# Personal Experience w/Travel Insurance



## Timeshare Von (May 8, 2012)

I believe I previously mentioned purchasing travel insurance policies for hubby & me ($78) and my MIL ($64) for our trip to Ireland that we just returned from.

While medical and medical evac were the reasons why I purchased the policies for us, we had trip delay issues going to Dublin (my MIL missed the connection at O'Hare due to mechanical issues in Indy) and returning home (hubby & I were delayed significantly due to weather in Chicago on Sunday).  My MIL's claim for lodging in Chicago is $63 and our claim for Sunday's delay (meals + alternative method of getting home) is $85.

As you can see, just these basic sorta of airline hassles and inconveniences can add up and the insurance was really inexpensive and was paid for by minimal type claims.  The peace of mind relative to medical and evac (especially given we were traveling with someone who is 78 years old) was worth the $142 paid in premiums even if we had no delay claims.

I use InsureMyTrip.com for my travel insurance needs.

p.s.  This was the second trip in the past year I've had to file claims against my travel insurance.  Last summer, my bags were delayed into Kenya and I had a claim paid for essential items I had to buy to get through the first couple of days.


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## DebBrown (May 8, 2012)

I filed a claim in for the first time after our January trip to Argentina.  I have still not gotten a response from the company so thanks for posting this.  I will follow up today.

We also purchased through InsureMyTrip, however, I think they are an umbrella agency for many companies.  I fell and broke my wrist in Patagonia on a glacier.  I had no medical expenses but did have to leave the tour.  I only requested a refund of the tour cost.

Deb


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## Timeshare Von (May 8, 2012)

DebBrown said:


> I filed a claim in for the first time after our January trip to Argentina.  I have still not gotten a response from the company so thanks for posting this.  I will follow up today.
> 
> We also purchased through InsureMyTrip, however, I think they are an umbrella agency for many companies.  I fell and broke my wrist in Patagonia on a glacier.  I had no medical expenses but did have to leave the tour.  I only requested a refund of the tour cost.
> 
> Deb



Deb sorry to hear about your accident this past winter.  Hopefully you'll get your claim settled and paid soon!

Yes InsureMyTrip.com is an agency and writes with many companies.  I've bought four policies through them and each as been with a different insurance company.


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## DebBrown (May 8, 2012)

I got my check in the mail today!  So good timing on this.  This was the first time I had filed a claim after purchasing insurance on many international trips.  I think it finally paid for itself.

Deb


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## nightnurse613 (May 8, 2012)

We bought tickets through Alaska Airlines in June when my mother wanted to fly home for Christmas. Since she had just broken her hip a couple of months before, my husband added the trip cancellation that was on the AA web page. Unfortunately her colon cancer flared up in late August and she died  three months later.  My husband called an cancelled the seat with Alaska and they were very nice and offered to refund the money but my husband told them that wasn't necessary; we had purchased insurance and would just submit a claim.  Needless to say that became a complete goat rope; we had to get her Doctor's certification and they wanted to have a brief medical history too.  I was pretty upset at the time anyway but I failed to see how they could think death had a pre-existing condition.  They finally did pay the claim.


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## heathpack (May 9, 2012)

An acquaintance of mine travel to Turkey with his wife, they are both in their 50's.  They are very experienced travellers and are always well-insured-- or so they thought.

The wife was being accosted by an aggressive porter who wanted to "help" her with her luggage.  She did not need any help, their hotel was across the street, and was trying to get away from the porter when she tripped and fell off the curb.  She broke her femoral neck, the portion of the thigh bone that is adjacent to the hip.  So the "ball" was no good any more but the "socket" was fine.

They had medical evacuation insurance but it turns out that the medical evacuation insurance only covered evacuation to the nearest hospital capable of fixing the problem.  The doctors in Turkey, however, were only capable of fixing the problem by doing a total hip replacement-- i.e. replacing both the ball and socket.  The doctors in the US would be able to replace just the ball but leave the socket.  This latter procedure is preferable because the lifespan of either type of hip replacement is shorter than her remaining expected lifespan, so it is likely that she will need a second surgery in the future.  The second surgery would be much more straightforward and carry a better chance of success if she still had her natural socket.

The insurance company would not pay for an evacuation to the US, just to Istanbul.  They would not even pay to evacuate her to Switzerland, where she could also have the more advanced surgery.  So my acquaintance had to hire an air ambulance for his wife to evacuate her from Istanbul to Los Angeles at a cost of $98,000.  In order to set up the evacuation, he had to have a total of $250,000 available credit on his credit card- which he did not have but was able to organize within a few days.  Obviously these are folks who are more financially fortunate than most people.

So the moral of the story is that not all insurance is equal- you can actually pay more and buy medical evacuation insurance that evacuates you to the hospital of your choice.  If you're going to get the insurance, you might as well get the best bang for your buck.

S


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## dougp26364 (May 9, 2012)

Always be sure to read the fine print!

We've filed two claims with travel insurance companies. One was paid, the other denied. 

