Travel Insurance

[K_e_short]

2 hours ago, DebbieActon said:

Please check that this applies to cruises specifically.  I was on a call last week and they clearly stated no Covid medical coverage (even under their special "Covid Policy") for cruises while the Canadian Government has an "Avoid All Travel" advisory for cruises.  They are covering for other forms of travel just not cruises.  Whenever the advisory is reduced, they will begin to cover it.  If they state otherwise, please get it in writing.  I just cancelled my recently purchased policy due to this and went with BlueCross, who is now covering cruises for Covid medical.

 

My insurance company (OTIP) covers me for cruises, no covid restrictions. BUT.. until the Canadian governement drops the "avoid all non essential travel" warning I may not be covered.

 

[3Shelaghs]

I called mine before posting last post, and mine said absolute Covid insurance under my out of country coverage. Travel warning was advisory only according to GS, and we were free to decide, either way, we would be covered.

[brontravel]

I looked into insurance with Johnson Medoc. The policy sounds promising. But will be calling for confirmation after I review the entire booklet. 

[b_cruise]

Yes I think people have to be very careful.  The insurance companies will sell you covid insurance but as soon as anything goes to level 4 ( like cruising) u will not be covered.  They will sell you it though You need to do homework and specifically ask. Also some agents will say you are covered when you are not. A few do not know it seems.  I have an agent who is very thorough 

 

also I just got home from land trip  Italy in July. I bought 2 insurance.  One would cover 209 a day quarantine if I got covid for 10 days ( land only - they told me it would not cover cruise- manulife). Also said it would not cover anything level 4 but thus was july 2-15.  Things are changing fast

Edited August 18, 2021 by b_cruise
Addition

[cruiztime]

I am still looking for insurance coverage for Canadians that will cover hotel/expenses if you test positive while you are in the US and unable to fly home or unable to board a ship.
I have just called Sunlife as we have both PSHCP and DB employee plans and I was told we are covered for medical needs (ie hospital, physician) with regard to covid BUT NOT hotel/expenses if we cannot fly home. That could be a huge expense.

[Robjame]

Our group travel insurance is through Johnson. I called today (August 23) to verify coverage and the answer has changed since I phoned about 3 months ago.

 

"As long as the Canadian advisory is to avoid ALL cruise travel, Johnson will not cover us for health insurance for cruise travel."

[liamur14]

1 hour ago, Robjame said:

Our group travel insurance is through Johnson. I called today (August 23) to verify coverage and the answer has changed since I phoned about 3 months ago.

 

"As long as the Canadian advisory is to avoid ALL cruise travel, Johnson will not cover us for health insurance for cruise travel."

Have you checked out Canadian Snowbirds Medipac?

[Robjame]

6 minutes ago, liamur14 said:

Have you checked out Canadian Snowbirds Medipac?

My point was about a Group Insurance policy that we already pay for...a deal breaker for us. 

 

I did check the Oceania Insurer (AON) and the cost was close to 10% the cost of the cruise. However, thank you. If we do decide to go ahead, we will checkout Snowbird Medipac.

[liamur14]

33 minutes ago, Robjame said:

My point was about a Group Insurance policy that we already pay for...a deal breaker for us. 

 

I did check the Oceania Insurer (AON) and the cost was close to 10% the cost of the cruise. However, thank you. If we do decide to go ahead, we will checkout Snowbird Medipac.

I do hear you, insurance was not cheap, that is so disappointing, I feel your frustration!

 

[Sue from Canada]

12 hours ago, Robjame said:

Our group travel insurance is through Johnson. I called today (August 23) to verify coverage and the answer has changed since I phoned about 3 months ago.

 

"As long as the Canadian advisory is to avoid ALL cruise travel, Johnson will not cover us for health insurance for cruise travel."

But will Johnson cover us if a land vacation?

[Robjame]

11 hours ago, Sue from Canada said:

But will Johnson cover us if a land vacation?

Sue I think you should call as group policies differ. My suggestion would be, if the answer is what you want to hear, ask the rep to notate and date it in your file.

[Fouremco]

12 hours ago, Sue from Canada said:

But will Johnson cover us if a land vacation?

The GOC has 2 current travel advisories related to COVID-19:

• Avoid non-essential travel outside Canada until further notice
• Avoid all cruise ship travel outside Canada until further notice

Johnson Insurance has not differentiated between the two, choosing instead to refer to them collectively. For example: "Although coverage for eligible medical expenses is now available, you should always review the Government of Canada travel advisories before booking and travelling."

 

Consequently, your coverage (or lack thereof) should not vary whether you cruise or stay at a resort. The website and my renewal papers indicate that with Johnson/Medoc, I'm covered for COVID-related emergency medical expenses but not for COVID-related trip cancellation or interruption. Depending on your group policy, your coverage may differ.

