HOT questions about Princess or other travel medical insurance

[Host Mike]

Ref: Conde Nast Traveler August 2010 page 80.

First HOT question.  If you make a deposit with your T.A. for a cruise that includes add on travel insurance and you discover a medical condition between the time you make your deposit and the time you make full payment for the cruise with insurance can the insurance company (i.e. BerkelyCare) deny having anything to do with you because of a "preexisting" condition that occurred before full payment? 

Second HOT question.  Can or will Princess or your T.A. accept payment for Princess insurance (BerklyCare) before the cruise full payment date?

[Host Mike]

Princess tells me that you CAN prepay them for the Princess Vacation Plan insurance and then wait until full payment date for your cruise ticket payment.  If you do this you should avoid any subsequent fights with BerkleyCare over preexisting medical conditions that might occur AFTER your deposit and BEFORE your cruise ticket payment on the full payment date.

[nabs14]

Has anyone heard of the cruise insurance company "ACCESS AMERICA" Travel Insurance & Assistance?  If so can you tell me if it is a good one or not?  Thanks......

Elite Passenger.....

[prince]

You can compare insurance rates and companies on www.squaremouth.com or www.insuremytrip.com

[ccrain]

The pre-existing clause is a big deal with us and rather than not get into arguments we purchase the only travel insurance that allows you to pay prior to or within 48 hours of final payment to waive pre-existing - CSA.

Now we haven't had a claim with them, but the piece of mind is a good thing.

The whole legal mumbo jumbo over what consititutes a pre-existing condition or not just goes right over my head, so I take the KISS approach and avoid it if I can.

[califgary]

I just bought MedEvac insurance from insuremytrip.com for a whole year of travelling $299 - worth that peace of mind for sure!

[NSWP]

We Aussies cannot purchase Princess Vacation Insurance or Princess Cruise Insurance whatever it is called.  We make our own arrangements with one of the many travel insurance companies here, their prices are not too bad, e.g. around AU$450 for the two of us, 10 weeks travel insurance with unlimited amount claims, through South America/USA/Canda for next year. Includes: Cancellation of trip, inc flights, cruises, hotels, trains etc, medical/hospital expenses, property theft loss/damage, etc.

As the old saying goes 'If you cannot afford travel insurance you cannot afford to travel,' but people still do ! 

[Fllady]

I use Travel Guard and also get the add on, umbrella package.  It is less that the best insurance of the cruise lines and it also gave me cash back for being quarantined to my cabin for 3 days during my last cruise because I had Noro virus.  I had used insuremytrip.com to see which insurance company to try.  I used to use Access America, but they will only pay you after you use a primary insurance.  Gave us a run around for almost 6 months.  Both DH and I have preexisting conditions and need to be covered out of USA

[obendus]

We have been using CAA, as their primary coverage will protect claims against our 'defined lifetime' employer coverage.