# Travel insurance advice



## ARtraveler (Sep 13, 2015)

Can anyone give me any current recommendations/advice about travel insurance.... and country VISA requirements/travel restrictions? My wife and I will be traveling to England for a 2month visit with her adult son. While there we will likely travel for a couple weeks to France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany and maybe use a timeshare week down in the Canary Islands. I will not be renting a car. We are retired, in good health and we have a combination of medical/dental insurances (BCBS, TRICARE, Medicare).


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## Timeshare Von (Sep 13, 2015)

There's an entire thread dedicated to travel insurance.

Whenever I'm in the market for travel insurance, I use InsureMyTrip.com to obtain quotes.

The biggest thing to understand is what risks you need to insure against . . . and pay very close attention to the exclusions with each policy you are looking at.

Many require that to waive preexisting conditions,  you purchase the policy within a very narrow window of time after making your first payment on any part of the trip.  This could be your lodging, a tour or your flights.

It is really important that you comply with the policy's requirements, as they will DQ and not pay claims when they find out you've not met the terms.


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## PStreet1 (Sep 13, 2015)

Ditto T.S.Von.  

In addition, check your TriCare.  Seems like military friends have told me that TriCare covers you in other countries if it's an emergency.  IF that's true, if TriCare authorizes the expense, then your supplemental would also cover because their payment is predicated on TriCare approving the initial service.


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## isisdave (Sep 13, 2015)

And none of the countries you mentioned require any kind of visa if you are a citizen of the US or any European union country.


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## Quiet Pine (Sep 13, 2015)

I've been loyal to Travel Guard ever since they stepped up when a 5-day hospitalization ended a trip to South America.

Medicare doesn't cover you outside the US (a few exceptions). But many Medicare supplement (Medigap) policies do.


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## bobpark56 (Sep 13, 2015)

*Take a look at GeoBlue's annual Trekker Plans*

We are Tricare folks as well, and we make 3 extended trips out of country each year. Whilst we are not experts on travel insurance, GeoBlue's annual Trekker plans seem best for us, as they cover major medical events and expatriation for a period of one year at a reasonable cost (I think there is a limit on length of each trip...perhaps 60 or 90 days). These 2 plans do not provide trip insurance. If that's what you want, you will need to look at other plans.


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## SMHarman (Sep 15, 2015)

I still dont get why Americans can't buy annual multi trip travel Insurance in the same way you but car insurance and don't need to worry if you travel to a different state for 60 days. 

My UK platinum amex came with this as part of the fee. Made it a very valuable card. My UK HSBC premier benefits come with it also. In am no longer eligible for either due to residency requirements. 

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk


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## Passepartout (Sep 15, 2015)

ARtraveler said:


> Can anyone give me any current recommendations/advice about travel insurance.... and country VISA requirements/travel restrictions? My wife and I will be traveling to England for a 2month visit with her adult son. While there we will likely travel for a couple weeks to France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany and maybe use a timeshare week down in the Canary Islands. I will not be renting a car. We are retired, in good health and we have a combination of medical/dental insurances (BCBS, TRICARE, Medicare).



No visas required. Nowadays travel to EU countries is like going from one US state to another.

I see you have BCBS and TRICARE. Call their customer service number and inquire about coverages. I suspect they will cover up to their limits even overseas- My Medicare supplement coves up to what Medicare pays (by reimbursement) providing I can supply an itemized billing in English.

Since all the countries you list have socialized medical coverage at lower cost than in the US, I suspect you won't need any other coverage  than perhaps a low cost evacuation/repatriation policy. I get mine through Good Sam (the RV club) for under $100 a year for DW and me.

Jim


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## VegasBella (Sep 15, 2015)

You may want to check some of your credit cards. Some of them offer travel protection that will reimburse you for costs lost due to travel canceled by sickness, injury, weather, terrorists, etc. It's worth looking to see what kind of coverage you already have.


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## ARtraveler (Sep 16, 2015)

Thanks for all the replies, recommendations and advice. I will first call BCBS and TRICARE and quiz them as to what's covered overseas. I am not so much worried about "trip ins"  as much as just general accidents or cold/flu kinda stuff. I think American Airlines covers most of that stuff. (Delays, lost bags) I should probably seriously look at the medical evacuation part though in case something serious happened, particularly on any trips while we are in England. Thanks again. This is a great site and information resource.


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## VacationForever (Sep 16, 2015)

Medical evacuation cost is my greatest concern.  I don't mind losing my timeshare (MFs) or flight costs as those are sunk costs but medication evacuations typically cost 6 figures. I buy travel policies which focus on medical evacuations.  I picked up a fairly inexpensive one from Alliance for our upcoming Oahu trip which also covered pre-existing conditions.


