travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

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Topic Author
goonie
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travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

I'll start by quoting a portion of this article...

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/i-tra ... 1627922707
We ultimately did go on the trip, but we went with an ironclad plan for what we’d do if we got sick. Because, remember, you must test negative for COVID within three days of your flight back to the U.S.

Travel insurance is crucial here. We purchased a plan that included protection in the event we were forced to quarantine in Spain and couldn’t return home. The policy would have paid for new flights home and covered the costs of a hotel room, up to a certain limit.
My question is...how do you purchase travel insurance like this?

Standard travel insurance has a cancellation/interruption option but that only covers cancelling the trip before it starts or cutting it short during the trip. This scenario would instead be extending and modifying the trip toward the end of it (due to not being able to return home).
camper1
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by camper1 »

Good question and I am following this thread. We are in a similar situation with trip planned for the end of September to France. With the surge in vaccinated people testing positive, my concern is testing positive before the return flight and being forced to quarantine in Paris for 10 days. I believe the airline (United) will reschedule flight at no charge, but a hotel and meals in Paris could get pretty expensive! Would be interested to know if any insurance exists to cover this. At this point it looks like cancelling the trip may be the best option unless things change for the better by September.
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goonie
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

I was looking at policies with a company called Tin Leg and spoke with a very helpful customer service rep who said their "Luxury" and "Silver" policies include what I'll call an "extension benefit" for this scenario. The limit is $150/day per person for a maximum of 7 days. Also, if you become sick with COVID, your medical expenses would be covered under the Emergency Medical part of the plan.

I'm looking into this for my parents, who are planning to go to Italy in the fall. They're in their 70s but are vaccinated and in decent health. Their main 2 areas of concern are:

1) getting medical insurance since Medicare does not cover them when they're outside the US (from what I understand, their supplemental does not cover them either)
2) the possibility of testing positive for COVID and having to extend their trip
diy60
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by diy60 »

goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:22 am I'm looking into this for my parents, who are planning to go to Italy in the fall. They're in their 70s but are vaccinated and in decent health. Their main 2 areas of concern are:

1) getting medical insurance since Medicare does not cover them when they're outside the US (from what I understand, their supplemental does not cover them either)
2) the possibility of testing positive for COVID and having to extend their trip
We're a retired couple and will be traveling intl. in the fall. We rescheduled this trip 3 times and we're not getting any younger. Comments to your points:
1) I believe traditional Medicare with supplemental covers international medical costs (I think up to $50K), so I think your info is incorrect.
2) Several of the popular online media outlets have been fear mongering for many months, with absolutely no let up. I think if you look at the percentage of break thru infections your parent's minds (and yours) should be at ease.

EDITED TO ADD:
This link listed a number of travel insurances with rating. I have no idea if the article is reliable or unbiased, but it might be a start for getting quotes.
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-i ... insurance/
Last edited by diy60 on Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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ResearchMed
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by ResearchMed »

DH and I were just discussing this... the quarantine issue.

I've written to the owner of www.TripInsuranceStore.com with a few related questions, and I'll report back.

As for the OP, if someone is sick - at least with the travel insurance policies we get - they'll pay for care and expenses if one is ill and can't return home, even after the originally scheduled return date. Ditto for fight cancellations... until one *can* get home.

RM
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diy60
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by diy60 »

ResearchMed wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:39 am As for the OP, if someone is sick - at least with the travel insurance policies we get - they'll pay for care and expenses if one is ill and can't return home, even after the originally scheduled return date. Ditto for fight cancellations... until one *can* get home.

