Risks/Rewards of Trip Insurance

[Cornelius Earthling]

:) Keep in mind that trip insurance is very profitable for travel agents and the cruise lines that sell them . Logic dictates that if someone benefits , someone pays ... I once met a lady on a cruise that stated that her husband had died on a previous cruise overseas and that the full cost of his illness , his helicopter trip to a hospital , and the subsequent return of his body had expensed over 90 thousand dollars and their trip insurance had paid the full cost.. I and my wife have been on many cruises and have never gotten insurance and are ahead by several thousand dollars.. My feeling is this , we try to keep out of trouble , we don't smoke , we don't take unescorted tours ,we don't go horseback riding or go snorkling .We are generally healthy and plan our trips carefully.. I feel that by buying trip insurance we are co-mingled with risk takers and with all due respect,,, bubble heads that seem to constantly have problems :) .. We agree that we might have a big expense in the future , but feel our risk category is not reflected in that everyone is lumped together... As regards that 90 thousand dollar expense , how many people paid for that and received nothing.. :) In the end its a gamble just like a casino bet , but one should know the odds .. sadly but true ,, A competent and healthy couple are paying for the feeble and unhealthy and especially uncompetent travellers among them .. Certainly when getting auto or life insurance , your driving record and health condition are screened,, however the nature of trip insurance is that the careful and competent pay the same as the incompetent and the bubble heads... ( no disrespect intended ), .........sorry, but total disclosure requires the brutal truth,,, after all ,,,, it's all about my money and proper risk/reward:):confused:

[Happy ks]

I suppose if you were to buy the trip insurance through the cruise line, it could end up costing much more than if you purchase on your own. We've seen policies costing over $400 with the cruise line when we're able to get coverage for all 4 of us for $125.

 

The risk is there for accident or illness at any time, for any of us. You could fall and break a leg on an escorted tour just as easily as on an unescorted tour. You could have any number of unexpected attacks, heart, breathing, stroke....no one on earth is immune to everything.

 

If something, such as a car accident, happened to you a couple of days before leaving for the cruise, you would not lose all your money.

 

So yes, you do save when you don't need it, but if you were to need it and it wasn't there, you would have to pay dearly out of pocket.

 

I wish I had all the money I've paid out over the years for various insurance that I haven't used. Car, homeowner, health, travel, disability (when self employed). But, I doubt I'd want to go without, you just never know.

[michmike]

cornelius - no one twisitng your arm to buy insurance. If you're willing to take the risk, go for it.. For many of the rest of us it is just good sense to have that protection. No right or wrong answer here... each person needs to assess the risk vs cost and make their own decision.

[Arwenmark]

Hey if you can afford to loose 90K or 150K or more then by all means do so, but most of us cannot and I have seen people medivaced out on five of the 20 or so cruises I have been on and 3 were healthy and able bodied when they boarded the ship only two were elderly.

Hope it never happens to you but if it does I hope you don't come on here and cry about it.

[Agilitydog]

Hmmm? :confused: A rather odd post. If you don't believe in insurance then don't get it. What's the big deal? My husbands mom, who will be home with my brother in law, is 93 and diabetic and you better believe that we bought insurance, since to be blunt, we know that things are kind of day to day with her and something could happen before or during our cruise.

 

Personally, I would rather be one of those 'incompetent' travelers and have the time of my life, Snorkeling, Diving, Horseback riding and Mountain climbing, then being bored sitting around like an old fuddy duddy. :cool: Wasn't all that expensive anyway.

[mollyeilis]

Well, injury or illness during the cruise is just ONE aspect of travel insurance, isn't it? The other aspect is if something happens BEFORE the cruise, right? So if someone falls very ill right before the cruise, you're not out 100% of the cruise cost and any nonrefundable airfare, etc, that you might have purchased.

 

I mean yeah, medical bills CAN be paid off over time, though it's a big of a pain (big huge pain). How long it might take to pay 90K? I can't fathom. It took us almost 3 years to pay off a few thousand in unexpected medical bills. Don't want to think about 90K. But at least in that case there's been something that happened, there were services rendered. One knows there was a service involved in repaying that money.

 

But to miss a cruise b/c your spouse got some horrendous flu the night before? There's no service to be paid for when you just have to dump the cost of the cruise and flights and whatever else...

 

Anyway, I think you're only focusing on one aspect, and not seeing the entire picture of what the insurance is for.

 

Then again, I never thought of travel insurance until recently, when I really got the picture of how stinkin' long it can be to pay back medical bills b/c your insurance company decides something isn't an emergency...I'd rather toss a couple hundred to a company for insurance (just like I'm doing for car, health-at-home, renter's, and jewelry) than lose prepaid vacation money or get sick or injured while at sea and pay thousands for years...

[agabbymama]

Cornelius Earthling

 

I had never thought about traveler's insurance until 1998, when my husband and I did Italy. We flew into Dusseldorf and rented a car. We traveled through Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and back to Germany. We were there a month. It seems when we crossed the border in to Italy, something in the air there (they burn their refuse, leaves, shrubs, etc. or just the hot sun) didn't agree with me. My right arm broke out in a rash that only got worse, spreading all over the arm. I was up sometimes at midnight/1:00am/2:00am with the itching/burning. Tried numerous pharmacy remedies to no avail. Was afraid to go to the doctor AS I HAD NO INSURANCE. I suffered for 3 weeks while in Italy. When we crossed back into Germany the last 3 days of the trip, it miraculously cleared up. It was raining and cool in Germany, so my doctor at home now says without seeing it, he can't be sure, but it may have been sun poisoning, so for me to be wary when traveling to hot climates.

 

Once I returned home, I found that my Pacificare Insurance WOULD NOT have covered me in a foreign country. And your auto insurance purchased in the U.S. doesn't usually cover you in a foreign country either. So now I purchase travel insurance, usually from TravelGuard, and pay for the insurance on rented vehicles. I check out Insuremytrip.com and see which one suits best for that particular trip. I think of it as INSURANCE against some unforeseen emergency.

 

I pay approximately $300 per month for medical insurance for my husband and myself through my work. Now I don't go to the doctor every day, but if I have to go to the doctor I have the coverage. Traveling is no different than being at home. Something could happen at anytime day or night, traveling or at home. Do you not purchase car insurance, medical insurance? It's just what it's called, INSURANCE!

 

I'm not independently wealthy and couldn't afford a $90,000 medical emergency, or even the $3000 for the cruise if something were to happen here before departing on the cruise. If you are, or you can, go for it. I just feel better paying an extra $100 or $200 for the knowledge that I am protected.

 

And you are right, Insurance companies have been making fortunes on people not willing to take that chance for years!:eek:

[cuyahoga11]

I always get it and hope I never have to use it.

[BoardwalkBabe]

We always buy it and hope we won't need it.

[Travelight]

Sometimes when you book your cruise, free trip insurance is offered. Several years ago, my dh, ds, dd, and I had a ski vacation planned and paid for. My father became really sick, and we decided not to go. We were reimbursed all money we were out for cancelling the trip. Since then I never plan a cruise or ski trip without it.

[SAHMmy]

All right, all right I bought a policy today. Here's hoping that I don't need it.