Travel Insurance regarding Pre-existing Conditions

[AngelDisney]

I am treating my mom a Disney cruise. She is 80 years old and has never been on a cruise before. She has mobility issues (knee replacement, arthritis on her spine and herniated discs). Recently she was pushed by another old lady with dementia in her old age home and fell. She has been home rest since September and has been mentioning about her friends going on cruises lately. Since I had a placeholder reservation from cruising on the Fantasy this past August, I decided to take her on a 4-night cruise sailing from Miami on January 2, 2019 with my daughter. The price of this cruise has not gone up much from opening day pricing. As a teacher, I can travel only over the holiday break, March break and summer break. I had already booked my travel plans this summer. Christmas cruises are too expensive, so January sailing is the next best option. This should also give my mom enough time to get better and stronger. Besides high cholesterol, my mom has no other major health issues.

I booked and paid the deposit for two staterooms on December 14. My mom snores, so we are getting an accessible room for her and an adjacent room for DD and me. After reading some postings on the Disney Cruise Forum, I realize that I should get travel insurance just in case something happens and we need to cancel the cruise. My questions are:
When should I buy the insurance?
Am I too late now to buy the insurance?
What kind of insurance should I buy?
What is covered and what is not covered regarding pre-existing conditions?
How much does OHIP cover regarding travelling abroad?

Thanks in advance for your kind assistance and insights!

 

[Disney Addicted]

I'm in the same sort of situtation but I've only started to look at these same questions so I'm not sure how much help I'll be.

Just a few weeks ago I took my daughter off our cruise reserverations and added my father. My daughter insists she does not want to go. Our cruise is in April - just 3 months or so away. He's been on one cruise before but never had the chance to take a second as my mom became really sick and he spent the last few years caring for her.

My Dad's turning 75 in February. No major illnesses or mobility issues but does take daily medicines including high blood pressure.

OHIP: I wouldn't count on OHIP. My understanding is it covers very little for people travelling outside Ontario. I have found this web page with some information. Scroll down to read the coverage. The links take you in a loop.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/ohip-coverage-while-outside-canada

Insurance: Yes, you should be able to still purchase insurance. Like I said, our cruise is 3 months away and I can still purchase insurance for my Dad. I hoped to remove our daughter and add my father instead. That answer was no as we have a family insurance plan and he does not live with us, but YES I could take out seperate insurance for him. It will be between $350-$400 if I remember correctly. I need to know the answer to a few questions (like what medicines he's taking and for what, etc) before purchasing insurance. That will be fun.. not. I know he's going to get upset at the cost, even with us paying it, and start telling me not to buy it. I'll be reading this thread to see what advise others give on insurance!! That needs to be done soon.

 

[amie416]

OHIP covers almost nothing when travelling abroad. You are not too late; you can (and should) buy out-of-country medical insurance right up until your travel date. (No need to wait though, the premium should be refundable if anything happens and you don’t travel.) Each insurance company will offer a slightly different policy, but you’ll want to make sure you know what is covered regarding pre-existing conditions.

It’s not cheap and often not easy to get insurance for someone that age with pre-existing conditions, but it is necessary. Medipac is a travel medical insurance provider that works with a lot of senior citizens (they work with Canadian Snowbirds and the Legion), so I recommend giving them a call. I used to buy my out-of-country medical coverage from them before I had a full time job with benefits.

 

[isabellea]

My parents are snowbirds and my dad has pre-existing conditions (had 2 heart attacks and he's on cholesterol and diabetes medicines). He gets his coverage through his old professional association. The main thing regarding his pre-existing conditions is that he needs to be stable for at least 3 months before leaving the country and no medication change just before the trip! My grand-father died in Florida many years ago and because one of his medication was changed just before his trip, the insurance company tried to deny the claims (over 100K in hospital bills + repatriation fees). My dad and his siblings sued and won but it was costly and a big hassle.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Being someone who has had to deal with a hospitalization away from home, I can say....DO NOT EVER travel without insurance. Even within Canada you can have some issues. Not all provinces have reciprocal agreements with Ontario (OHIP). Even the ones that do won't treat you without first signing a stack of papers and verifying your identity......also a first hand experience.

