Seniors with pre-existing health issues/insurance...

[jelo]

Hi all,
Just wondering, my parents are thinking of joining us on vacation next year. However they are looking at medical insurance for their trip....

My Mom is good, her price quotes online are straightforward.

My Dad (71) is on 5 differant meds, but with no really serious conditions. He is just being watched for a few things(stomach annyurism, prediabetic, narrow arteries)

However, because he has shown some red flags here and there, it's giving us sky high insurance. They travel back and forth over the border quite a bit, so they are looking for something for the year with more than one trip.

Can anyone recommend a company? Has anyone had to put in a claim, was it a terrible experience? Is there something we should be looking for in the fine print etc?

My Mom is worried, she watched a program (marketplace I think) and they did an investigation into travel insurance for seniors and it basically said it wasn't worth the paper it was printed on.

What has been your experience?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Manulife offers a travel product that is underwritten, meaning it can cover pre-existing conditions. Of course, this comes at a higher price. Multi-trip plans are available (I work for two insurance and financial planners, and we sell the Manulife travel plan through our office).

Find a local insurance broker who offers coverage through Manulife, and they will be happy to generate a free quote for you.

 

[Alderbrook]

there's a company that covers "snowbirds" http://www.snowbirds.org/medipac-travel-insurance.php

You could check there.

We had problems with my dad a few years ago because of a pacemaker that was recently implanted, but because it was within the 3 month stabililty portion of the insurance, they had to cancel their trip.

 

[bankr63]

Manulife offers a travel product that is underwritten, meaning it can cover pre-existing conditions. Of course, this comes at a higher price. Multi-trip plans are available (I work for two insurance and financial planners, and we sell the Manulife travel plan through our office).

Find a local insurance broker who offers coverage through Manulife, and they will be happy to generate a free quote for you.

Ummm, Manulife was the most egregious company on the Marketplace piece. You can view it on CBC here:
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2012/trippedup/
Personally, I would avoid them (and the other plans they underwrite - several of the big bank offerings are Manulife as well) until some indication that they are willing to play fair with consumers. Meanwhile my money has walked from Manulife; after watching that, I now buy my travel insurance elsewhere.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Ummm, Manulife was the most egregious company on the Marketplace piece. You can view it on CBC here:
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2012/trippedup/
Personally, I would avoid them (and the other plans they underwrite - several of the big bank offerings are Manulife as well) until some indication that they are willing to play fair with consumers. Meanwhile my money has walked from Manulife; after watching that, I now buy my travel insurance elsewhere.

I certainly didn't mean to imply that Manulife was the be-all and end-all of travel insurance. There very well may be other options out there. I just thought I'd toss it out as an option for those who need an underwritten policy for coverage of a pre-existing condition......and (good or bad), they are one of the carriers that offer that type of a plan.

Issues with your travel insurance in the event of an illness or injury on vacation is always one of the reasons I would suggest purchasing from a broker rather than by doing so yourself online. At least then you have someone to advocate for you in the event that you need to make a claim.

 

[Mickey1Fan]

This is a concern of my parents as well since watching Marketplace. I would go with RBC Insurance. They are there own underwriters and they were not mentioned in the program.

When I took travel and tourism at college RBC Insurance were the only company who came to speak to our class.

Just my two cents.

 

[slusher]

My father in law (now passed) had a heart transplant but was able to travel to the USA on short term trips (no snowbirding). He had found insurance through CARP http://www.carp.ca I don't know which carrier he used but they wrote a policy specifically for him. Any of the mass market carriers refused him, although he was a stable transplant for years.

 

[Alderbrook]

apparently Manulife is CARP'S insurer.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

My father has a serious pre-existing condition. My mother and father book their vacations with relatively short notice, as soon as he passes the "90 days without hospitalization" that Alberta Blue Cross requires.

They did take a couple short trips where they took a risk -- insurance would cover everything but his chronic condition because he had a recent hospital visit. They essentially self-insured. If something aweful happened, they could pay a $100,000 on a hospital bill and it will be a nuesance, not a bankruptcy. (I certainly can't afford to take that kind of risk.)

 

[jelo]

I did see RBC's site. I gave my Mom the info. for her to call there.

Manulife is CARP's recommendation, and yet I thought it wouldn't be after the Marketplace investigation.

He was just diagnosed with pre-diabetes, he's on a med (not insulin) and unfortunately it's recent, so that's going to give him trouble for the "stable" period all the insurances require. He's had no symptoms, it just came up on his bloodwork.

They don't "snowbird" but my Dad goes over almost weekly, and they take a couple vacations/year. He just wants to make sure he's covered, but by the looks of it he may have to wait a bit until he's remained "stable" for the time needed first!

Thanks for the input everyone, I don't know what I'd do without this site....probably not go anywhere! LOL!

 

[Mickey1Fan]

I watched the program and a woman from CARP was addressing the problems with Manulife. I find it interesting that they are still recommending Manulife as an underwriter for seniors travelling.

