Geoblue trekker onboard coverage ?

[horseymike]

Hi Steve ,

Welcome back and thank you for being here to help us with our insurance coverage questions.

With the Geoblue Trekker insurance are we covered while onboard the ship once we leave American waters ?

At home we have original Medicare and UHC supplement through aarp.

 

[klfrodo]

I'm not Steve and I'm sure he will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

My research tells me that GeoBlue Trekker is "Secondary", which means that they will reimburse you after your other policies either pay or deny. Therefore, you would file an initial claim with your Medicare policy, wait for the denial letter, then file the claim with GeoBlue.

 

What I've done in the past when I had a claim that I knew would be denied by my Medicare plan was to put in the claim that I understood that it would be denied and asked them to expedite the denial so I could initiate my claim with the secondary insurance. That did seem to hurry them along with the denial letter. I think I had the denial within a couple of weeks.

[Jersey42]

1 hour ago, klfrodo said:

I'm not Steve and I'm sure he will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

My research tells me that GeoBlue Trekker is "Secondary", which means that they will reimburse you after your other policies either pay or deny. Therefore, you would file an initial claim with your Medicare policy, wait for the denial letter, then file the claim with GeoBlue.

 

What I've done in the past when I had a claim that I knew would be denied by my Medicare plan was to put in the claim that I understood that it would be denied and asked them to expedite the denial so I could initiate my claim with the secondary insurance. That did seem to hurry them along with the denial letter. I think I had the denial within a couple of weeks.

Steve's @iamtrustworthy response in the past to me was completely the opposite. The last time I asked was in June of 2022.

 

Response:

So far, I never seen GeoBlue go back to someone's primary insurance to coordinate benefits.

-- Steve

 

Question:

We have been purchasing an annual GeoBlue Trekker policy for a number of years.  Now that we will both be on regular Medicare with a supplement (one that covers foreign emergency travel up to $50K lifetime), I want to be sure I understand how a claim will be processed.  My understanding was GeoBlue will pay foreign claims as primary and I do not first have to file with Medicare and my supplement.  My assumption was, the claim would not go against the supplement’s $50K lifetime maximum because I never submitted a claim to Medicare.  Is all of this true? Or will GeoBlue pay first, then try to recover from Medicare and the supplement?

Edited June 10 by Jersey42
Tagged Steve in response

[Jersey42]

By the way here is the language from GeoBlue’s FAQ site that prompted my question.

 

Do I file claims with my primary insurance first?

The GeoBlue Trekker plans are secondary insurance. However, GeoBlue will process and pay overseas claims as a primary payor and reserves the right, where applicable, to contact your primary insurance company to coordinate benefits.

[iamtrustworthy]

32 minutes ago, Jersey42 said:

By the way here is the language from GeoBlue’s FAQ site that prompted my question.

 

Do I file claims with my primary insurance first?

The GeoBlue Trekker plans are secondary insurance. However, GeoBlue will process and pay overseas claims as a primary payor and reserves the right, where applicable, to contact your primary insurance company to coordinate benefits.

Hi Jersey42,

 

I still have the same answer: "So far, I never seen GeoBlue go back to someone's primary insurance to coordinate benefits."

 

I know they have the right to do it, though.

 

Steve Dasseos

[klfrodo]

Thanks for the correction

[Suzanne123]

 

 

On 6/10/2024 at 10:59 AM, horseymike said:

Hi Steve ,

Welcome back and thank you for being here to help us with our insurance coverage questions.

With the Geoblue Trekker insurance are we covered while onboard the ship once we leave American waters ?

At home we have original Medicare and UHC supplement through aarp.

 

Coincidentally, I wrote to GeoBlue to ask the same question just a couple days ago.  My question and their response:

 

I am booking a cruise next year. It is round-trip Vancouver to Hawaii.
If I should get sick while on the cruise would my GeoBlue Trekker policy,
cover me? I understand it would not cover any illness while in Hawaii. I
am more concerned with falling ill while on the cruise. Thanks
 

Hello, 
 Greetings from GeoBlue. Thanks for reaching out and I hope you are doing well out there today. 

 I understand your concern about coverage. As long as all the services will be rendered outside of the US,

 you will definitely cover by GeoBlue.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact us via email at customerservice@geo-blue.com, or via phone at either (855) 481-6647 within the US, or at +1 (610) 254-5850 when outside of the US – to contact us collect, please request through an operator in the country of origin. 

Sincerely, 

Edison Malvar Quilala | Global Service Center
GeoBlue | 933 First Avenue, King of Prussia, PA 19406 
T: 855-481-6647 | F: 610-293-3529 
customerservice@geo-blue.com | about.geo-blue.com

[Hlitner]

On 6/10/2024 at 12:01 PM, klfrodo said:

I'm not Steve and I'm sure he will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

My research tells me that GeoBlue Trekker is "Secondary", which means that they will reimburse you after your other policies either pay or deny. Therefore, you would file an initial claim with your Medicare policy, wait for the denial letter, then file the claim with GeoBlue.

 

What I've done in the past when I had a claim that I knew would be denied by my Medicare plan was to put in the claim that I understood that it would be denied and asked them to expedite the denial so I could initiate my claim with the secondary insurance. That did seem to hurry them along with the denial letter. I think I had the denial within a couple of weeks.

This has not been true, in our case.  A few years ago, DW was injured (at a beach) while we were Viet Nam.  I managed to get her back to the ship (Golden Princess) where she received several days of treatment from the excellent onboard physician.  When the situation worsened we took DW ashore in Osaka for further treatment (outpatient surgery) and I eventually evacuated her back to the USA (via commercial business class).

 

At the time, we had Geoblue (the annual trekker policy) as well as a Medicare Advantage Plan that also included emergency/urgent out of the country coverage.  Geoblue took the Primary position (they said that was their normal practice) and did not make any attempt to coordinate benefits with our other insurer .  Geoblue also paid the expensive business class fare (about $10,000).    I should add that once I submitted all the claims info (I worked in the medical insurance world for over thirty years), Geoblue paid the claim in about 3 weeks.

 

Hank

[Suzanne123]

I always take along a blank GeoBlue claim form with my cruise docs just in case.

https://geobluetravelinsurance.com/pdf_docs/claim_forms/short-term/GeoBlue_4ELI_ST_Medical.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

[Cloud9 Bob]

Unfortunately, I live in one of the three states (NY) that Geo Blue is not selling insurance in. Is there a similar policy to Geo Blue Trekker that is available to NYers?