 

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

When I received an email from Blue Cross (my work plan), they said cruises have never left the plan, they only added the covid medical.  I asked "If I am on a cruise and I have a heart attack and need to be air evacuated from the ship, is that still covered"  They said yes.  That's what I want to know.  Will a helicopter be covered in case of an emergency.

 

The govt advisory "Avoid all non-essential travel" is a Level 3 warning.  A level 4 warning reads "Avoid All Travel".  Not sure if "Avoid Cruise Travel" falls under Level 3 or Level 4.  The Govt should code them accordingly for clarification, IMO.

 

As for insurance companies covering quarantine (which we all now know doesn't exist in any short-stay plans), that likely won't happen until travel is back down to a Level 1 or 2, which is not for a very long time, unfortunately.

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, ilovetotravel1977 said:

When I received an email from Blue Cross (my work plan), they said cruises have never left the plan, they only added the covid medical.  I asked "If I am on a cruise and I have a heart attack and need to be air evacuated from the ship, is that still covered"  They said yes.  That's what I want to know.  Will a helicopter be covered in case of an emergency.

 

The govt advisory "Avoid all non-essential travel" is a Level 3 warning.  A level 4 warning reads "Avoid All Travel".  Not sure if "Avoid Cruise Travel" falls under Level 3 or Level 4.  The Govt should code them accordingly for clarification, IMO.

 

As for insurance companies covering quarantine (which we all now know doesn't exist in any short-stay plans), that likely won't happen until travel is back down to a Level 1 or 2, which is not for a very long time, unfortunately.

Avoid ALL cruise travel is effectively a level 4 warning (as opposed to avoid NON-ESSENTIAL travel which is a level 3).

Edited August 24, 2021 by gnome12

[brontravel]

On 8/23/2021 at 10:27 AM, Robjame said:

Our group travel insurance is through Johnson. I called today (August 23) to verify coverage and the answer has changed since I phoned about 3 months ago.

 

"As long as the Canadian advisory is to avoid ALL cruise travel, Johnson will not cover us for health insurance for cruise travel."

I don’t know if it varies from plan to plan or province to province but I just purchased a plan with Johnson (not through a group) and received my 2021/22 booklet. This is how it is noted in the exclusions.  Am I misunderstanding this?  I read it that I will have Covid related medical coverage even if there is an advisory. It says nothing of the advisory level. 

 

14. Any medical condition you suffer or contract, or any loss you incur in a specific country, region or area while a travel advisory of “Avoid non-essential travel” or “Avoid all travel” is in effect for that specific country, region or area and the travel advisory was issued by the Government of Canada before your day of departure, even if the trip is undertaken for essential reasons.This exclusion only applies to medical conditions or losses which are related, directly or indirectly, to the reason for which the travel advisory was issued.
If the travel advisory is issued after your day of departure, your coverage under this insurance in that specific country, region or area will be restricted to a period of 10 days from the date the travel advisory was issued, or to a period that is necessary for you to safely evacuate the country, region or area, after which coverage will be limited to medical conditions or losses which are unrelated to the reason for which the travel advisory was issued, while the travel advisory remains in effect.
For Emergency Medical Insurance benefits, this exclusion does not apply to medical conditions or losses related to Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), even while a travel advisory related to COVID-19 is in effect.

[Evilmuffin]

1 hour ago, brontravel said:

I don’t know if it varies from plan to plan or province to province but I just purchased a plan with Johnson (not through a group) and received my 2021/22 booklet. This is how it is noted in the exclusions.  Am I misunderstanding this?  I read it that I will have Covid related medical coverage even if there is an advisory. It says nothing of the advisory level. 

 

14. Any medical condition you suffer or contract, or any loss you incur in a specific country, region or area while a travel advisory of “Avoid non-essential travel” or “Avoid all travel” is in effect for that specific country, region or area and the travel advisory was issued by the Government of Canada before your day of departure, even if the trip is undertaken for essential reasons.This exclusion only applies to medical conditions or losses which are related, directly or indirectly, to the reason for which the travel advisory was issued.
If the travel advisory is issued after your day of departure, your coverage under this insurance in that specific country, region or area will be restricted to a period of 10 days from the date the travel advisory was issued, or to a period that is necessary for you to safely evacuate the country, region or area, after which coverage will be limited to medical conditions or losses which are unrelated to the reason for which the travel advisory was issued, while the travel advisory remains in effect.
For Emergency Medical Insurance benefits, this exclusion does not apply to medical conditions or losses related to Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), even while a travel advisory related to COVID-19 is in effect.

I’ve seen this same sort of statement in a few insurance places.    I was looking for insurance to go to Kenya and there is a Avoid All Travel advisory for terrorist attacks.   According to their exclusions, if I break my leg because I tripped over a rock, it’s covered…. But if I break my leg running from a terrorist attack, it’s not.     And a few have that the exclusion does not apply to COVID.    

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, brontravel said:

I don’t know if it varies from plan to plan or province to province but I just purchased a plan with Johnson (not through a group) and received my 2021/22 booklet. This is how it is noted in the exclusions.  Am I misunderstanding this?  I read it that I will have Covid related medical coverage even if there is an advisory. It says nothing of the advisory level. 

