Forums39
Topics39,176
Posts317,614
Members26,630
|
Most Online3,676 01:00 PM
|
|
19 registered members (phustad711, JeanneB, WWII, KirkB, Manpot, fabila, SXMbeacher, Kennys, BillS, charlie, deliveryskipper, justaroofer, SXMScubaman, 6 invisible),
3,111
guests, and 345
spiders. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
Travel insurance - annual
#198395
06/22/2019 11:24 PM
06/22/2019 11:24 PM
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 460 Estes Park, CO
Yana
OP
Traveler
|
OP
Traveler
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 460
Estes Park, CO
|
Greetings! Our home TS resorts is not open yet, but that didn’t stop us from traveling. Do any of you purchase annual travel insurance? We are healthy seniors covered by Medicare, but accidental injury or sickness outside USA is what I am concerned about. Please share your experience with pro and cons of your travel insurance. Thanks in advance.
There is no place like SXM.
|
|
|
Re: Travel insurance - annual
[Re: Yana]
#198414
06/23/2019 08:08 AM
06/23/2019 08:08 AM
|
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,598 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,598
Central Florida!
|
We used to never take travel insurance, but we do it every time now. Depending on how often you travel, normally you can just get a policy that covers just the time you are out of the country, not a yearly policy. Some travel insurance is pretty darn cheap, if you book it with your air AT THE SAME TIME you book it. However, look at what it covers and what it doesn't! Many of the policies cover medical evac, but at something like $25,000, which isn't enough. As others have pointed out, most insurance does NOT have primary coverage outside the US, so it might well be out of network coverage, which means your co-pays and deductibles could be huge. But again, as someone else said, the elephant in the room is medical evac, which can easily cost $50,000, which if you don't have coverage for that, you'd have to come UP with $50,000 yourself, and HOPE that insurance will reimburse you, at least partially. We have two TTOL sponsors that offer travel insurance. Sky Med covers ONLY medical evac and you can get a yearly policy with them. With Sky Med, they take you HOME, to the closest appropriate hospital to where you live. This means if you live in LA, they will take you to a hospital in LA. However, with some or most of the other policies, they might well take you to Miami, and then you might have to pay for evac to get the rest of the way back home-- or perhaps your health insurance will cover it, but there will definitely be a delay getting you back home. For us, we live in Florida, so this is not a concern. Insure my Trip is a service for you to compare insurance policies side by side, based on the things that you need to insure against. For example, if you're using frequent flyer tickets and staying at your timeshare, if something happens to your trip, your out of pocket loss for those items is minimal. But you may well want to insure for medical expenses and definitely for medical evac. Insure my Trip is great tool for getting exactly the coverages you need. For both Insure my Trip and SkyMed, if you use the links here on TTOL on the sponsors page, we get a small commission and your cost is the same. If you go directly to their websites, we don't get anything out of it.
Carol Hill
|
|
|
Re: Travel insurance - annual
[Re: cruzer]
#198423
06/23/2019 11:20 AM
06/23/2019 11:20 AM
|
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 19,198 Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 19,198
Auburn, WA
|
I've more or less pieced together our own travel insurance. Medigap covers each of us with a $250 deductible and a $75k lifetime limit. I'm not too concerned about bumping up against that limit on foreign travel on a single trip. We have emergency evac coverage through DAN and our Costco Visa card offers trip cancellation for up to $3000/person/trip for charge made on that card (that offers a 3% rebate on travel). The only incremental cost is the DAN policy that costs $55 p.a. for the two of us. I use the Dan coverage too but now they won't include the medical if you're 70 or older like I am.
|
|
|
Re: Travel insurance - annual
[Re: jmbcomms]
#198446
06/23/2019 04:11 PM
06/23/2019 04:11 PM
|
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 19,198 Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 19,198
Auburn, WA
|
I've bought & used SkyMed for more than 15 years and would not settle for anything less. Isn't that your company? If not it sure seems like it with all the promoting you do on your facebook and newsletters.
|
|
|
Re: Travel insurance - annual
[Re: Yana]
#198470
06/23/2019 08:35 PM
06/23/2019 08:35 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,162 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
islandgem
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,162
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
|
Always purchase annual insurance as it is less expensive than purchasing for each trip. Never leave home without trip and medical insurance. It is the best money spent to give you peace of mind to enjoy your trip! I have my government medical insurance, annual trip and medical insurance and Sky Med in case of needing medical evacuation to take me to my own city hospital. I have had to use my trip cancellation insurance once in the past and was totally reimbursed 100 % for flights and accommodation.
|
|
|
Re: Travel insurance - annual
[Re: cacapasa]
#198721
06/27/2019 09:04 AM
06/27/2019 09:04 AM
|
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,598 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,598
Central Florida!
|
cacapasa--that is the case with MOST evac insurance. It does NOT cover you to your home. Sky Med is one of the few that does. We may look into Chubb, but I doubt they write in Florida, as most insurance companies don't anymore. Some of the policies sold on Insure My Trip offer auto liability policies, but the cost seems to be about the same as the cost through the car rental company.