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## Ken555 (Oct 9, 2015)

I'm searching for an annual trip insurance plan to cover travel outside the U.S. I've reviewed several sites recommended here and elsewhere and found www.squaremouth.com helpful in identifying options. My primary concerns are evac and emergency medical coverage. 

For trips up to 45 days I've tentatively decided on this plan:

https://www.squaremouth.com/travel-...al-insurance-services/atlas-multitrip-excl-us

which is from HCC Medical Insurance Services, underwritten by Lloyd's. The cost is $245 per year.

I've bought a few policies over the years though this would be the first annual trip insurance policy. There are many options and it can be easily confusing. All providers I've looked at have good and bad reviews regarding claims (I fully expect any claims with any insurance company to be a painful process).

So, any experience with HCC? Comments about coverage (am I missing something obvious)? There aren't too many options for annual coverage plans, though there are different providers. 

TravelGuard (recommended here and at Costco) offers an annual plan that costs slightly more but offers less benefits. Still, it's an option.

Recommendations? Suggestions? 

Thanks!


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## bobpark56 (Oct 9, 2015)

*HCC vs GeoBlue?*



Ken555 said:


> I'm searching for an annual trip insurance plan to cover travel outside the U.S. I've reviewed several sites recommended here and elsewhere and found www.squaremouth.com helpful in identifying options. My primary concerns are evac and emergency medical coverage.
> 
> For trips up to 45 days I've tentatively decided on this plan:
> 
> ...



Our requisites for travel insurance seem quite similar to yours. We have been using GeoBlue's Trekker policy for a while now (rates just increased to $225/yr), but I have never done a comparison to HCC. I do see that GeoBlue's reviews stack up slightly higher than HCC's on Squaremouth. If you find that HCC seems to offer more for you, I would appreciate your assessment of the differences. We are good with GeoBlue until next Sept, but we are not wedded to it. 

One attractive feature with GeoBlue is that coverage is available up through age 84. Not sure what HCC offers here.


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## dioxide45 (Oct 9, 2015)

Passepartout said:


> No visas required. Nowadays travel to EU countries is like going from one US state to another.
> 
> I see you have BCBS and TRICARE. Call their customer service number and inquire about coverages. I suspect they will cover up to their limits even overseas- My Medicare supplement coves up to what Medicare pays (by reimbursement) providing I can supply an itemized billing in English.
> 
> ...



I am not sure socialized medicine covers people who don't reside in that county. I can't travel to Canada and get free health care. I would fully expect to get a bill.


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## isisdave (Oct 9, 2015)

We got this one from Allianz at Squaremouth. $50,000 emergency medical, huge evacuation benefit. Small baggage/delay reimbursement, and nothing for cancellation. Provider Allianz Global Assistance Total Cost $110.00

Underwriter Jefferson Insurance Company

Product Classic with Trip +

That's for TWO people for a year. Seems hard to believe. We didn't have to use it at all.

Cancellation

Trip Cancellation 100% of the trip cost ($0)

Trip Interruption 150% of the trip cost ($0)

Hurricane & Weather Common carrier delay for 24 hours, Accommodation made uninhabitable, Must be purchased before storm is named

Terrorism Covered for foreign and domestic

Financial Default No coverage

Employment Layoff Covered, If employed for 1 continuous year

Cancel For Medical Reasons Included in Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption

Cancel For Work Reasons No coverage

Cancel For Any Reason No coverage, This benefit is separate from Trip Cancellation

Medical

Emergency Medical $50,000 per person, Primary coverage

Pre-Existing Condition No coverage, Pre-existing look-back period 120 days

Medical Deductible No Medical Deductible

Evacuation

Medical Evacuation & Repatriation $1,000,000 per person

Loss or Delay

Travel Delay $1,600 per person, $200 daily limit, Covered after 6 hour delay

Baggage Delay $600 per person, Covered after 24 hour delay

Baggage & Personal Items Loss $2,000 per person, $500 specific items limit

Missed Connection $1,600 per person, Covered after 3 hour delay


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## Ken555 (Oct 10, 2015)

isisdave said:


> We got this one from Allianz at Squaremouth. $50,000 emergency medical, huge evacuation benefit. Small baggage/delay reimbursement, and nothing for cancellation. Provider Allianz Global Assistance Total Cost $110.00



Are you sure you bought from Squaremouth? They don't seem to sell it. 

https://www.squaremouth.com/travel-insurance-providers

However, I did find it at Insuremytrip:

https://www.insuremytrip.com/products/providers/allianz-global-assistance/classic-trip-plus.html

Your price is still much better than the current offer. I'm shown it costs $176 per person for a year.


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## Ken555 (Oct 10, 2015)

dioxide45 said:


> I am not sure socialized medicine covers people who don't reside in that county. I can't travel to Canada and get free health care. I would fully expect to get a bill.



