medical insurance with pre-existing conditions

I have a progressive medical condition that requires ongoing
monitoring and occasional adjustments to medication plus epilepsy.

I understand that most policies will exclude me and my pre-existing
condition(s) if I see the doctor within 6 (or 12) months of a cruise.
This would make us seriously consider booking a cruise if my medical
conditions cause us to have to cancel or cause a problem and I need
medical attention during the cruise. It would be financially very
painful if we lost our cruise payment, airline payments, or had to
pay for medical attention. What are my options medical
insurance? Can someone shed some light on the situation for me? We
are going to see our TA early in the new year to book for March 2009,
we will definitely talk to her about this when we see her.

....Lisa

In article
,
hamiltoncruiser wrote:

I have a progressive medical condition that requires ongoing
monitoring and occasional adjustments to medication plus epilepsy.

I understand that most policies will exclude me and my pre-existing
condition(s) if I see the doctor within 6 (or 12) months of a cruise.

That depends on the insurance. Many waive the pre-existing part
under certain circumstances, most often if you buy the insurance very
soon after paying the deposit. I guess they figure the money they make
investing your money for awhile makes up for any additional risk.
I would go over this with a travel agent.

On Dec 21, 8:03 am, Kurt Ullman wrote:
In article
,

hamiltoncruiser wrote:
I have a progressive medical condition that requires ongoing
monitoring and occasional adjustments to medication plus epilepsy.

I understand that most policies will exclude me and my pre-existing
condition(s) if I see the doctor within 6 (or 12) months of a cruise.

That depends on the insurance. Many waive the pre-existing part
under certain circumstances, most often if you buy the insurance very
soon after paying the deposit. I guess they figure the money they make
investing your money for awhile makes up for any additional risk.
I would go over this with a travel agent.

Thanks Kurt!

....Lisa

In article
,
hamiltoncruiser wrote:

On Dec 21, 8:03 am, Kurt Ullman wrote:
In article
,

hamiltoncruiser wrote:
I have a progressive medical condition that requires ongoing
monitoring and occasional adjustments to medication plus epilepsy.

I understand that most policies will exclude me and my pre-existing
condition(s) if I see the doctor within 6 (or 12) months of a cruise.

That depends on the insurance. Many waive the pre-existing part
under certain circumstances, most often if you buy the insurance very
soon after paying the deposit. I guess they figure the money they make
investing your money for awhile makes up for any additional risk.
I would go over this with a travel agent.

Thanks Kurt!

...Lisa

I would definitely make sure that the insurance pays to fly you back
home (some only to the nearest hospital) and that it covers
hospitalization, etc. I would also check in with my current insurance to
see if they cover anything like this outside the country.
Generally if anybody with chronic medical conditions asks (and many
times like this one even if they don't) I strongly suggest they see if
there a travel medicine clinic in their area. This group specializes in
the ins and outs of traveling with medical problems and can be worth the
money for tips, etc.
The International Association's website is at http://www.istm.org/
with the link to their travel directory clinic list at the top.

This looks like it came via Hamilton, Ontario, Canada - so the
response needs to be based on insurance available in Canada and not on
insurance available in the U.S. Royal Bank has an insurance arm that
most cruise agents in Canada use. The CAA/OML also has such insurance,
as do other banks, such as CIBC and BMO, to name two. Shop around, but
do NOT end up having your doctor fill out a multitude of forms for a
bunch of different insurance companies, since that is not covered by
the provincial medical insurance, so you will end up paying and paying
and paying for those forms. Anyway, the insurance is available, but
the price will depend on what you suffer from and how likely it is to
cause them to need to pay out just when the cruise comes up.

FWIW

RsH
------------------------------------------------------------
On Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:27:30 -0800 (PST), hamiltoncruiser
wrote:

I have a progressive medical condition that requires ongoing
monitoring and occasional adjustments to medication plus epilepsy.

I understand that most policies will exclude me and my pre-existing
condition(s) if I see the doctor within 6 (or 12) months of a cruise.
This would make us seriously consider booking a cruise if my medical
conditions cause us to have to cancel or cause a problem and I need
medical attention during the cruise. It would be financially very
painful if we lost our cruise payment, airline payments, or had to
pay for medical attention. What are my options medical
insurance? Can someone shed some light on the situation for me? We
are going to see our TA early in the new year to book for March 2009,
we will definitely talk to her about this when we see her.