RM
Could share the company you use and maybe a rough dollar amount you pay? Or just order of magnitude one would expect to pay (I know it probably "depends"). I think you may have posted on this topic before but I couldn't immediately find it. Thanks in advance.
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goonie
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:33 am
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:22 am I'm looking into this for my parents, who are planning to go to Italy in the fall. They're in their 70s but are vaccinated and in decent health. Their main 2 areas of concern are:

1) getting medical insurance since Medicare does not cover them when they're outside the US (from what I understand, their supplemental does not cover them either)
2) the possibility of testing positive for COVID and having to extend their trip
We're a retired couple and will be traveling intl. in the fall. We rescheduled this trip 3 times and we're not getting any younger. Comments to your points:
1) I believe traditional Medicare with supplemental covers international medical costs (I think up to $50K), so I think your info is incorrect.
2) Several of the popular online media outlets have been fear mongering for many months, with absolutely no let up. I think if you look at the percentage of break thru infections your parent's minds (and yours) should be at ease.
Interesting. I'll mention to them your comment about Medicare with supplemental. I actually don't know and I'm going on what they told me, which could definitely be wrong.

As far as break thru infections, I agree that it is unlikely...but not as unlikely as it was before the Delta variant started raging. However, I don't want this thread to get locked or posts to get deleted, so I think we should both respectfully stop there.
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goonie
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

ResearchMed wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:39 am As for the OP, if someone is sick - at least with the travel insurance policies we get - they'll pay for care and expenses if one is ill and can't return home, even after the originally scheduled return date. Ditto for fight cancellations... until one *can* get home.

RM
Thanks, that's good to know.
MikeG62
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by MikeG62 »

goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 7:58 am I'll start by quoting a portion of this article...

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/i-tra ... 1627922707
We ultimately did go on the trip, but we went with an ironclad plan for what we’d do if we got sick. Because, remember, you must test negative for COVID within three days of your flight back to the U.S.

Travel insurance is crucial here. We purchased a plan that included protection in the event we were forced to quarantine in Spain and couldn’t return home. The policy would have paid for new flights home and covered the costs of a hotel room, up to a certain limit.
My question is...how do you purchase travel insurance like this?

Standard travel insurance has a cancellation/interruption option but that only covers cancelling the trip before it starts or cutting it short during the trip. This scenario would instead be extending and modifying the trip toward the end of it (due to not being able to return home).
The resort we are planning to visit in November directed us to these folks for travel insurance/evacuation.

https://covacglobal.com/

Have a look or give them a call and see if they can help you. Report back on what you find out.
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Ramjet
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by Ramjet »

I'm going to Aruba this month and you have to purchase the insurance through their official site before entering
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goonie
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:33 am
EDITED TO ADD:
This link listed a number of travel insurances with rating. I have no idea if the article is reliable or unbiased, but it might be a start for getting quotes.
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-i ... insurance/
Thanks. That's actually how we came across Tin Leg. Of course, this article lists their "Gold" policy, which doesn't have the extension benefit I described.
marielake
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by marielake »

Here's another link to purchase travel insurance. I haven't researched covid options/restrictions, but have used them to purchase insurance for other international trips.

https://www.squaremouth.com/single-trip ... XAQAvD_BwE
Last edited by marielake on Tue Aug 03, 2021 10:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
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ResearchMed
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by ResearchMed »

goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:52 am
ResearchMed wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:39 am As for the OP, if someone is sick - at least with the travel insurance policies we get - they'll pay for care and expenses if one is ill and can't return home, even after the originally scheduled return date. Ditto for fight cancellations... until one *can* get home.

RM
Thanks, that's good to know.
To be clear, that is with "the travel insurance polices we get"!

As with any insurance (indeed, any contract) do read ALL the terms and conditions, etc.
And I'm also sure that there are some lesser policies out there that don't offer the types of coverage we get, etc.

We've never had trouble with a claim, except for one time when our non-weather-related claim coincided with a time period with a couple of hiurricanes, so the insurer claims depts were swampedl
That was the only time we asked Steve to help with the claim. He gave it the necessary nudge, and the rest of the process was "as usual".

RM
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goonie
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

I should also mention that the Tin Leg customer service rep said that costs associated with having to change your flight due to having to stay/quarantine because of a positive COVID result *might* be covered. He couldn't give a definite answer and said it depends on the circumstances/details. I responded "fair enough" and we moved on.
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goonie
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

marielake wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 10:03 am Here's another link to purchase travel insurance. I haven't researched covid options/restrictions, but have used them to purchase insurance for other international trips.

https://www.squaremouth.com/single-trip ... XAQAvD_BwE
Thanks. I was playing around with that as well. SquareMouth is an aggregator and comparison site for travel insurance. And Tin Leg is a SquareMouth brand.
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ResearchMed
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by ResearchMed »

MikeG62 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:52 am
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 7:58 am I'll start by quoting a portion of this article...