The one which was denied was on a mediteranian cruise. The disembarkation was delayed by Spanish fisherman blocking the port. We missed our flight home and incurred other expenses totalling nearly $1,700. The claim was denied because the reason for the delay was a fishermans strike. The only strikes covered by the policy involved transportation and, fisherman are not transportation. There were others I knew who had different companies (CSA was one) who did pay the claims.

The other was for another cruise when my wife became sick before departure. We cancelled the cruise but incurred a late cancelation fee. This time the insurance company paid everything except for the rebooking fee's we incurred when we cancelled our airline tickets. We had purchased the insurance the day we made the deposit on the cruise and before booking our airfare, so the airline tickets were not included under this policy.


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## Timeshare Von (May 10, 2012)

dougp26364 said:


> Always be sure to read the fine print!




Absolutely!  I will only purchase policies that have medical evac to the medical facility of my choice AND home in the USA.


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## Timeshare Von (May 10, 2012)

DebBrown said:


> I got my check in the mail today!  So good timing on this.  This was the first time I had filed a claim after purchasing insurance on many international trips.  I think it finally paid for itself.
> 
> Deb



Woohoo Deb!  I'm glad it all worked out to your satisfaction.  I hope you're 100% healed physically too.


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## Timeshare Von (May 10, 2012)

nightnurse613 said:


> We bought tickets through Alaska Airlines in June when my mother wanted to fly home for Christmas. Since she had just broken her hip a couple of months before, my husband added the trip cancellation that was on the AA web page. Unfortunately her colon cancer flared up in late August and she died  three months later.  My husband called an cancelled the seat with Alaska and they were very nice and offered to refund the money but my husband told them that wasn't necessary; we had purchased insurance and would just submit a claim.  Needless to say that became a complete goat rope; we had to get her Doctor's certification and they wanted to have a brief medical history too.  I was pretty upset at the time anyway but I failed to see how they could think death had a pre-existing condition.  They finally did pay the claim.



I'm glad it all worked out for the best (financially) with the insurance claim.  Yes, pre-existing conditions are the biggest area where they can get out of paying.  You have to be very careful about them.  Most say that you must not have had treatment within X days of the trip, with the exception being for maintenance drugs/treatment for conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. so long as the condition has been under control with that treatment.

I am surprised that they paid in your case, however, since the airline offered a full refund and you declined it.  Ordinarily, it is the carrier who is on the hook "first" in terms of compensation and/or refunds and not the insurance carrier.  Perhaps they went back against Alaska Air to collect it back from them after paying your claim.

Anyway, I'm sorry to hear of the death of your Mom.  I hope your memories help you get through the days when you're feeling her absence.


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## bellesgirl (May 10, 2012)

Timeshare Von said:


> Absolutely!  I will only purchase policies that have medical evac to the medical facility of my choice AND home in the USA.


Which company do you recommend?  My husband is on Medicare so I always look for medical coverage that is "primary" when we travel outside the US but I must admit, I have not read the fine print on evacuation insurance.

As to the pre-existing condition clause, many insurance companies will waive that if you purchase with 7-10 days (sometime as long as 14 days) of paying for your first expense for the trip.  As someone mentioned, if you add expenses, such as airfare, you need to update the policy, and of course, pay more.


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## Timeshare Von (May 10, 2012)

I use InsureMyTrip.com to find potential coverage.  Then read through each to see which is best for the circumstances I'm trying to insure with.  My most recent trip to Ireland was insured by TruTravel for me & DH . . . and Global Alert for my MIL.  Last summer, for my trip to Kenya the policy was with TravelMax.


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## Timeshare Von (May 26, 2012)

*Update*



Timeshare Von said:


> I believe I previously mentioned purchasing travel insurance policies for hubby & me ($78) and my MIL ($64) for our trip to Ireland that we just returned from.
> 
> While medical and medical evac were the reasons why I purchased the policies for us, we had trip delay issues going to Dublin (my MIL missed the connection at O'Hare due to mechanical issues in Indy) and returning home (hubby & I were delayed significantly due to weather in Chicago on Sunday).  My MIL's claim for lodging in Chicago is $63 and our claim for Sunday's delay (meals + alternative method of getting home) is $85.
> 
> ...



Once I got into the claims filing process and received documents from my MIL, I realized we were entitled to a larger payment due to additional expenses incurred due to her one day delay.

Her credit card statement had documented meals (dinner + breakfast) that she had to pay for due to the overnight in Chicago, plus we were able to claim and be reimbursed for the added expense of driving to Dublin to pick her up the next day.  Given that the airport was a 330km round-trip plus tolls, that added up too.  Her total claim was $217.

Both claims have been paid in full, so we are happy campers with how easy and quick the claims processes were.


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## travelguy (May 26, 2012)

Timeshare Von said:


> Both claims have been paid in full, so we are happy campers with how easy and quick the claims processes were.



Glad to hear this worked out as advertised!  Good information to have.  Thanks for the updates.


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