travel insurance madness

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mylund
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travel insurance madness

Post by mylund »

I am preparing my annual winter trip (2 months) to sunny California and use AMEX travel insurance. This year Amex is using RBC as there principal insurer. Does anyone have any comments on travel insurance . I am 74. Since I am a large investor with RBCDI would this help my getting a proper travel insurance policy. I think one is apple the other orange.
Regards.
P/S. I have been reading horror stories about insurers not paying claims for all kinds of minor technicalities.
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leoc2
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by leoc2 »

My gut feeling would be to walk into a brick and mortar insurance agency and fill in the paperwork with an agent. It may cost more but at least there is a chance that all claims will be honoured because you have the agent partially responsible. The agency can support your claims is my thinking. I have not tried this approach as I am not taking an extended winter holiday until I retire (hopefully in 3 years).
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by Benchwarmer »

I have 2 insurance companies on my boycott list - TD & AMA. TD who seems to have more horror stories with refusing to honor reasonable claims, and AMA for the way they treated the Calgary flood victims.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by BRIAN5000 »

I have no idea how accurate these facts are.

I friends dad, friend is 60-65 ish, cost of insurance for 6 months in arizona was going to be $5000. According to my friend he's good for 45 days in the states with the insurance he has in Canada. So he flies back four times at a cost of about $200 X 4 spends a few days and visits then flies back down.
This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed
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Subby
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by Subby »

From what I've seen, RBC Insurance is the premier travel insurer but haven't had experience with the smaller insurance companies out there.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by OhGreatGuru »

One of the problems I have encountered is that whomever you buy it from, you may find they have contracted claims settlements to an organization like Allianz Global Assistance or the grossly misnamed Global Excel Management Inc. So you will end up dealing by phone, email or snail mail with one of their call centres anyway, not the bricks & mortar insurance company you bought your policy from.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by Springbok »

Subby wrote:From what I've seen, RBC Insurance is the premier travel insurer but haven't had experience with the smaller insurance companies out there.
We use RBC Insurance for travel.

Regarding TD - I was on an affinity plan with them that included our house and cars. They treated us very badly, and that was without us making a claim - just trying to renew a policy that we had never made a claim on. Won't bore you with the 2 month run around we got, but now with State farm who have a local office staffed by real people!
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by mylund »

These responses are very unsettling, I am presently investigating MEDIVAC but I think they all dance to the same tune.
Will post my meeting with Medivac.
Regards.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by biker »

BRIAN5000 wrote:I have no idea how accurate these facts are.

I friends dad, friend is 60-65 ish, cost of insurance for 6 months in arizona was going to be $5000. According to my friend he's good for 45 days in the states with the insurance he has in Canada. So he flies back four times at a cost of about $200 X 4 spends a few days and visits then flies back down.
Price varies by age/medical conditions/stability of conditions.My plan is for 35 days for as many trips per year as I choose. Must stay in Canada for 24 hours before another trip.I can expand length to 45 days if needed at a cost.Cost is $500 per year and it will increase somewhat every 5 years starting with age 65.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by zinfit »

I use Group Medical Services. We winter in TX and have talked to people with positive experiences with GMS and Blue Cross. I have encountered people who have not had good experiences with Medipac. Nothing scientific. I think there is merit in going trough an agent. It does give you a little extra leverage in the event of a dispute. I have tried to find some reported court decisions and haven't found a lot.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by tedster »

I have dealt with TD Insurance Meloche Monnex for a number of years. Their price does not seem to be too high and I am about to renew next month. I have never had to make a claim so I cannot make any recommendations about that. I am surprised to hear such bad comments. I certainly would like to find a company which is better. I know that in the field of auto and apt insurance, I have had really good results with Belair Direct. Wish they were in the travel field.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by kcowan »

We use Mediquote. I am in the process of filing a claim so I will let you know. It is for an ophthalmologist visit and laser surgery to fix a torn retina.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by 2 yen »

We are using TD Meloche this year (winter). My sense is that if one is very honest with disclosing any medical conditions and, as Bylo pointed out on another thread, changes in medications etc in the 90 day stability period, then that's about the best one can attempt to do. After all, is there a great difference in emergency travel insurance among companies? Now that I ask, is there a place (site) where all the major insurance companies' medical travel insurance can be compared?

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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by CROCKD »

2yen

If you want some insight into the potential problems with Travel Medical Insurance you can watch this Marketplace CBC report.
Erica Johnson investigates travel health insurance. Find out what the industry doesn't want you to know
Tripped Up
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Post by 2 yen »

Thanks CROCKD. Will watch it.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by zinfit »

CROCKD wrote:2yen

If you want some insight into the potential problems with Travel Medical Insurance you can watch this Marketplace CBC report.
Erica Johnson investigates travel health insurance. Find out what the industry doesn't want you to know
Tripped Up
It is interesting that the examples set out in this show is with the insurance company that is recommended by CARP. The spokesperson for CARP has a credibility problem. She is thrashing the company they recommend.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by kcowan »

zinfit wrote:... The spokesperson for CARP has a credibility problem. She is thrashing the company they recommend.
CARP recommendations are based on paid sponsorship. It is CARP that has the problem, not the spokesperson.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by zinfit »

kcowan wrote:
zinfit wrote:... The spokesperson for CARP has a credibility problem. She is thrashing the company they recommend.
CARP recommendations are based on paid sponsorship. It is CARP that has the problem, not the spokesperson.
Valid point but she is the head honcho. We didn't renew our Carp membership.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by tedster »