...Lisa

If it the original question was from Canada, I'd like to add a few comments.
I have been looking into the best travel medical (& cancellation) insurance
for myself in Ontario, Canada. My first "problem" is an ongoing search to
find the cause of my sinus congestion and phlegm in the throat problem....
as a result of being on a "puffer" for a short period of time as part of the
diagnostic process, it seems I'm a bad risk.
In addition, I had an unexplained medical episode recently, followed within
less than 24 hours by a seizure. Although the original episode was
initially diagnosed as a TIA, now the neurologist says it probably wasn't,
but I'm on record as "maybe" having a TIA. Again, naughty boy; we don't
want you! Strangely, none of the 3 seem to care about a seizure unless it
is diagnosed epilepsy.
I have only checked with 3 Canadian Travel Insurance providers so far: CAA,
CARP and RBC Insurance. The only one of the 3 that doesn't severely
restrict me or outright disqualify me for prior issues is RBC Insurance.
Unfortunately, they do not provide rates on their website or in their
brochure.
I regret having apparently missed this year's Toronto Star survey of travel
insurance. I guess it was published while we were travelling. Ironic. It
would give me a starting point for tracking down a provider that meets my
needs.
What I find most annoying is how easily these companies tell you you're not
eligible. They reallly want to cherry-pick the best risks and provide
little or no options for the traveller with a bit of medical history.
What I find almost as annoying is the huge number of plans these companies
offer (if you qualify). CARP has about a dozen plans in their packages, RBC
has at least 19 in their brochure. And this can be doubled if you factor in
the option of having single-trip insurance or multi-trip annual coverage.
It's VERY confusing. It's worse than buying a car back in the '80s.

"RsH" wrote in message
...
This looks like it came via Hamilton, Ontario, Canada - so the
response needs to be based on insurance available in Canada and not on
insurance available in the U.S. Royal Bank has an insurance arm that
most cruise agents in Canada use. The CAA/OML also has such insurance,
as do other banks, such as CIBC and BMO, to name two. Shop around, but
do NOT end up having your doctor fill out a multitude of forms for a
bunch of different insurance companies, since that is not covered by
the provincial medical insurance, so you will end up paying and paying
and paying for those forms. Anyway, the insurance is available, but
the price will depend on what you suffer from and how likely it is to
cause them to need to pay out just when the cruise comes up.

FWIW

RsH
------------------------------------------------------------
On Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:27:30 -0800 (PST), hamiltoncruiser
wrote:

I have a progressive medical condition that requires ongoing
monitoring and occasional adjustments to medication plus epilepsy.

I understand that most policies will exclude me and my pre-existing
condition(s) if I see the doctor within 6 (or 12) months of a cruise.
This would make us seriously consider booking a cruise if my medical
conditions cause us to have to cancel or cause a problem and I need
medical attention during the cruise. It would be financially very
painful if we lost our cruise payment, airline payments, or had to
pay for medical attention. What are my options medical
insurance? Can someone shed some light on the situation for me? We
are going to see our TA early in the new year to book for March 2009,
we will definitely talk to her about this when we see her.

...Lisa

Thank you RsH and Duncan.
I am in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Looks like I have some shopping around to do.

....Lisa

On Dec 22, 3:04 pm, "Duncan Craig" wrote:
If it the original question was from Canada, I'd like to add a few comments.
I have been looking into the best travel medical (& cancellation) insurance
for myself in Ontario, Canada. My first "problem" is an ongoing search to
find the cause of my sinus congestion and phlegm in the throat problem....
as a result of being on a "puffer" for a short period of time as part of the
diagnostic process, it seems I'm a bad risk.
In addition, I had an unexplained medical episode recently, followed within
less than 24 hours by a seizure. Although the original episode was
initially diagnosed as a TIA, now the neurologist says it probably wasn't,
but I'm on record as "maybe" having a TIA. Again, naughty boy; we don't
want you! Strangely, none of the 3 seem to care about a seizure unless it
is diagnosed epilepsy.
I have only checked with 3 Canadian Travel Insurance providers so far: CAA,
CARP and RBC Insurance. The only one of the 3 that doesn't severely
restrict me or outright disqualify me for prior issues is RBC Insurance.
Unfortunately, they do not provide rates on their website or in their
brochure.
I regret having apparently missed this year's Toronto Star survey of travel
insurance. I guess it was published while we were travelling. Ironic. It
would give me a starting point for tracking down a provider that meets my
needs.
What I find most annoying is how easily these companies tell you you're not
eligible. They reallly want to cherry-pick the best risks and provide
little or no options for the traveller with a bit of medical history.
What I find almost as annoying is the huge number of plans these companies
offer (if you qualify). CARP has about a dozen plans in their packages, RBC
has at least 19 in their brochure. And this can be doubled if you factor in
the option of having single-trip insurance or multi-trip annual coverage.
It's VERY confusing. It's worse than buying a car back in the '80s.