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/i-tra ... 1627922707
We ultimately did go on the trip, but we went with an ironclad plan for what we’d do if we got sick. Because, remember, you must test negative for COVID within three days of your flight back to the U.S.

Travel insurance is crucial here. We purchased a plan that included protection in the event we were forced to quarantine in Spain and couldn’t return home. The policy would have paid for new flights home and covered the costs of a hotel room, up to a certain limit.
My question is...how do you purchase travel insurance like this?

Standard travel insurance has a cancellation/interruption option but that only covers cancelling the trip before it starts or cutting it short during the trip. This scenario would instead be extending and modifying the trip toward the end of it (due to not being able to return home).
The resort we are planning to visit in November directed us to these folks for travel insurance/evacuation.

https://covacglobal.com/

Have a look or give them a call and see if they can help you. Report back on what you find out.
We looked into Covac for a short time, when MedJetAssist hadn't yet offered their medevac services to "everywhere they serve". MJA has since changed that restriction.

So we'll continue to get regular travel insurance plus MJA. MJA is for when the traveler is an inpatient but wants to be taken to one's own choice of hospital (home or specialty hospital elsewhere, etc.) anywhere in the USA (for USA based clients, at least0.
There NO need for any "medical necessity". No bean counters enter the decision process.
The patient must be stable enough to be moved in a regular fixed wing air ambulance with medical staff, etc.

I hope we never need it, but the annual coverage includes any trip >150 miles from home, so that includes major trips and also most ordinary trips for business or to visit friends/relatives/etc.

RM
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diy60
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by diy60 »

goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:58 am
diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:33 am
EDITED TO ADD:
This link listed a number of travel insurances with rating. I have no idea if the article is reliable or unbiased, but it might be a start for getting quotes.
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-i ... insurance/
Thanks. That's actually how we came across Tin Leg. Of course, this article lists their "Gold" policy, which doesn't have the extension benefit I described.
I hadn't thought of the "extension" benefit aspect. Thanks for posting. Please do post back if you discover travel insurance which covers Covid-related costs, including extensions. I'm somewhat naïve in this area. I've traveled extensively throughout my career and never had to give a 2nd thought to insurance, trip extension, medical, or evacuation costs. The MegaCorp just made it happen.
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goonie
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 10:23 am
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:58 am
diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:33 am
EDITED TO ADD:
This link listed a number of travel insurances with rating. I have no idea if the article is reliable or unbiased, but it might be a start for getting quotes.
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-i ... insurance/
Thanks. That's actually how we came across Tin Leg. Of course, this article lists their "Gold" policy, which doesn't have the extension benefit I described.
I hadn't thought of the "extension" benefit aspect. Thanks for posting. Please do post back if you discover travel insurance which covers Covid-related costs, including extensions. I'm somewhat naïve in this area. I've traveled extensively throughout my career and never had to give a 2nd thought to insurance, trip extension, medical, or evacuation costs. The MegaCorp just made it happen.

See my comments from earlier in the thread...

goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:22 am I was looking at policies with a company called Tin Leg and spoke with a very helpful customer service rep who said their "Luxury" and "Silver" policies include what I'll call an "extension benefit" for this scenario. The limit is $150/day per person for a maximum of 7 days. Also, if you become sick with COVID, your medical expenses would be covered under the Emergency Medical part of the plan.
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 10:05 am I should also mention that the Tin Leg customer service rep said that costs associated with having to change your flight due to having to stay/quarantine because of a positive COVID result *might* be covered. He couldn't give a definite answer and said it depends on the circumstances/details. I responded "fair enough" and we moved on.
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goonie
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:49 am
diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:33 am
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:22 am I'm looking into this for my parents, who are planning to go to Italy in the fall. They're in their 70s but are vaccinated and in decent health. Their main 2 areas of concern are:

