thinkoflaura
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2010
Hi all,
I am sad to report we had to use our travel insurance when my dad got sick during our Disney cruise earlier this month. I wanted to share some hard lessons learned during the process with the hope that it will help someone else...
1) PRE-EXISTING CONDITION WAIVER... we followed all the rules to qualify for my parents' pre-existing conditions to be covered (getting the insurance within 14 days of our trip deposit, making sure every person traveling met that criteria and that all non-refundable expenses were accounted for in our coverage tallies - flights, hotels, cruise costs, excursions). As far as I knew, that was all that was required. However, as soon as we reached out to Travel Guard/AIG, they asked for one other thing that was VERY hard to procure 1) away from home and 2) on a weekend and 3) in the middle of a crisis: they wanted written confirmation from my dad's doctor that he was "fit to travel" on the date we bought our travel insurance policy (9 months earlier). Seems like a simple request, but because my dad's doctor of 10+ years is a horrible, horrible person, terrified of putting anything in writing, he shockingly refused to do it! I ended up spending countless hours, calling every Kaiser Permanente phone number I could find, and finally - DAYS LATER - someone in medical records sent the insurance company what they needed to validate the coverage. I strongly urge anyone who is traveling with elderly people -- or where the pre-existing condition coverage matters to you -- to get this note as soon as you buy the policy or at least before you travel.
2) FORMS! As soon as we connected with Travel Guard/AIG, they sent several forms they required we fill out and send back. Again, easy enough to handle something like that when you're home dealing with a crisis, but when your dad and husband are being airlifted from a hospital in Juneau to a hospital in Anchorage and you and the rest of your family are still on the ship, it's excruciating.
3) UNDERSTAND YOUR COVERAGE. Though Travel Guard/AIG will cover trip interruption for my husband and dad's cruise, there are a lot of other expenses that are not covered. My husband stayed with my dad the entire time in Anchorage and his hotel and taxi expenses easily total more than $2k. The only way those kind of expenses are reimbursed is if your coverage includes "trip delay for medical reasons" or supplemental coverage for the companion with an injured party. I can't imagine a scenario where any of us would leave our loved one totally alone during a situation like this, so if you're going to the trouble of getting travel insurance, it's probably worth asking your carrier about this coverage.
Overall, I will say that the reps at Travel Guard/AIG were very fair, compassionate and incredibly responsive during all of our dealings. What was already a tragic situation could have been so much worse had they been as heartless and self-serving as nearly everyone we reached out to at Kaiser Permanente.
I am sad to report we had to use our travel insurance when my dad got sick during our Disney cruise earlier this month. I wanted to share some hard lessons learned during the process with the hope that it will help someone else...
1) PRE-EXISTING CONDITION WAIVER... we followed all the rules to qualify for my parents' pre-existing conditions to be covered (getting the insurance within 14 days of our trip deposit, making sure every person traveling met that criteria and that all non-refundable expenses were accounted for in our coverage tallies - flights, hotels, cruise costs, excursions). As far as I knew, that was all that was required. However, as soon as we reached out to Travel Guard/AIG, they asked for one other thing that was VERY hard to procure 1) away from home and 2) on a weekend and 3) in the middle of a crisis: they wanted written confirmation from my dad's doctor that he was "fit to travel" on the date we bought our travel insurance policy (9 months earlier). Seems like a simple request, but because my dad's doctor of 10+ years is a horrible, horrible person, terrified of putting anything in writing, he shockingly refused to do it! I ended up spending countless hours, calling every Kaiser Permanente phone number I could find, and finally - DAYS LATER - someone in medical records sent the insurance company what they needed to validate the coverage. I strongly urge anyone who is traveling with elderly people -- or where the pre-existing condition coverage matters to you -- to get this note as soon as you buy the policy or at least before you travel.
2) FORMS! As soon as we connected with Travel Guard/AIG, they sent several forms they required we fill out and send back. Again, easy enough to handle something like that when you're home dealing with a crisis, but when your dad and husband are being airlifted from a hospital in Juneau to a hospital in Anchorage and you and the rest of your family are still on the ship, it's excruciating.
3) UNDERSTAND YOUR COVERAGE. Though Travel Guard/AIG will cover trip interruption for my husband and dad's cruise, there are a lot of other expenses that are not covered. My husband stayed with my dad the entire time in Anchorage and his hotel and taxi expenses easily total more than $2k. The only way those kind of expenses are reimbursed is if your coverage includes "trip delay for medical reasons" or supplemental coverage for the companion with an injured party. I can't imagine a scenario where any of us would leave our loved one totally alone during a situation like this, so if you're going to the trouble of getting travel insurance, it's probably worth asking your carrier about this coverage.
Overall, I will say that the reps at Travel Guard/AIG were very fair, compassionate and incredibly responsive during all of our dealings. What was already a tragic situation could have been so much worse had they been as heartless and self-serving as nearly everyone we reached out to at Kaiser Permanente.