I have travel medical from two platinum credit cards, DH's employer as well as a CAA plan. Overkill??? Yep, but I don't worry.

 

[AngelDisney]

Thank you all for your insights and advice! I have insurance benefits from work and always get additional medical insurance when travelling, but my mom only has OHIP. I will start calling around for quotes with my mom’s medication list in hand.

 

[amie416]

Thank you all for your insights and advice! I have insurance benefits from work and always get additional medical insurance when travelling, but my mom only has OHIP. I will start calling around for quotes with my mom’s medication list in hand.

Also, you'll want to make sure you know what condition each medication is for. It seems obvious, but many medications can be prescribed for different reasons and it can make a difference for her insurance eligibility and/or premium cost.

 

[AngelDisney]

Also, you'll want to make sure you know what condition each medication is for. It seems obvious, but many medications can be prescribed for different reasons and it can make a difference for her insurance eligibility and/or premium cost.

Thanks for the heads up! I will work with my mom on the list.

 

[bankr63]

Toronto based broker Ingle (www.ingle.ca) is a good source for travel medical. They have several different lines of policies from different insurers. That makes it easy to find a policy that is a good fit.

Watch the elimination period carefully. I used to insure through TD until I actually read the entire policy. Their elimination period was 6 months - that's right, you have to be completely healthy for the full 6 months before you travel. No flu, no cold, no nothing. Figured that would eliminate at least one family member 90% of our trips. In your case, a fall in September (with no subsequent visits to the doctor) would be reason for denial of coverage until sometime in February.

We found a policy through Ingle with a 1 week elimination period and that provided separable family coverage for the kids (they don't have to be travelling with us, so son is covered when attending training camp in the US without us). Much better terms for our situation. In looking at the selection tool they have, I think I recall seeing policies that should easily cover your specific situation with your mom.

 

[AngelDisney]

Toronto based broker Ingle (www.ingle.ca) is a good source for travel medical. They have several different lines of policies from different insurers. That makes it easy to find a policy that is a good fit.

Watch the elimination period carefully. I used to insure through TD until I actually read the entire policy. Their elimination period was 6 months - that's right, you have to be completely healthy for the full 6 months before you travel. No flu, no cold, no nothing. Figured that would eliminate at least one family member 90% of our trips. In your case, a fall in September (with no subsequent visits to the doctor) would be reason for denial of coverage until sometime in February.

We found a policy through Ingle with a 1 week elimination period and that provided separable family coverage for the kids (they don't have to be travelling with us, so son is covered when attending training camp in the US without us). Much better terms for our situation. In looking at the selection tool they have, I think I recall seeing policies that should easily cover your specific situation with your mom.

 

[cargo13]

When should I buy the insurance?
NOW. You want the cancellation coverages so invoke them now that your investment is made and you've got a long time to departure.

Am I too late now to buy the insurance?
Not too late but pre existing conditions coverages could be limited. https://www.generalitravelinsurance.com/travel-resources/timing-when-to-buy-travel-insurance.html

What kind of insurance should I buy?
Buy comprehensive travel insurance plan for 2 main buckets: cancellations (pre trip) and IN trip coverages like medical, evacuation, interruption.

What is covered and what is not covered regarding pre-existing conditions?
The most liberal insurance for pre existing coverages is GENERALI . Their website: https://www.generalitravelinsurance.com/view-travel-insurance-plans.html allows for purchase right up to final payment w/ pre existing covered.

 

[I Believe in Pixie dust]

My daughter has many medical issues (we are regulars at Sick Kids) and we used Manulife just to insure her. They have travel insurance specifically for pre existing conditions. And it was a reasonable price. The rest of the family was covered through our credit card and I bought trip cancellation insurance through CAA. Luckily we didn't need it, but we had peace of mind during the trip.