1) getting medical insurance since Medicare does not cover them when they're outside the US (from what I understand, their supplemental does not cover them either)
We're a retired couple and will be traveling intl. in the fall. We rescheduled this trip 3 times and we're not getting any younger. Comments to your points:
1) I believe traditional Medicare with supplemental covers international medical costs (I think up to $50K), so I think your info is incorrect.
Interesting. I'll mention to them your comment about Medicare with supplemental. I actually don't know and I'm going on what they told me, which could definitely be wrong.
Anyone else know whether Medicare provides coverage for urgent or emergency medical costs when out of the country?
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ResearchMed
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by ResearchMed »

diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:46 am
ResearchMed wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:39 am As for the OP, if someone is sick - at least with the travel insurance policies we get - they'll pay for care and expenses if one is ill and can't return home, even after the originally scheduled return date. Ditto for fight cancellations... until one *can* get home.

RM
Could share the company you use and maybe a rough dollar amount you pay? Or just order of magnitude one would expect to pay (I know it probably "depends"). I think you may have posted on this topic before but I couldn't immediately find it. Thanks in advance.
We've used www.TripInsuranceStorel.com - a travel insurance broker - to purchase policies, all but one were from Travel Insured (the actual insurance company). The one other we used was because we missed a deadline to start the type of coverage we wanted at TI; we had no claim, so I won't comment further.

With TI, we've had several claims, inicluding two large claims, so we've had a fair amount of experience, unfortunately - unfortunate that we needed to make claims, but *fortunate* that we used Travel Insured. (On one trip, they covered a few things we thought they "should" cover but figured they wouldn't, and they didn't give us any trouble about those costs. But on another, we didn't have receipts for two tips to taxi drivers, so... no payment to us! But fair enough; they are entitled to make sure the claims are valid.)

The costs tend to vary with age of traveler. We get the "best" coverage category, and also include "Cancel For Any Reason" (CFAR), which adds to the cost. (Note that this only pays 75% of the costs, in cash back, not credits, etc.) We did that for two reasons, one of which no longer applies: a very elderly MIL (who passed last year about 5 weeks short of her 100th). IF she got sick, and this did happen, and the doctor said, "Um, you should NOT leave town now", the plan paid all of our non-refundable costs. The REGULAR coverage *would* have covered that. The reason we added CFAR was because MIL *never* complained about whether we should stay or not. She always insisted that we "go on our trip!" no matter what. So IF she were ever to say something like, ""I'm really feeling funny" or "not right", at her age... we would not leave the country. We wouldn't go just because no doctor told us to stay, etc.

We also prefer to have CFAR coverage in case we somehow feel uncomfortable about an upcoming trip. That could be hurricanes looming, or political events, etc.

Note that we are a bit older (60's/70's while we've been getting travel insurance). And we each have a few minor health issues that can interfere with travel.
Our claims to date have exceeded our premium costs, although we certainly wish this had not been the case.
But someone younger would have somewhat lower premiums for the same coverage, or might be satisfied with lower-cost lesser coverage (e.g., if one had no pre-existing health issues).

The policies we get are NOT restricted to "healthy" travelers, as long as one is "fit to travel" on the day one starts the coverage, which needs to be done within 10-20 days (varies by state) of first payment (refundable or not) if one wants to have pre-existing conditions covered. So we insure our first deposit, and then add coverage as we add any non-refundable payments.

There are less expensive polices that have less coverage, such as not including pre-existing condtions, or with restrictions on coverage due to non-traveling family members, etc.

I'd strongly suggest that you call
www.TripInsuranceStore.com
but CALL. Don't rely upon the online summaries of the various policies. The fine print may not be obvious and it can really matter.
This is where someone should ask about any special concerns, such as elderly relatives, etc. They also try to help, and don't try to "upsell". Indeed, TIS once talked us out of buying a policy, explaining why it was likely we already had other coverage; they were correct.

(Most complaints we've heard about claims being declined were either because the claim clearly was not for a covered situation OR because the traveler declined to submit required documents. For example, if pre-existing conditions are *excluded*, then sure... the insurer wants to see recent medical records for a health-based claim. With pre-existing conditions not excluded, no suce request - and this also speeds up a health-related claims considerably.