"RsH" wrote in message

...

This looks like it came via Hamilton, Ontario, Canada - so the
response needs to be based on insurance available in Canada and not on
insurance available in the U.S. Royal Bank has an insurance arm that
most cruise agents in Canada use. The CAA/OML also has such insurance,
as do other banks, such as CIBC and BMO, to name two. Shop around, but
do NOT end up having your doctor fill out a multitude of forms for a
bunch of different insurance companies, since that is not covered by
the provincial medical insurance, so you will end up paying and paying
and paying for those forms. Anyway, the insurance is available, but
the price will depend on what you suffer from and how likely it is to
cause them to need to pay out just when the cruise comes up.

FWIW

RsH
------------------------------------------------------------
On Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:27:30 -0800 (PST), hamiltoncruiser
wrote:

I have a progressive medical condition that requires ongoing
monitoring and occasional adjustments to medication plus epilepsy.

I understand that most policies will exclude me and my pre-existing
condition(s) if I see the doctor within 6 (or 12) months of a cruise.
This would make us seriously consider booking a cruise if my medical
conditions cause us to have to cancel or cause a problem and I need
medical attention during the cruise. It would be financially very
painful if we lost our cruise payment, airline payments, or had to
pay for medical attention. What are my options medical
insurance? Can someone shed some light on the situation for me? We
are going to see our TA early in the new year to book for March 2009,
we will definitely talk to her about this when we see her.

...Lisa

I found link to the Star survey:

http://www3.thestar.com/static/PDF/0...el_medical.pdf


http://tripcentral.ca/trip/INFO/INSURANCE/thestar.pdf


The thing I saw is the rates are for a healthy traveller and the age
rates start at 63! I'm in my 40's!!


....Lisa

On Dec 22, 3:04 pm, "Duncan Craig" wrote:
If it the original question was from Canada, I'd like to add a few comments.
I have been looking into the best travel medical (& cancellation) insurance
for myself in Ontario, Canada. My first "problem" is an ongoing search to
find the cause of my sinus congestion and phlegm in the throat problem....
as a result of being on a "puffer" for a short period of time as part of the
diagnostic process, it seems I'm a bad risk.
In addition, I had an unexplained medical episode recently, followed within
less than 24 hours by a seizure. Although the original episode was
initially diagnosed as a TIA, now the neurologist says it probably wasn't,
but I'm on record as "maybe" having a TIA. Again, naughty boy; we don't
want you! Strangely, none of the 3 seem to care about a seizure unless it
is diagnosed epilepsy.
I have only checked with 3 Canadian Travel Insurance providers so far: CAA,
CARP and RBC Insurance. The only one of the 3 that doesn't severely
restrict me or outright disqualify me for prior issues is RBC Insurance.
Unfortunately, they do not provide rates on their website or in their
brochure.
I regret having apparently missed this year's Toronto Star survey of travel
insurance. I guess it was published while we were travelling. Ironic. It
would give me a starting point for tracking down a provider that meets my
needs.
What I find most annoying is how easily these companies tell you you're not
eligible. They reallly want to cherry-pick the best risks and provide
little or no options for the traveller with a bit of medical history.
What I find almost as annoying is the huge number of plans these companies
offer (if you qualify). CARP has about a dozen plans in their packages, RBC
has at least 19 in their brochure. And this can be doubled if you factor in
the option of having single-trip insurance or multi-trip annual coverage.
It's VERY confusing. It's worse than buying a car back in the '80s.

