Steve, On April 6th we (family of 3, and grandma who is 88) booked and paid in full for a cruise for June. On Saturday April 7th, grandma was hospitalized with neural seizures, and she’s not doing well. Came home yesterday, with home care required. Based on all this, we’ll probably not be going on our cruise.
I’ve searched online and have called a few other online travel insurance websites and I’m not sure they are giving me the correct information when they say “yes, you can get a plan to cover your grandma’s medical condition”. And then I found your wonderful website! Based on what I’ve read, it looks like I can’t get any pre-existing conditions coverage. Therefore, can I get your take on this? Tony
Hi Tony,
First, I am sorry to hear about your grandma. We’ll pray for her healing and recovery.
Next, while I didn’t hear your conversations with the other companies, you are correct to question whether you can get trip cancellation coverage for your cruise. Getting the Waiver of the Pre-Existing Medical Condition Exclusion is more than just buying it within the deadline. If you want to waive the pre-existing medical condition exclusion for cancellation, interruption & medical treatment, you have to fulfill these 5 requirements when you buy your travel insurance plan:
- With 2 exceptions (CSA Freestyle & Freestyle Luxe) you have to insure at least your trip’s full prepaid, non-refundable cost (you can’t round it down). If you don’t know your final trip cost, estimate it high to be safe. You can always lower to the correct trip cost prior to your departure date. If it drops you to a lower trip cost range, you’ll get a partial refund; and
- You must get your travel insurance in the first 14, 15, 21 or 30 days after you pay your earliest trip payment with some plans or no later than 24 Hours after you make your final Trip payment for other plans and
- You have to cover your trip’s full length and
- The insured travelers must be able to take the trip on the date they purchase the travel insurance. If you are one of the travelers, you must be “medically able to travel when you pay your premium (get your travel insurance)”. In other words, your doctor says you can travel. If your doctor’s saying you can’t travel, but you insist you can travel, the insurance company will always side with your doctor.and
- The person with the medical condition has to be medically stable when you get your insurance – this means that person cannot have already taken a turn for the worse. This also includes having surgery or other medical procedure(s) scheduled just before you leave.
The reason why you won’t have a trip cancellation claim paid is that your grandma is not “medically able to travel”. Unfortunately, many travel insurance sellers seem to leave this information out. In my opinion, this is the most important part of the Waiver of the Pre-Existing Medical Condition Exclusion.
I hope this makes sense. If you want the right travel insurance advice, call us at 1-888-407-3854 and we’ll help you figure it all out.
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