There is also a good "travel insurance" sub-forum on www.CruiseCritic.com.
That's where we first learned about all of this.
We had our second largest claim on the very first trip where we had travel insurance, so it's a "don't leave home without it" for us ever since. And alas, we've filed claims several other times. (Unlike home insurance, apparently one doesn't get declined if there are numerous claims, assuming they are all valid, etc.)

BTW, we never (yet) have used the CFAR coverage, but there have been several times that we were *very* happy that we had it as "back up". As with much insurance, it's been a SWAN thing (Sleep Well At Night). :happy

Please note that we have no association with TripInsuranceStore or Travel Insured, other than as a regular customer.

RM
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Ron
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by Ron »

goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 11:27 amAnyone else know whether Medicare provides coverage for urgent or emergency medical costs when out of the country?
From: https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11037 ... States.pdf

"Your Medigap policy may offer additional coverage for health care services or
supplies that you get outside the U.S..

Medigap plans C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M, and N provide foreign travel emergency
health care coverage when you travel outside the U.S. Even though Plans E, H, I, and
J are no longer for sale, you may keep it if you bought one of these plans before June
1, 2010.

Medigap plans C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M, and N pay 80% of the billed charges for
certain medically necessary emergency care outside the U.S. after you meet a $250
deductible for the year. These Medigap policies cover foreign travel emergency care if
it begins during the first 60 days of your trip, and if Medicare doesn’t otherwise cover
the care. Foreign travel emergency coverage with Medigap policies has a lifetime
limit of $50,000."


- Ron
diy60
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by diy60 »

goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 11:27 am Anyone else know whether Medicare provides coverage for urgent or emergency medical costs when out of the country?
See this official Medicare publication.
https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11037 ... States.pdf
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goonie
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

Ron wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 12:46 pm
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 11:27 amAnyone else know whether Medicare provides coverage for urgent or emergency medical costs when out of the country?
From: https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11037 ... States.pdf

"Your Medigap policy may offer additional coverage for health care services or
supplies that you get outside the U.S..

Medigap plans C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M, and N provide foreign travel emergency
health care coverage when you travel outside the U.S. Even though Plans E, H, I, and
J are no longer for sale, you may keep it if you bought one of these plans before June
1, 2010.

Medigap plans C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M, and N pay 80% of the billed charges for
certain medically necessary emergency care outside the U.S. after you meet a $250
deductible for the year. These Medigap policies cover foreign travel emergency care if
it begins during the first 60 days of your trip, and if Medicare doesn’t otherwise cover
the care. Foreign travel emergency coverage with Medigap policies has a lifetime
limit of $50,000."


- Ron
Thanks. I'm going to forward that to my parents, along with the following link:

https://www.healthline.com/health/medic ... nal-travel

Also, I saw this blurb in Rick Steves' article about travel insurance (https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/ ... -insurance)...
For travelers over 70 years old, buying travel medical insurance can be expensive. Compare the cost of a stand-alone travel medical plan with comprehensive insurance, which comes with good medical and evacuation coverage. A travel-insurance company can help you sort out the options. Certain Medigap plans cover some emergency care outside the US; call the issuer of your supplemental policy for the details.
I'm a little confused by the wording. Anyone know what he means by "comprehensive insurance, which comes with good medical and evacuation coverage"? Is he referring to certain supplemental plans? If so, would Medigap plans fit that?
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ResearchMed
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by ResearchMed »

Ron wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 12:46 pm
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 11:27 amAnyone else know whether Medicare provides coverage for urgent or emergency medical costs when out of the country?
From: https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11037 ... States.pdf

"Your Medigap policy may offer additional coverage for health care services or
supplies that you get outside the U.S..

Medigap plans C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M, and N provide foreign travel emergency
health care coverage when you travel outside the U.S. Even though Plans E, H, I, and
J are no longer for sale, you may keep it if you bought one of these plans before June
1, 2010.

