Flu Pandemic Planning?!! (now or in the future)

[makelifehappen]

I know that I for one was not taking this new swine flu very seriously. I work in a community health centre and we have been planning for a pandemic for the last 2 years. I am not to proud to admit I have laughed at the panic and rolled my eyes at the Dr. who asked me what I was going to do about my upcoming travels (in AUGUST!) I had a much bigger chance of contracting something here at work than I did walking the streets, imo.

Reality is, our public health officials have marked the risk factors a "5" today...if we are told we are at a "6" tomorrow my employer has told us all holiday/travel time will be denied! We will not be allowed to go on preplanned vacations and risk our jobs if we choose to go anyhow because they will simply revoke the approval!

Some airlines are not even flying to specific areas currently and whilst it does not necessarily effect us heading off to Florida/California/Paris, etc now, it WILL if they call it a pandemic because flights will be cancelled left, right and center depending on the state each country/state/province everyone is in.

Flu's are worse than SARS in that you can spread it for up to a few days before you even feel any symptoms, so the fear is that we could end up with waves of this for several months

We are told to expect that our Canadian summer's will kill off any flu bug that is kicking around, but man...if it is running wild in Mexico, I doubt that is a very safe assumption. We are screening people (much like SARS with masks, hand santizer, etc) starting Monday and I hope like hell that they are wrong and the scare blows over, but wanted to warn people to be very careful when choosing whether or not to purchase vacation insurance!!

 

[mc'smommy]

I highly agree, BUY the Insurance. We don't know what this flu will bring to us, our community or to the communities we planned to vacation in.

 

[wall*e2008]

I would buy the insurance IF it would cover your trip being canceled by the Canadian "CDC" or WHO. If they do not cover it then I would change my plans now to have the least amount of money lost (go to room only at WDW rather than a package).

 

[extremesoccermom]

I have never bought the insurance before so I always just throw the information away. But since I was Dx with Asthma and I was sick for 2 1/2 months this past winter this may be the time to buy it.

So my question - Is there a certain amount of time after purchasing the trip or before the travel date that I need to purchase the insurance?
Are there different companies and which is the best?

 

[makelifehappen]

I am not going to lie...I still haven't learned my lesson and opted out of adding insurance for the last 2 trips to Disney, but just last summer we were totally stranded in ROME for 3 additional days without a way home (Zoom airlines closure) and only had a credit card to depend on. We were out $6500 and that was only because we sat in the airport with 2 kids (with Autism to boot) for 35 hours paying for hour after hour of internet connection on our laptop to search cheaper flights!

We saw some people paying 10G's for a single flight home!

I never want to go through that sort of hell again and that money did not come easy....

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up...

 

[buckler]

I suggest reading these two pages before deciding. Some policies might not cover H1N1 influenza type A (the formal name out of respect for the wrongly maligned pigs!) if you try to add coverage now since it is a known risk factor.

Is it too late to buy travel insurance?

http://www.squaremouth.com/travel-advice/swine-flu-outbreak/

 

[makelifehappen]

So my question - Is there a certain amount of time after purchasing the trip or before the travel date that I need to purchase the insurance?
Are there different companies and which is the best?

I haven't a clue...my husband is looking into it now, so perhaps we will be better off later this evening.

 

[extremesoccermom]

I suggest reading these two pages before deciding. Some policies might not cover H1N1 influenza type A (the formal name out of respect for the wrongly maligned pigs!).

Is it too late to buy travel insurance?

http://www.squaremouth.com/travel-advice/swine-flu-outbreak/

Guess I will just stock up on my Vitamin C and Airbourne. I have been to Disney before with sick kids. Spending 24 hours of the day in the room is not fun but if need be I guess I can do it again.

 

[maggiew]

Does the Disney insurance cover this? We happened to get it this trip because the CM added it on to our reservation without mentioning it (just gave a total). But I am not sure what it covers.

Oh, PS. I am not in Canada. This thread was linked through the Budget Board.

Maggie

 

[makelifehappen]

Surely, even with what those 2 articles state, those who have insurance are allowed to use their "trip cancellation"...no?

I do not need medical insurance, as I have extended travel/health benefits through my work.

The only reason we would ever choose to buy insurance is for airline closures, lost luggage and cancellations etc.

 

[makelifehappen]

Does the Disney insurance cover this? We happened to get it this trip because the CM added it on to our reservation without mentioning it (just gave a total). But I am not sure what it covers.

TravelGuard.com are the insurers for Disney vacations.

I haven't had a chance to read through, but FYI.

 

[KIRSTIN'S MOMMY]

You can go to www.disneyworld.com/insurance to see what WDW's policy covers. If you're still unsure if it will cover in this case, I would give them a call just to be on the safe side.

 

[msmayor]

Generally, unless you have a "Cancel for ANY reason" type of policy, insurance will not pay out on a 'hunch'. It won't cover your non-refundable expenses if you decide to cancel because you are afraid you will get sick.

Also, as a previous poster mentioned, many carriers may specifically exclude coverage for this flu-outbreak unless you purchased the insurance before a specific date...meaning if you try to buy it now to cover the flu, you WON'T be covered.

Remember that most insurance policies have strict deadlines to purchase in order to cover pre-existing conditions.

If you really want to purchase insurance, its most advisable to contact the carrier directly BEFORE purchasing to make sure you have a clear understanding of what is covered and what is not. If there is a specific 'event' you want covered (like if someone gets the flu) then ask them direct if you would be covered or not.

 

[disneybound08]

I'm a teacher in Eastern Ontario, and our board plans to close down the schools if it becomes a "6", I'm unsure of what would have to happen for it to change from 5 to 6 but it seems surreal right now

 

[mybabesuz]

I had bought trip insurance and then canceled it when I
found out that it is not "cancel because you are afraid to go insurance".
It only covers you if you have a doctors note saying you can't travel.
Or if you get sick while in WDW it would cover your expenses.
But I have health insurance and I booked SW air.
So I can cancel my ressie with not much penalty anyway or reschedule.

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Check your credit cards for good deals. With my bmo mastercard, I pay $99 a year and it covers FULL trip insurance (cancellation, interruption, medical,etc...) for any trips I take, as long as a portion of them are paid for with that card. I usually charge most of the trip to that card, and then pay it off, and then I am covered. Most credit cards offer similar!

 

[Lollipop's Mom]

Check your credit cards for good deals. With my bmo mastercard, I pay $99 a year and it covers FULL trip insurance (cancellation, interruption, medical,etc...) for any trips I take, as long as a portion of them are paid for with that card. I usually charge most of the trip to that card, and then pay it off, and then I am covered. Most credit cards offer similar!