Carol Hill
|
|
|
Re: Travel insurance - annual
[Re: kim]
#198724
06/27/2019 09:18 AM
06/27/2019 09:18 AM
|
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,278 Maryland/DC Metro
BeachKitten
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 3,278
Maryland/DC Metro
|
We are renewing with CHUBB for all our home/auto/umbrella policies. Much better coverage than we had, and it will include “content insurance” for our condo in SXM, which we had a separate policy for with NAGICO. The “passport 360” travel coverage was an additional endorsement for 374 a year and is worldwide not just Caribbean. Also the auto policy actually does cover “auto liability” worldwide. One of the few companies that does offer it. Kim, did CHUBB require you to get appraisals again for jewelry, art, furs (stuff like that?)? It's one of the reasons I am loathe to change my homeowner policy.
"It is good to do nothing all day, and then to rest"
|
|
|
Re: Travel insurance - annual
[Re: BeachKitten]
#198729
06/27/2019 09:32 AM
06/27/2019 09:32 AM
|
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,733 Newtown, CT
kim
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,733
Newtown, CT
|
They did not request new appraisals. Made life easy!!! We made the move mostly because of the car rental liability, travel insurance for evacuation, and they will cover the contents of the condo in SXM, so wont have to deal with NAGICO!!!!! when all is said and done, yes it was more than our current policy, but only by about 900 when you add in the extras we shall see. maybe they suck you in then next year on renewal I will get hammered, will see.
|
|
|
Re: Travel insurance - annual
[Re: Yana]
#198945
07/01/2019 01:31 PM
07/01/2019 01:31 PM
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,925 New England (home), St. Maarte...
jmbcomms
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 5,925
New England (home), St. Maarte...
|
Ask for a SkyMed MSA (Member Service Agreement) versus anyone else's. SkyMed TAKES YOU HOME when you become critically ill or injured in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, the bahamas, and ALL the nations of the Caribbean. The others take to to the "nearest appropriate facility" most likely Florida or San Juan if you're in SXM. Huge difference. I bought my SkyMed membership in around 2002 and have never looked back. IMHO it is the best there is.
Last edited by jmbcomms; 07/01/2019 01:32 PM.
Jeff Berger Visiting SXM Since 1978
|
|
|
Re: Travel insurance - annual
[Re: Tom]
#199014
07/02/2019 08:38 AM
07/02/2019 08:38 AM
|
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 298 Maine
davew
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 298
Maine
|
|
|
|
Re: Travel insurance - annual
[Re: deputydog1157]
#199396
07/06/2019 07:32 PM
07/06/2019 07:32 PM
|
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,598 Central Florida!
Carol_Hill
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,598
Central Florida!
|
That's the deal. With most med-evac policies, they will take you to the nearest facility that they consider medically appropriate. If you want to guarantee that you will be sent HOME, book Sky Med.
Carol Hill
|
|
|
Re: Travel insurance - annual
[Re: Yana]
#199412
07/07/2019 03:51 AM
07/07/2019 03:51 AM
|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 418 Michigan
cacapasa
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 418
Michigan
|
Always ask for a sample of the actual policy, not just a description! That is exactly what I did. Then read the relevant section; the key language to look for, as Carol hinted at, is whether it covers "repatriation." If it covers repatriation they will get you home. They may direct you to the nearest facility, first, for immediate attention, but if the coverage does not include repatriation then that is all they will cover if you require continuing care. If you are discharged or have recuperated, of course, you just have to continue on with your trip, unless you also bought trip interruption insurance.
Last edited by cacapasa; 07/07/2019 04:00 AM.
|
|
|
Re: Travel insurance - annual
[Re: Tom]
#199414
07/07/2019 04:06 AM
07/07/2019 04:06 AM
|
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 418 Michigan
cacapasa
Traveler
|
Traveler
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 418
Michigan
|
Tom, I realize it may not apply to such a young fellow as you, but as noted earlier, MedJet will not cover folks older than 74, so anyone older than that must look elsewhere for coverage, which is why we had to do exactly that. Too bad AARP did not mention it.
Last edited by cacapasa; 07/07/2019 04:07 AM.
|
|
|
|