, sjde said:

I no longer need emergency medical care coverage while over seas because our Medicare supplemental plan covers us. 

If someone has a true Medicare supplement (Medigap) plan, it only covers 80% of Medicare approved charges after a $250 annual deductible. Plus, there is a lifetime maximum of $50K.  So per trip or annual travel medical insurance is often still a good idea. It is important that the travel policy be primary (first payer), so you don't use up part of the $50K lifetime before the travel policy kicks in.  If your situation is different, then ignore my comment, but it may be helpful to someone else reading this.

 

In either case, @All That Jazz gave you good advice.

[Hlitner]

I agree with contacting Steve Dasseos.  Just keep in mind that Medicare coverage (assuming your supplemental policy covers out of country care) is limited to emergency coverage.  And that is paid after the fact (you must pay everything up front and later seek reimbursement) usually at 80% of the "Usual and Customary Rate" which is open to some interpretation.  I will also warn you (having spent over 35 years working in government healthcare) that completely the proper forms and going through the procedures can be a real hassle.  Also consider that if you were to run up a $100,000 medical bill (not unusual these days) the Medicare UCR interpretation and 80% reimbursement might leave you with a big bill.

 

As to evacuation, if you have a big concern then you might want to look into "Medjetassist" which is a dedicated evacuation plan.  

 

That being said, there are various travel health care policies that can give you lots of healthcare coverage and also cover evacuation.  Just keep in mind that evacuation involves a lot of "hoops" and must usually be medically necessary and also approved by your attending physician, the insurance company physician, and a receiving physician where you would be transferred.   This can be frustrating.  I say this having been in a personal situation where my insurer paid for DW to be medically evacuated from Japan to the USA (via a lay flat seat in a commercial plane).

 

Hank

[sjde]

It is all quite confusing! Maybe I'll just continue getting the full coverage plans I've always gotten.

 

Our Medigap policy normally picks up the 20% Medicare doesn't cover.  And if it's something Medicare doesn't cover , they won't either. But in this situation I was told they'd pay for emergency medical expenses overseas and Medicare won't .

 

 

 I see this company doesn't list John Hancock and Allianz , the two I've found most reasoanable. 

[sjde]

Is there no fee to use his services? He probably gets paid by the insurance company? 

[Hlitner]

8 hours ago, sjde said:

Is there no fee to use his services? He probably gets paid by the insurance company? 

Steve Dasseos is a travel insurance broker (some might say agent) when it comes to travel insurance.  What I know about his agency (and I have never personally used his services) is that he works with multiple insurance companies who pay him a commission when his agency sells a policy.  Like dealing with most insurance brokers or agents the insured (in this case the traveler/cruiser) does not pay for the broker.   In fact, for those who are not well versed in insurance a broker can often save you money by steering you to the best product for your own needs.

 

This brings up my travel insurance pet peeves.  I generally do not recommend buying insurance through cruise/travel agencies and am also not a big fan of the policies/waivers offered by most cruise lines (although there are situations where a cruise line offering is the best option).

 

Hank

[sjde]

But you are not including him in the list of travel agencies? 
 

I agree with your last sentence. That is why I get my own. 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We use G O Blue  and Med jet ..

[Hlitner]

9 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

We use G O Blue  and Med jet ..

Just be careful with GeoBlue because their annual policy (which is what we normally purchase) does not include coverage for COVID.  Their single trip Voyager policies do include COVID coverage (at least they did when we purchased a policy in late December) but can be a bit pricey.  

 

Hank

[Mary229]

Chase sapphire and preferred continue to offer a good policy especially in light of your extra medical coverage.  I use it almost exclusively for trips under $10,000 per person.  

[rtdiva]

On 3/7/2021 at 4:21 PM, Mary229 said:

Chase sapphire and preferred continue to offer a good policy especially in light of your extra medical coverage.  I use it almost exclusively for trips under $10,000 per person.  

I agree with the use of Chase Sapphire, but darn, it only insures up to to sixty days (?) . I even asked if I could pay for 1/2 a cruise, then rebook for the second half. Not happening.

[Mary229]

30 minutes ago, rtdiva said:

I agree with the use of Chase Sapphire, but darn, it only insures up to to sixty days (?) . I even asked if I could pay for 1/2 a cruise, then rebook for the second half. Not happening.

Thanks for the heads up.  I usually take 30 to 45 day cruises.