trip insurance vs medical insurance

[raj1994]

What is the difference between trip insurance and visitor medical insurance. Some trip insurance seems to cover pre-existing medical conditions as long as the insurance is purchased within 15 days of making the first trip payment (Travel Gaurd's Cruise, tour and travel). The total cost of insurace seems to be only slightly higher. What are we missing?

[insubuy]

Trip insurance is a package insurance that provides medical coverage in addition to trip cancellation, lost baggage etc.

Trip insurance provides medical coverage only up to $50,000, while you can purchase visitor medical insurance for up to $1,000,000.

As long as you purchase Travel Guard's Cruise, Tour and Travel (available for instant purchase at www.insubuy.com ) within 15 days of maknig first trip payment and at least 24 hours prior to departure, they cover pre-exisiting conditions. It will not cover for expenses for which you require care on a daily or routine basis (such as you require diabetes insulin every day, or medicines for blood pressure or heart disease). If something unexpected occurs such as heart attack etc, that would be covered as long as 2 rules I mentioned above are followed.

Jagruti
INSUBUY
https://www.insubuy.com
1-866-INSU-BUY x111

[raj1994]

Travel Guard

Thanks for the reply.

After reading about travel guard's brochure, it looks like evrything depends on the definition of a trip. They do try to define the trip in their glossary. When filing a claim, one needs the travel/cruise operator's name etc. And the premium seems to depend on what you specify as your "trip expense". It is unsettling to rely on something like this. They do state that the trip should not be to another home. It is not clear whether the home is the insured person's second home, or whether it could be a relative's home. Does anyone know more about this?

Would anyone recommend this to cover medical expenses? Anyone has any experience? Thanks!

[insubuy]

Re: Travel Guard

Trip: If your parents are coming from India, from the moment they leave India to come to USA, and to the moment they go back to India, that is their trip.

Travel Operator: This is the airline that you have booked your trip with.

Trip expense: This is insurance is most popular with people who would like to protect their trip cost, in case they need to cancel their trip for unavoidable reasons. There are several other benefits too such medical expense, lost luggage, medical evacuation, most of the times people buy this insurance for trip cancellation reasons.
That is why lot of their questions are geared towards that.

Let me give you another example: Suppose you are a US citizen, staying in US, and you would like to spend one week vacation in Bahamas(island country near state of Florida.) Imagine you have booked your non-refundable trip tickets, paid airlines, booked the hotels in Bahamas and paid for it. All of sudden, let us assume that, you loose your job, or your house is on fire. In that case, you will of course not go for a vacation. But airline and hotel is not going to refund your money. To protect that, lot of people buy this kind of insurance. Now if you get sick or injured while on the trip, they would cover your medical expenses too. Also, if appropriate medical facility is not available in Bahamas, they can also fly you to Florida.
This is what trip insurance means.

Second home: Your home is in US is NOT your parents' home, unless he owns a portion of it financially.
In India, we consider our home as parents' home, and parents' home as our home interchangeably, joint family and all that. But that is not what they mean here.
Your parents are coming to US as tourist, and it does not matter whether they are staying in hotel or in your house.

I hope it is clear now. If not, please let me know.

Jagruti
INSUBUY
https://www.insubuy.com
1-866-INSU-BUY x111

[raj1994]

Travel Guard

Thanks again for the reply. I am trying to purchase health insurance for my mother who is in India to visit me in the US. The dilemma now is whether to buy visitor medical insurance from Liaison International, or trip insurance from Travel Guard. The latter seems to cover pre-existing medical conditions.

Does Travel Guard give any ID card that healthcare provider in the US can call? Is the policy renewable if the person extends her stay in the US? How do I decide between the two choices, if there are pre-existing conditions?

[insubuy]

Re: Travel Guard

Liaision is renewable but does not cover pre-existing conditions.

TravelGuard covers pre-existing as described in the brochure, but is not renewable.
Yes, You get id card in TravelGuard.

Which one is more important for you? Renewability or pre-existing conditions? That would help you select appropriate plan.

You can call us at 1-866-INSU-BUY if you would like to discuss this further.


Jagruti
INSUBUY
https://www.insubuy.com
1-866-INSU-BUY x111

[raj1994]

Return date needed?

Thanks again. Here is from the Travel Guard website:

"Trip" means a period of round-trip travel away from home to a Destination outside the Insured's city of residence; the purpose of the Trip is business or pleasure and is not to obtain health care or treatment of any kind; the Trip has defined departure and return dates specified when the Insured applies;

So if one has an open ticket without a definite return date, does it make him/her ineligible for coverage?

Does Travel Guard directly pay the health care provider, or do we pay first and then fill out a claim?

[insubuy]

Re: Return date needed?

We have clarified open ticket issue with TravelGuard. Their response is 'Suppose you have 6 month open ticket. But you have to have some return date on your ticket before you depart. Suppose that date is after 4 months. In that case, you have to put the dates for 4 months while purchasing. If person ends up staying after 4 months, there is no coverage, and that insurance can't be extended.'

In that case, after 4 months, you can purchase other visitor medical insurance that is available at www.insubuy.com

When you make a purchase, you get the insurance card, that has got the information that the doctor needs to bill insurance company. It is up to the doctor whether to do that or not. If they do that, fine, else you have to first pay. If you need to pay large money to some provider that refuses to bill TravelGuard, you can contact TravelGuard and they can advance you some money by wire transfer, and then you can settle the final claim later. This wire transfer of moeny is clearly written in the brochure.

If you have any other questions, please post them here or call us at 1-866-INSU-BUY

Jagruti
INSUBUY
https://www.insubuy.com
1-866-INSU-BUY x111

[insubuy]

Re: Return date needed?

Let me clarify this further as couple of persons have asked questions about return date.

You have to have confirmed itinerary regarding your return date, before you purchase the insurance. You have to have the booking for return date before you purcahse the insurance and that is the date through which you have to purchase the insurance.

Jagruti
INSUBUY
https://www.insubuy.com
1-866-INSU-BUY x111