Thread: Insurance for Seniors

As we get older we sometimes have more health problems and I am told this can mean problems with insurance - who do people use and who do you consider to be the best/ most competetive in prices

Hey OC

We have been seniors for a long time and never travel without insurance.

The key is to buy your insurance within a short time of making your first deposit so your pre-existing conditions will be covered. Different companies have different time frames, so check carefully.

We have used Travelex and Travel Guard. The prices advance as your age advances.

Here is a link where you can compare the policies side by side -->InsureMyTrip.com

One of the more important things to keep in mind.. read the policy before buying make sure its the right policy for YOUR travel makeup..some policies don't cover expenses of traveling members not ill.. check the fine print...

and good luck

Yep---Joey brought up a good point.....all policies are not created equal.

Don't buy travel insurance based on price; as others have said, buy it for what it covers, not for what it costs.

And most important, do not buy travel protection; make sure you are getting travel insurance.

While most of the time travel insurance is best purchased independently, sometimes the insurance offered by the cruise line can be more cost effective for seniors. However, these policies are sometimes not as comprehensive, so you need to look at them carefully to make sure they cover what you need.

Travel insurance for seniors is not one of those easily answered items because there are so many things to take into consideration. But the bottom line is that because of the possibility of problems, seniors should always seriously consider travel insurance. I could give you a thousand reasons why you should get the insurance, but you always hope it's a waste of your money because if you need it, it's usually not for a good reason.

But as I always say, "I would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it."

Pete

Pete brought up a good point that I have brought up before. As the age of the cruiser advances, cruise line insurance becomes a better alternative as the price is the same regardless of age.

Reggie

Thanks for all your valuable information. My hubby always ends up paying a little more (diabetic) but generally as my asthma is minimal and well controled I don't.
However i am aware from chatting to other fellow cruisers who have several health problems that it can become difficult to find an insurer?
Fortunately, we haven't come to that stage --- yet --- but as we grow older -- who knows, and I would hate not to cruise because I couldn't get an insurance.

Most indpendent travel insurance companies and the cruise lines will cover pre-existing conditions provided you purchase the insurance within certain timeframes. Some require getting the insurance within 3 days of deposit, others require you purchase it before final payment is made. But none will charge more for one person because of their past history and less for another. The cost is solely based on age and/or cost of trip. Check with your travel agent for assistance since most will have one or two reputable companies they do business with.

As was mentioned, you can use Travel Insurance - InsureMyTrip.com for a comparison chart, but do not use it as a definitive answer to all your questions. You really need to either read the entire policy, contact your travel agent, or call the insurance company to get specific information.

Pete

Having a pre-existing condition myself the first thing I do after booking my vacation is wander over to the travel insurance page and purchase that too. As Pete said - it is not based on condition but rather age/cost of trip. Price is roughly 8-12% of the cost of your trip. This is a generalization. The high end being for the older client. I personally do not like the cruise line's protection plan and prefer to use one from insuremytrip.com and always keep in mind that a medivac will cost you roughly $25,000 and up and is not as uncommon as people are led to believe. I have seen people medivacced off my last 2 cruises.

Originally Posted by patsea

I personally do not like the cruise line's protection plan and prefer to use one from insuremytrip.com

Cruise line insurance isn't my favorite option either as I have stated before. The exception is an older passenger that would pay 2 or even 3 or more times as much for third party insurance.

Reggie