I went to a hospital in Edinburgh 25 years ago with a small issue and needed a quick consult, and they refused to accept payment of any kind. In fact, they didn't even want my ID, IIRC, and I definitely felt a bit of culture shock as I realized they were serious. The hospital looked like it was built in the 1800s but the staff were professional and quite nice.

This site explains some of the UK policies on healthcare for "people from abroad" which may apply:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/h...lth-costs/nhs-charges-for-people-from-abroad/

Canada is not as generous:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=424&t=16


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## Ken555 (Oct 10, 2015)

bobpark56 said:


> Our requisites for travel insurance seem quite similar to yours. We have been using GeoBlue's Trekker policy for a while now (rates just increased to $225/yr), but I have never done a comparison to HCC. I do see that GeoBlue's reviews stack up slightly higher than HCC's on Squaremouth. If you find that HCC seems to offer more for you, I would appreciate your assessment of the differences. We are good with GeoBlue until next Sept, but we are not wedded to it.
> 
> One attractive feature with GeoBlue is that coverage is available up through age 84. Not sure what HCC offers here.



Yes, I saw the GeoBlue Trekker Choice excl US policy (my price $165).  I believe I had originally excluded it as it did not cover: trip interruption ($5,000 with others), $250,000 medical ($1,000,000 with others), less evac benefit (500k vs 1m, though I'm sure either is more than sufficient), and HCC included a small ($500) checked baggage coverage (the others had no coverage). For an extra $80 per year I thought the improved benefits worthwhile, though not essential by any means.

GeoBlue is underwritten by "4 Ever Life Insurance Company", which apparently is an "independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association", and wholly owned by BCS Financial Corp...which apparently is part of the BCBS organization.

I'm also searching individual trip coverage options...I'd prefer to just buy one annual plan but it may be less expensive with separate plans (I plan on three trips outside the US in the next year, which may not be enough to justify an annual plan). I'm surprised to discover options for my trip next month from $28-109 that include most, if not all, of what I want in a plan (and does not include trip cancellation coverage, which is the majority of the premium cost). At first glance it appears John Hancock and InsureandGo USA are the two best options for me at about the same price ($48, $48.26, or $53, not including an optional $15 increase on one of them). The same plans appear available for a longer trip next year as well. Hmm...it does seem buying separate plans will be less expensive for me, assuming I don't add additional trips outside the US over the next year. Still, it might be easier to just buy a single plan. Considering options...


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## bobpark56 (Oct 10, 2015)

*Not sure either, but...*



dioxide45 said:


> I am not sure socialized medicine covers people who don't reside in that county. I can't travel to Canada and get free health care. I would fully expect to get a bill.



Not sure earthier. But when my wife fell in Gaucin, Spain, in 2013...severely tearing ligaments attached to her rotator cuff and breaking a cheekbone...she received initial treatment from an emergency crew based in Ronda and was transported by them to the Ronda hospital for additional treatment. We never received a bill from either the emergency service or the hospital. 

We did have to drive to the Malaga hospital the next day to see a specialist for her cheekbone. That we were billed for, but it was only a bit over $200.

After returning home (Pittsburgh area), surgery to reattach 5 ligaments saw bills over $20,000...all (fortunately) covered by Medicare and supplemental insurance.


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## Mr. Vker (Oct 10, 2015)

We get Allianz trip insurance for every international trip. We always planned to use it for medical evac or medical treatment in foreign countries. Good peace of mind in our ever changing world of medical insurance. However, we've had to use it twice for other reasons:

1) Trip delay Returning from Thailand through JFK in January. Delayed due to snowstorm. All expenses covered.

2) Trip cancelation in August due to unexpected death of my mother. Again, very easy. Sent docs needed and they took care of everything. 

We travel to Costa Rica-in the jungle etc. as well as similar places. Its an essential part of the trip for us.


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## winger (Nov 18, 2015)

*Pointers needed - somewhat time crunch*

We are under a somewhat time crunch w/ a family trip to Europe this coming up spring and life constantly getting in the way of research time (one of my favorite things to do during any 'free time').   Travel insurance just came up and we are going have to find time to sort things out (read the various threads, etc.) and* could use some pointers*.  

Has anyone have experience with the travel insurance offered by Interval International - specifically on cost and how benefits compare to others (Allianze, etc.) ?  As Gold member our cost is $59 - here is the link describing benefits:

Global Emergency Travel Services / Global ETS:
https://www.g-ets.com/IntervalInternational/Offer.aspx?MemberLevel=YU9RJXHUN86YS7J


Top items/concerns why we are considering travel insurance:
1) Medical coverage for the family - son has sever food allergies, DW and I are in decent health, but you never know, and DD is a tornado (the type who can get into trouble without trying!) 

2) Trip interruption - Due to anything (sick relative back home, lost luggage, terrorism, etc)....This may make a difference on how coverage works, but we paid for our trip using TS exchange and airline points for tix - versus paying everything in cash.

Thanks in advance!


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