I ancelled my policy with Manulife many years ago. This lady though, IMHO was really telling the audience that insurance companies were not honest. I am ready to renew with TD Monex, and am now trying to figure out if I have a regular blood test, am I being "treated" for whatever???? If I was sent for a chest x-ray because I haven't had one for a few years and am coughing, am I being treated? If the drug store changes the generic drug for arthritis, is this a change in meds?
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Re: travel insurance madness

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tedster wrote:I ancelled my policy with Manulife many years ago. This lady though, IMHO was really telling the audience that insurance companies were not honest. I am ready to renew with TD Monex, and am now trying to figure out if I have a regular blood test, am I being "treated" for whatever???? If I was sent for a chest x-ray because I haven't had one for a few years and am coughing, am I being treated? If the drug store changes the generic drug for arthritis, is this a change in meds?
Based on what I took from the program AND what I have read in RBC Travel Insurance policy, I would say:
1) In the first instance, as part of a regular checkup.... no... unless there is an anomaly result that should be treated.
2) In the second instance, I would say yes.. it is a diagnostic test
3) In the third instance, if it is a change in the active ingredient, then yes... but not if it is just a change in brand name with same dosage of same ingredient

Guess you better ask your doc... since it is his clinical notes on you that will be scruntized in event of a claim.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by Wallace »

AltaRed wrote:Guess you better ask your doc... since it is his clinical notes on you that will be scruntized in event of a claim.
Unfortunately your doc isn't asked his opinion when the insurance Co investigates the claim. They simply demand the notes and make their own (arbitrary) decisions, and what they seem to be looking for is medication changes. To your doc, a medication change is part of the normal process of managing a chronic illness, like diabetes or hypertension. To the insurance company it is evidence of an "unstable" condition and an excuse to deny the claim. Always book your physicals and tests after returning from Florida, not before, and ask your doc if a medication change is really necessary before your trip, or if it can be postponed until afterwards. Not the ideal way to look after your care unfortunately, but the only way to be sure that a claim will be accepted.

The insurance companies must have millions of dollars in premiums that they would never ever pay out because the majority of people who have had a medication change in the last six months never actually get sick on holiday. The only people who find out that they aren't covered are the ones who get sick. The rest have given the insurance company "free" money that could never actually be claimed. To me, this is fraud. Insurance companies should have to do their due diligence (for example getting doctors' notes) before accepting the premiums, not just when claims are made. Once the premiums are accepted, you should be covered.

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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by bekair »

You might also compute what you could afford "out of pocket" A higher deductable MIGHT get you a lower rate.

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tedster wrote:I ancelled my policy with Manulife many years ago. This lady though, IMHO was really telling the audience that insurance companies were not honest. I am ready to renew with TD Monex, and am now trying to figure out if I have a regular blood test, am I being "treated" for whatever???? If I was sent for a chest x-ray because I haven't had one for a few years and am coughing, am I being treated? If the drug store changes the generic drug for arthritis, is this a change in meds?
In my policy most of the questions you ask are covered in "frequently asked questions" .If not you simply call and ask.
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Re: travel insurance madness

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Wallace wrote:
AltaRed wrote:Guess you better ask your doc... since it is his clinical notes on you that will be scruntized in event of a claim.
Unfortunately your doc isn't asked his opinion when the insurance Co investigates the claim. They simply demand the notes and make their own (arbitrary) decisions, and what they seem to be looking for is medication changes. To your doc, a medication change is part of the normal process of managing a chronic illness, like diabetes or hypertension. To the insurance company it is evidence of an "unstable" condition and an excuse to deny the claim. Always book your physicals and tests after returning from Florida, not before, and ask your doc if a medication change is really necessary before your trip, or if it can be postponed until afterwards. Not the ideal way to look after your care unfortunately, but the only way to be sure that a claim will be accepted.
That is my point exactly. I know (and most of us know) that such changes are the flags (says so right in the policies), so I would know NOT to accept a medication change and I would know to tell him not to recommend any if not absolutely necessary. What I don't know and what is needed to be asked of the doc is whether he has made any note of a possible change in medication, e.g. change recommended but patient declined.

Doctors today should already know of the travel insurance problems and have that question automatically at their fingertips, e.g. are you planning an out-of-country trip any time soon, because it might be good to change your medication, but is not important to do so at this time if it would be to your disadvantage.
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Re: travel insurance madness

Post by amphitryon »

Having ''pre-existing conditions'' my wife and I found it best to simply define them in detail and then exclude them on the application/policy, and basically cover only any new ''mishaps'' before or during the trip. This results in a lower premium, and since for both of us, any active changes are very slow at this time, no need to worry about during trips of less than half a year. The latter is our maximum in any event, since we have a six month regimen of check-ups.
We use RBC Insurance procured through our travel agent, which we found the most reasonable from various quotes, which we usually obtain.
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