 

14. Any medical condition you suffer or contract, or any loss you incur in a specific country, region or area while a travel advisory of “Avoid non-essential travel” or “Avoid all travel” is in effect for that specific country, region or area and the travel advisory was issued by the Government of Canada before your day of departure, even if the trip is undertaken for essential reasons.This exclusion only applies to medical conditions or losses which are related, directly or indirectly, to the reason for which the travel advisory was issued.
If the travel advisory is issued after your day of departure, your coverage under this insurance in that specific country, region or area will be restricted to a period of 10 days from the date the travel advisory was issued, or to a period that is necessary for you to safely evacuate the country, region or area, after which coverage will be limited to medical conditions or losses which are unrelated to the reason for which the travel advisory was issued, while the travel advisory remains in effect.
For Emergency Medical Insurance benefits, this exclusion does not apply to medical conditions or losses related to Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), even while a travel advisory related to COVID-19 is in effect.

The last paragraph says that you will have Emergency Medical Insurance benefits for Covid. However, go back to the definitions of Emergency Medical Insurance benefits and make sure you know exactly what is considered an Emergency Medical Insurance benefit.

[jean163]

On 8/12/2021 at 12:27 PM, liamur14 said:

You are correct , we have other insurance for  travel interruption or cancellation.

We have medical but need the travel interruption/cancellation insurance.  Who have you found?  We do see there are policies that exclude Covid though so if interruption is due to that it's not covered.

 

[Magicat]

So here is a thought... What would happen if you purchased insurance from a US company like Cigna?  I am told that it would be possible as long as the policy does not exclude you because you are not a US citizen.  The hurdles to get this might be great but could it be a possible solution to get around the Canadian government warning to avoid all cruise ships? 

[MR_T]

This is such a confusing time to try and find insurance… nearly every page I look at states they offer travel insurance covering medical emergencies etc but when you read the policy documents in everyone I see there’s an exclusion for travel under the current canadian travel/cruise advisories… 

 

i see people posts saying they have been told they are covered but I’ve checked the policies of such posts and they also say the same about exclusions & travel advisories 🤷🏼‍♂️
 

if anyone has the name of a company they are sure we can get covarge for that would be really appreciated, we only require medical insurance coverage as the COVID section is covered by the cruise line & we don’t really need the cancellation either. 🤞🏻😊

[MR_T]

On 8/24/2021 at 4:23 PM, brontravel said:

I don’t know if it varies from plan to plan or province to province but I just purchased a plan with Johnson (not through a group) and received my 2021/22 booklet. This is how it is noted in the exclusions.  Am I misunderstanding this?  I read it that I will have Covid related medical coverage even if there is an advisory. It says nothing of the advisory level. 

 

14. Any medical condition you suffer or contract, or any loss you incur in a specific country, region or area while a travel advisory of “Avoid non-essential travel” or “Avoid all travel” is in effect for that specific country, region or area and the travel advisory was issued by the Government of Canada before your day of departure, even if the trip is undertaken for essential reasons.This exclusion only applies to medical conditions or losses which are related, directly or indirectly, to the reason for which the travel advisory was issued.
If the travel advisory is issued after your day of departure, your coverage under this insurance in that specific country, region or area will be restricted to a period of 10 days from the date the travel advisory was issued, or to a period that is necessary for you to safely evacuate the country, region or area, after which coverage will be limited to medical conditions or losses which are unrelated to the reason for which the travel advisory was issued, while the travel advisory remains in effect.
For Emergency Medical Insurance benefits, this exclusion does not apply to medical conditions or losses related to Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), even while a travel advisory related to COVID-19 is in effect.

But dosent this exclude general medical emergency coverage? (non-covid) 

[MR_T]

5 hours ago, jean163 said:

We have medical but need the travel interruption/cancellation insurance.  Who have you found?  We do see there are policies that exclude Covid though so if interruption is due to that it's not covered.

 

If I can ask who do you have medical with? I just can’t find anything with the current travel advisory’s in place… we don’t need interruption or cancellation! 

[brontravel]

5 minutes ago, MR_T said:

But dosent this exclude general medical emergency coverage? (non-covid) 

It only excludes medical emergencies that are related to the travel advisory. But then states that the exclusion doesn’t apply to Covid. 

[MR_T]

2 minutes ago, brontravel said:

It only excludes medical emergencies that are related to the travel advisory. But then states that the exclusion doesn’t apply to Covid. 

But wouldn’t all medical emergencies be related to the advisory? I really don’t understand all this stuff… 

[gnome12]

3 minutes ago, MR_T said:

But wouldn’t all medical emergencies be related to the advisory? I really don’t understand all this stuff… 

There can be travel advisories related to things like terrorism and adverse weather. Any medical emergency related to those advisories would not be covered (depending on the level of the advisory).