 

[ferris198]

My Mom had a pre existing condition and was able to get insurance through PC Financial.
We had to put in a claim, we had to cancel her trip because she was in hospital and the claim process was easy.

 

[pxlbarrel]

I did see RBC's site. I gave my Mom the info. for her to call there.

Manulife is CARP's recommendation, and yet I thought it wouldn't be after the Marketplace investigation.

He was just diagnosed with pre-diabetes, he's on a med (not insulin) and unfortunately it's recent, so that's going to give him trouble for the "stable" period all the insurances require. He's had no symptoms, it just came up on his bloodwork.

They don't "snowbird" but my Dad goes over almost weekly, and they take a couple vacations/year. He just wants to make sure he's covered, but by the looks of it he may have to wait a bit until he's remained "stable" for the time needed first!

Thanks for the input everyone, I don't know what I'd do without this site....probably not go anywhere! LOL!

You might also want to take a look at TD Canada Trust. Our problem is not only pre-existing but finding anybody to insure my dad who had a bypass in 1993. TD will do it but once he goes for over 17 days, all bets are off. So now...the vacations are restricted by that duration ... which is just fine.

 

[Alderbrook]

My Mom had a pre existing condition and was able to get insurance through PC Financial.
We had to put in a claim, we had to cancel her trip because she was in hospital and the claim process was easy.

I am pretty sure that PC is Travel Guard.

 

[ferris198]

I don't know what travelguard is but I do know that many pc insurance products are underwritten by Aviva or at least they used to be

 

[Alderbrook]

Travel Guard is an insurance company which I think is the one Disney uses.

 

[pxlbarrel]

Travel Guard is an insurance company which I think is the one Disney uses.

I thought they used Access America. In any case Travel Guard is the insurance company I used to insure our cruise next year but it was only for myself and my brother. No seniors this time.

 

[Alderbrook]

They use travelguard & PC uses travelguard canada.

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/me...VacationPackage/CT 004258 P1 0810 GENERIC.pdf

 

[DreamlikeCat]

Check out Mediquote dot ca - it's not just for snowbirds!

Experts!!

My two cents:

-Have your dad ask his doc to help him fill out any medical questionnaires. If your dad doesn't know how to answer, ASK THE DOC. If they are "watching" his conditions... has he been diagnosed or not? Taken/prescribed meds? Is the condition Stable? When was he last diagnosed/checked/etc. The policy wording and/or application will have a definition of what "stable" means.

-Multi-trip annual plans are available, if your Dad qualifies.

-You have a 10 day free look and can cancel within the 10 days for a full refund if necessary. It's a CLHIA rule. (Body that governs insurance brokers.)

-Marketplace didn't exactly tell the whole story. The gentleman had a condition and was asked about having another condition with a VERY SIMILAR NAME. You are buying a book with words (rules). Both you and the insurance company have to follow those rules. Call the insurance company and ASK!! "Would you consider MY condition to be a yes answer to your question on the medical forms?" You're better off paying the higher premium for a pre-ex and knowing what's covered than guessing. The guy on Marketplace... guessed. And his doc didn't tell him what the answer to the question was - he said the guy was fine to travel. Two ENTIRELY different things.

 

[Alderbrook]

Check out Mediquote dot ca - it's not just for snowbirds!

Experts!!

My two cents:

-Have your dad ask his doc to help him fill out any medical questionnaires. If your dad doesn't know how to answer, ASK THE DOC. If they are "watching" his conditions... has he been diagnosed or not? Taken/prescribed meds? Is the condition Stable? When was he last diagnosed/checked/etc. The policy wording and/or application will have a definition of what "stable" means.

-Multi-trip annual plans are available, if your Dad qualifies.

-You have a 10 day free look and can cancel within the 10 days for a full refund if necessary. It's a CLHIA rule. (Body that governs insurance brokers.)

-Marketplace didn't exactly tell the whole story. The gentleman had a condition and was asked about having another condition with a VERY SIMILAR NAME. You are buying a book with words (rules). Both you and the insurance company have to follow those rules. Call the insurance company and ASK!! "Would you consider MY condition to be a yes answer to your question on the medical forms?" You're better off paying the higher premium for a pre-ex and knowing what's covered than guessing. The guy on Marketplace... guessed. And his doc didn't tell him what the answer to the question was - he said the guy was fine to travel. Two ENTIRELY different things.

Very well said!! I've found Marketplace to be a little off on a few of their stories. I don't trust them now after one episode I watched last year which we had experience with & what they said was completely one sided & not true.

My dad has a pre-existing condition & we are careful with the forms. My mom was just in the hospital for a kidney stone. I told her to make sure when it asks if you've been in the ER in the last 12 months to remember that she was, even though it was just for a kidney stone because she would probably forget about it. She's also on a water pill for high blood pressure & she has to fill out that she takes something for high blood pressure even though it isn't an actual "med".