Should I purchase travel insurance?

[Jheroine]

Hi Folks,

I planned a little cruise for my 81 yo mom who has some mobility issues due to spinal osteoarthritis in early May departing from Los Angeles with a stop in San Francisco and ending in Vancouver. She is slated for back surgery in mid-June so I thought this trip would be a nice treat for her before the surgery.

Issue is I've been looking at travel insurance and since the cruise is still technically in the US until the 5th and 6th day, should I still buy travel insurance to cover the first 4 days? I don't really care about the trip and delay costs coverages, I'm more concerned with potential medical issues that needs coverage should they come up.

My mom has SCAN. I've looked into Allianz and
Bluecross Blueshield Global Solutions for quotes since they cover pre-existing conditions. Should I purchase the policy for the entire cruise period even though we're technically still in the US (or will we be in international waters so the travel insurance will kick in?) OR just buy it for the days we're in Canada. My health insurance plan has international coverage so I will only be buying it for my mom.

Would appreciate any advice. Thanks!

 

[Lucie]

Most policies specify that it must be purchased for the entire trip to be covered. Medical evacuation from the ship is the most expensive risk, so yes, you should purchase travel insurance. Enjoy your trip!

 

[mystang52]

If you want to buy travel insurance (which I recommend), keep in mind pre-existing conditions are only covered if you meet policy requirements: the 2 most important are 1) insurance was bought within the stated time period after FIRST deposit (usually 10 days to 3 weeks) and 2) the insured was healthy to travel at time of insurance purchase. It appears that 2nd requirement is met. Double check that first one. I'm not a lawyer but this was my field in my career; if you need a detailed review, send me a PM.

 

[COcheesehead]

Buy it. My MIL ended up in a Croatian hospital with a broken leg which happened on a cruise. All the costs of evacuation and the eventual medical escort back to the USA were covered.

 

[VanWinkle]

Yes, buy it. With her age and health, it would be a wise investment

 

[sengsational]

I have wondered a similar thing (buying insurance for only a portion of the trip).

Of course I could have just bought it, and it wasn't that expensive, and it would have provided piece of mind, but my efficiency gene would not let me do it. In my case, a good proportion of the trip was boring (trans Atlantic cruise, but then I was doing an adventure sport, which is what I was trying to insure).

The timing of payment WRT committing to the travel is not the issue, it's covering a span of the trip that you don't need to insure. Presuming the current insurance covers the hospital and getting to the hospital if you are in the US, then, as you noted, is being at sea off the coast considered by your insurance to be in the US. Probably not, but you could call (record the conversation).

If that's covered, then buying for the span of time outside the US seems like a reasonable approach if you want to save some money.

 

[pacergal]

Since retirement, we have started buying trip insurance, for "Just in case, you never know" reasons. Have needed to use it twice.

 

[Sunset]

I have wondered a similar thing (buying insurance for only a portion of the trip).

Of course I could have just bought it, and it wasn't that expensive, and it would have provided piece of mind, but my efficiency gene would not let me do it. In my case, a good proportion of the trip was boring (trans Atlantic cruise, but then I was doing an adventure sport, which is what I was trying to insure).

The timing of payment WRT committing to the travel is not the issue, it's covering a span of the trip that you don't need to insure. Presuming the current insurance covers the hospital and getting to the hospital if you are in the US, then, as you noted, is being at sea off the coast considered by your insurance to be in the US. Probably not, but you could call (record the conversation).

If that's covered, then buying for the span of time outside the US seems like a reasonable approach if you want to save some money.

Good thing you didn't have a heart attack or slip and fall while crossing the Atlantic.

 

[Jheroine]

Thank you everyone for your input. I will purchase a policy just to be safe.

MyStang52, I'll PM the copy once I figure out how to do that.

 

[mystang52]

For those on the fence about this insurance, keep in mind the trip cancellation coverage portion is not just for your own illness, but death (and maybe serious illness) of immediate family member. So one should factor in health of family (e.g., an elderly parent) when considering insurance.

