Travel insurance for seniors

Have you looked at insuremytrip? They can give you options from several different travel insurance companies. But it's up to you to read each one to find the one with the coverage and price you want.

You can get travel insurance, but the simple fact is the older you get, the more expensive it is.

I found Rick's information on this subject to be very helpful as a starting point. https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/travel-insurance
Then I used InsureMyTrip.com to compare plans and bought only medical and evacuation insurance after determining that was the right choice for me.

You are right that Medicare will not cover your dad overseas. However, many of the supplemental plans DO cover emergencies "worldwide." So you or your dad should call Blue Cross and find out exactly what they will cover and how much.

That said, I would still look for a travel insurance policy because this will cover things beyond the actual medical care. For instance, they will usually cover a medical evacuation to get home or to a better medical facility - this can be very costly. They also cover expenses related to a trip interruption, like non-refundable airfare or hotels.

I have used Travel Guard and Roam Right. Although I have never had a claim, I believe these are both reputable. You can comparison shop at https://www.insuremytrip.com. I am 66 and have never paid more than $500 for insurance, and that was for a very expensive trip to Uzbekistan! Most other trips have been $170-$250.

Be careful of exclusions for pre-existing conditions (and what the definition is). Some plans will waive this if you buy it shortly after buying your trip.

People sometimes say that they don't need this because they are in good health. But anyone can have a bad accident and then what? Paying for insurance gives me peace of mind.

I have used Allianz Travel Insurance several times. They offer a range of options.

If you haven't done this already, you should check his Medicare supplemental policy to see if it covers him out of the country. Ours does and, over the years, it's paid for doctors visits (both at offices and in our hotel room), as well as for an ambulance ride and overnight stay in a hospital ER. The European medical bills have always been quite small; sometimes we've had to pay (credit card) up front, other times we've been sent a bill, which we forward to our insurer. You might also look at Emergency Assistance Plus, which covers emergency evacuation if needed. It's quite reasonable, especially if you belong to an alumni association or other group that offers the plan through their organization. We've never had to use that, but it offers a safety net of sorts.

Trip insurance is based mostly on the cost of the trip, modified by length of the trip and age of the travelers. Most such policies cover trip cancellation, delay, etc. as well as medical coverage and evacuation. The latter two are not a major component of the cost.

Go to insuremy trip and plug in the parameters. For trip cost, do NOT include the total,projected amount of the trip. What you are insuring are the prepaid, non-refundable costs. So for many trips this is airfare, and maybe trains, and that is it--- hotels, tours and other expenses are pay-as-you go and can be cancelled without penalty if you do so in a timely manner. Prepaid tours may count as non-refundable costs as well, along with things like opera tickets.

So if you include your airfare, say $1400 each, Eurostar tickets to Paris, and maybe one play in London, the insurable trip cost could be closer to $3500-3600. Even with your father's age, the insurance cost may well be less than you think. But make sure you chose a plan that includes at least $500K medical evacuation (this coverage is cheap) and 100K medical costs.

My husband and I always get travel insurance. I know a friend whose friend died right after he landed at De Gaulle airport. Supposedly the wife had bought full coverage travel insurance. In the end though she had to pay $60,000 to get her husband's body back to the U.S. As I don't actually know the person, I don't know all the details. I have no idea why the wife had to pay so much money - with the insurance. I guess it is different when the person is deceased rather than flying a patient back to the US for treatment.

Does he have Plan F with his Medicare supplement? According to Medicare's website there is a $250 deductible. After that the plan pays 80% up to 50,000 max. Plans C and G do the same.

If you read the small print, I think you will find the Evacuation Insurance included in the usual Medical Insurance policy is to the nearest qualified hospital, so it would be extremely difficult to have the company fly him home, thus incurring large medical bills. I think this is a coverage that is easily misunderstood. So, look into Medjet Assist, which would fly him to the hospital of his choice, which I assume will be near home as soon as he is stable. It is not a medical insurance plan, just a med jet flight. But that will alleviate medical expenses by getting him home. However, the age limit might be 85 years old...but check it out just incase. And he will need his doctor to fill out a form regarding his overall health prior to joining. There is another similar company...but I'm blank on its name at the moment.

I think you will find the Evacuation Insurance included in the usual
Medical Insurance policy is to the nearest qualified hospital, so it
would be extremely difficult to have the company fly him home, thus
incurring large medical bills.

I have purchased over a hundred different medical/evacuation policies over the years from many different companies, and have never come across any policy that didn't cover the costs of transport home for recuperation/further treatment. Some of the inferior policies limit payment to the cost of an economy class seat back home (which would be inadequate if one has a broken leg/hip), to covering up to $100,000+ of the cost (which is what I always go for). Always read the fine print.

The plans I have bought over the years have all included "repatriation of remains" in the event that you die overseas. This pays to return the body home. This is different than "emergency evacuation" which helps you get home if you are injured or sick. As far as I can tell from reading the fine print of my policies, they would pay for me to return home, not just to the nearest hospital. But as others have said, read the fine print carefully and compare policies!

Good point that you only insure non-refundable costs, not your whole travel budget!

I should have been more specific in my previous comments. The Medicare supplements I mentioned cover foreign travel.

Our AARP Medicare supplement covers us on international travel. Also, my United Mileage Plus credit card has several medical benefits, including emergency evacuation.

Just to clarify, it's not the insurance company that makes the difference in Medicare supplement coverage, it's the type of coverage -- ALL Plan F supplements provide international coverage.
@kwootton9, can you give more info on United Mileage Plus card evacuation benefits? I have only seen that wirh Chase Preferred Reserve (unless you're referring to EA+ which is purchased separately.)

We have gone to Europe 14 times and have always purchased travel insurance for us two seniors. We looked on insuremytrip for what was available and have settled on Travel Guard which met with the approval of the RS trip advisors. We have always added a million dollar umbrella coverage at very little additional cost. When booking with TG, if you take out a policy with them immediately upon any payment related to your trip, they cover pre-existing conditions, a real deal for both of us seniors. Never had a claim but TG has gotten mostly good reviews especially from folks who have make claims.