We are 2 seniors traveling to Europe this Aug-Sep.We have Medicare-Advantage coverage through our HMO, Kaiser. We will be purchasing Med Evac insurance from MedJet Assit. We are not concerned about cancellation insurance, only medical if something should happen. Any recommendations about what to look for and or companies other than those listed on Insuremytrip.
Thanks
Ed
Personally, I would not leave home without the full package offered. The full package I purchased when traveling to Israel cost either $129 or $139.
Three weeks prior to the departure date, my travel companion which I did not know before hand was injured in an auto accident. Therefore, I got a double room all to myself in the 4 & 5 star hotels.
The travel insurance paid the difference.
The 1st day of our tour a lady died of a heart attack. The travel insurance paid for preparation of the body to be returned to the US. Reimbursed the full cost of the tour including the airline tickets. Paid for the son (he lived in Tel Aviv) to escort the father and his mother's body back to the US.
Another lady fell and split her head open at the Dead Sea. The travel insurance reimbursed her.
I also have Kaiser and Senior Advantage. When traveling overseas....you must pay all medical upfront. Kaiser may not reimburse you for all the medical charges you incurred. Travel insurance will reimburse you.
Travel Insurance is actually very inexpensive.
I have used Travel Mate and World Nomads.
Do any of you know of Clark Howard? He reminds me of Rick Steves in some ways. On Clark Howard's radio show, he said the very best place to get travel insurance is, insuremytrip.com. I yet have to look into that, but I do trust and respect Clark Howard, so I'll look into that site for sure. As far as I know, they do have medical insurance and also offer cancellation insurance. Worth looking into.
Thank you for the replies about insuremytrip.com.
I'll look into it for sure!
Yes I have heard Clark Howard and would consider and trust his advice.
Yes, Lisa, www.insuremytrip.com is the first place most of us recommend to people asking where they can get information about travel insurance. You can compare lots of policies there and buy only the coverage that you need so you aren't paying for things you don't.
I don't know which firms are on insuremytrip, but my husband & I use Travelguard. Not expensive & the coverage is good - basic or full coverage.
I also have travelgaurd for my trip. not expensive at all, and covers quite a lot.
Something else you may want to consider is a medical passport, especially if you have medical conditions. I am having my cardiologist make one up for me for my trip. I have a congenital heart defect, and one of the support associations here came up with the medical passport, that allows the dr to fill in our specific defects, if we are on coumadin or another blood thinner, if blood pressure is best out of one arm, what our "normals" are--- since our "normal" can sound VERY bad to someone who is unfamilar with us. example: my mom also has a CHD- one of the most complex,CC-TGA, her arteries, and vessels are backwards.. right is on the left, left on the right side, ect. When she firts met her new regular GP-- he said: had you not explained your defect to me-- i would be calling an ambulance right now, because nothing sounds like it should, because it is all coming from the wrong places!
I would strongly recommend something like this if you have a major medical condition. I will have my medical passport, stored along with my regular one-- and I also have my medicalert bracelet.
We bought insurance through our AAA club locally. Be sure that medical evacuation is covered- my sister just spent $25,000 to get sent home from Iceland to Florida due to an accident suffered while traveling. She had no travel insurance.
We always purchase travel insurance and I usually use Insuremytrip for comparisons and booking. Last fall my husband and I had Travelguard (AIG) when a dependent parent was diagnosed with metastatic cancer. Getting reimbursed for that trip was a nightmare, despite the fact that I purchased one of the more expensive policies (we went to Peru and were concerned about altitude). As a matter of fact, it was months after we were finally able to go and return before we received our benefits. Thank God Continental refunded every penny we spent with that airline or we'd probably still be in the process.
Use Insuremytrip but be careful with a company in financial difficulty. You never want to file a claim for insurance but you also need to feel comfortable that should you need to, you get what you paid for.
We're heading for Paris. I got a good deal on insurance through AAA this time.
Clark Howard (and his staff) works VERY hard to be as accurate as possible with his travel info, but one must REALLY "stay on top" of the things he writes/says regarding fares and travel in general, because those things can change as fast as the prices on your gas-station signs! LOL
As far as Clark himself?
He has my trust 100%.
Bill