 

[Lucie]

For those on the fence about this insurance, keep in mind the trip cancellation coverage portion is not just for your own illness, but death (and maybe serious illness) of immediate family member. So one should factor in health of family (e.g., an elderly parent) when considering insurance.

This is one of our primary reasons for travel insurance, since my in-laws are close to 90. Two last minute international flights to return home can be expensive.

 

[sengsational]

Good thing you didn't have a heart attack or slip and fall while crossing the Atlantic.

I didn't say I had no insurance for that portion of the trip, just that it wasn't covered under the active sports contract. Most of these basic travel that policies people are buying have exclusions for doing crazy stuff. But good thing I didn't slip and fall while crossing the Atlantic because I didn't have insurance for that

 

[Global Wizzo]

Hi Folks,

I planned a little cruise for my 81 yo mom who has some mobility issues due to spinal osteoarthritis in early May departing from Los Angeles with a stop in San Francisco and ending in Vancouver. She is slated for back surgery in mid-June so I thought this trip would be a nice treat for her before the surgery.

Issue is I've been looking at travel insurance and since the cruise is still technically in the US until the 5th and 6th day, should I still buy travel insurance to cover the first 4 days? I don't really care about the trip and delay costs coverages, I'm more concerned with potential medical issues that needs coverage should they come up.

My mom has SCAN. I've looked into Allianz and
Bluecross Blueshield Global Solutions for quotes since they cover pre-existing conditions. Should I purchase the policy for the entire cruise period even though we're technically still in the US (or will we be in international waters so the travel insurance will kick in?) OR just buy it for the days we're in Canada. My health insurance plan has international coverage so I will only be buying it for my mom.

Would appreciate any advice. Thanks!

I would suggest the Geo Blue medical if you aren’t worried about travel insurance.

I carry the annual Trekker policy and it has worked well. They limit total coverage based on age. If this is only for one trip, cover full trip. If not consider an annual policy if you will take her in another trip.

Med evac coverage is usually to nearest suitable hospital, not home.

I wasn’t impressed by Allianz medical coverage and they bundle too much other stuff. That said everyone has different requirements.

Have fun. I took my mom to Europe for 3 weeks when she was 95.

 

[Pineapple13]

My retirement "j*b" is as a travel agent, mostly to snag travel deals for myself, so I do know a bit about this. You do have to purchase the policy for the date you leave home until you return regardless of when you are in the states for part of the time. If you buy a policy within a short time after you placed your first trip payment (usually 2 to 3 weeks based on insurers stated policy) it will include a pre-existing condition waiver. If out side of that window, you can pay extra for the waiver. If you want a medical only policy, only some companies offer that (without the trip cancellation/interruption coverage). TravelGuard is one that I have used. You have to call to get the medical only policy. They don't offer quotes for that product through their website. And third party insurance is almost always better than cruise supplier insurance in both cost and coverage. Lastly, this is a smart move for everyone to be covered regardless of age. I have seen broken bones and head wounds from falls on cruise ship excursions, appendicitis, pneumonia, and evacuations from the cruise ship to the nearest port for hospitalization. These medical emergencies can happen to anyone regardless of age. Safe travels!

 

[RetiredHappy]

From my experience, travel insurance costs the same whether it is for 4 days or 30 days. Because of that, I always specify dates a couple of days before travel and a week after, because you never know with trip delay and such.

 

[Ebendana]

I just purchased a lifetime policy for medical transportation worldwide from MASA...after taking a deep dive, I feel it was worth the investment.

 

[Deej]

Yes, buy travel insurance. Faye is a great company and their website is so easy to use.

 

[goodtogo]

I have used Aardy.com about 6 or so times. Very reasonable in price and customizable. What I do is use my Chase Platinum card for the trip insurance part that is included for the 95 dollar annual fee. That takes care of the lost luggage, delays, missed flights, death in the family etc... The Aardy plan I use has a minimal 1000 dollar trip insurance base but what I really want out of them is the 500K medical with no pre existing and the 500K limit for emergency evac. I think the last 4 cruises we paid about 90 dollars for the both of us for each trip. They cover your trip from door to door primary, car crash, falls whatever...as soon as you leave your house on the trip to the minute you get home.