"RsH" wrote in message

...

This looks like it came via Hamilton, Ontario, Canada - so the
response needs to be based on insurance available in Canada and not on
insurance available in the U.S. Royal Bank has an insurance arm that
most cruise agents in Canada use. The CAA/OML also has such insurance,
as do other banks, such as CIBC and BMO, to name two. Shop around, but
do NOT end up having your doctor fill out a multitude of forms for a
bunch of different insurance companies, since that is not covered by
the provincial medical insurance, so you will end up paying and paying
and paying for those forms. Anyway, the insurance is available, but
the price will depend on what you suffer from and how likely it is to
cause them to need to pay out just when the cruise comes up.

FWIW

RsH
------------------------------------------------------------
On Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:27:30 -0800 (PST), hamiltoncruiser
wrote:

I have a progressive medical condition that requires ongoing
monitoring and occasional adjustments to medication plus epilepsy.

I understand that most policies will exclude me and my pre-existing
condition(s) if I see the doctor within 6 (or 12) months of a cruise.
This would make us seriously consider booking a cruise if my medical
conditions cause us to have to cancel or cause a problem and I need
medical attention during the cruise. It would be financially very
painful if we lost our cruise payment, airline payments, or had to
pay for medical attention. What are my options medical
insurance? Can someone shed some light on the situation for me? We
are going to see our TA early in the new year to book for March 2009,
we will definitely talk to her about this when we see her.

...Lisa

On Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:53:40 -0800 (PST), hamiltoncruiser
wrote:

I found link to the Star survey:

http://www3.thestar.com/static/PDF/0...el_medical.pdf


http://tripcentral.ca/trip/INFO/INSURANCE/thestar.pdf


The thing I saw is the rates are for a healthy traveller and the age
rates start at 63! I'm in my 40's!!


...Lisa

Check with the CAA/OML - they do not ask about pre-existing conditions
if you are under 65...

RsH

hamiltoncruiser wrote:

I have a progressive medical condition that requires ongoing
monitoring and occasional adjustments to medication plus epilepsy.

I understand that most policies will exclude me and my pre-existing
condition(s) if I see the doctor within 6 (or 12) months of a cruise.
This would make us seriously consider booking a cruise if my medical
conditions cause us to have to cancel or cause a problem and I need
medical attention during the cruise. It would be financially very
painful if we lost our cruise payment, airline payments, or had to
pay for medical attention. What are my options medical
insurance? Can someone shed some light on the situation for me? We
are going to see our TA early in the new year to book for March 2009,
we will definitely talk to her about this when we see her.

I have first hand experience with pre existing conditions. My wife has a back
problem and was being treated with periodic epidural injections. At the time
of booking, that is what her doctor recommended. Her condition worsened and
the doctor recommended back surgery and scheduled it for just before the
cruise so we cancelled and applied for insurance. The doctor had to fill out
an extensive form but the company paid generously very quickly.

The reason we were covered was that at the time of booking, she was fit to
travel and the doctor attested to that.

Make sure your doctor will agree that he/she expects you to be able to travel
and will back you up in the event that your condition worsens. Also take out
insurance as soon as you book and double-check the pre-existing condition part
of the contract.

In my opinion, you have several options:

1. Buy from the cruise line
2. Buy from your travel agent
3. Get quotes from multiple carriers and select the best policy for you

The advantage of 1 is ease of purchasing and although expensive, you will also
get an additional coverage of something like a 75% credit towards a future
cruise if you don't qualify for the normal coverage (i.e. voluntary
cancellation). The disadvantage is that you will probably get no coverage for
default by the cruise line (bankruptcy etc.). Also, if you buy your airfare
separately, you may not be covered.

Advantage of 2 is ease of purchase. Disadvantage is it is usually expensive.
Also, if you don't buy air from the agent, you would not be covered and if you
do, the agent will add a charge for getting you tickets and you will not get
the best fare.

Disadvantage of 3 is you have to get the quotes, compare them and select and
apply for the insurance,

I always get my quotes from a broker at http://insuremytrip.com Their service
is great and I have always been pleased with the policy I bought. Just make
sure you understand what you are buying. You probably do not want the
cheapest or most expensive policy.