Medigap plans C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M, and N pay 80% of the billed charges for
certain medically necessary emergency care outside the U.S. after you meet a $250
deductible for the year. These Medigap policies cover foreign travel emergency care if
it begins during the first 60 days of your trip, and if Medicare doesn’t otherwise cover
the care. Foreign travel emergency coverage with Medigap policies has a lifetime
limit of $50,000."


- Ron
About that $50,000 LIFETIME limit for Medigap policies...

This is why it is recommended that if one get separate travel insurance that includes medical coverage that one make sure it is "primary" and not "secondary".
Primary means one can submit a claim and it wiol be processed without regard to other possible coverage.
Secondary means that the other, "primary", policy must be submitted first, and claims be paid or denied. THEN one can submit the proof of denial for the travel policy to process the claim.

Thus, IF one gets "primary" on travel insurance, then IF there is a claim, one has not used up any of the Medigap/etc., $50k (or whatever remains if a claim has been paid already). That Medigap $50k remains available for any trips where one didn't take out travel insurance.

In some cases, the difference in price is $25 (for the full policy) to make it "primary" rather than "secondary". Check the language and any costs in any policy you are considering.

RM
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ResearchMed
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by ResearchMed »

goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:54 pm I'm a little confused by the wording. Anyone know what he means by "comprehensive insurance, which comes with good medical and evacuation coverage"? Is he referring to certain supplemental plans? If so, would Medigap plans fit that?
I haven't read the original Rick Steves section, but I suspect that this refers to a travel insurance policy that covers cancellation/interruption and perhaps smaller parts such as lost luggage, delayed transportation, etc. in addition to the medical/medevac coverage.

RM
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by UpperNwGuy »

diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:46 pm
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 11:27 am Anyone else know whether Medicare provides coverage for urgent or emergency medical costs when out of the country?
See this official Medicare publication.
https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11037 ... States.pdf
The publication at the link is pretty clear. In most cases, Medicare doesn't provide coverage.
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

ResearchMed wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:59 pm
About that $50,000 LIFETIME limit for Medigap policies...

This is why it is recommended that if one get separate travel insurance that includes medical coverage that one make sure it is "primary" and not "secondary".
Primary means one can submit a claim and it wiol be processed without regard to other possible coverage.
Secondary means that the other, "primary", policy must be submitted first, and claims be paid or denied. THEN one can submit the proof of denial for the travel policy to process the claim.

Thus, IF one gets "primary" on travel insurance, then IF there is a claim, one has not used up any of the Medigap/etc., $50k (or whatever remains if a claim has been paid already). That Medigap $50k remains available for any trips where one didn't take out travel insurance.

In some cases, the difference in price is $25 (for the full policy) to make it "primary" rather than "secondary". Check the language and any costs in any policy you are considering.

RM
Good point.


ResearchMed wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:03 pm
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:54 pm Also, I saw this blurb in Rick Steves' article about travel insurance (https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/ ... -insurance)...
For travelers over 70 years old, buying travel medical insurance can be expensive. Compare the cost of a stand-alone travel medical plan with comprehensive insurance, which comes with good medical and evacuation coverage. A travel-insurance company can help you sort out the options. Certain Medigap plans cover some emergency care outside the US; call the issuer of your supplemental policy for the details.
I'm a little confused by the wording. Anyone know what he means by "comprehensive insurance, which comes with good medical and evacuation coverage"? Is he referring to certain supplemental plans? If so, would Medigap plans fit that?
I haven't read the original Rick Steves section, but I suspect that this refers to a travel insurance policy that covers cancellation/interruption and perhaps smaller parts such as lost luggage, delayed transportation, etc. in addition to the medical/medevac coverage.

RM
Ah, ok. Any idea what he means by "a stand-alone travel medical plan"? I didn't know those existed.

Or am I not reading that right and he's only talking about 1 type of insurance plan - the one you described. I'm parsing the wording into 2 different types of insurance to be compared...but that might not be what he meant and it's just "stand-alone travel medical plan with comprehensive insurance, which comes with good medical and evacuation coverage"? And this would refer to the type of travel insurance policy you described?
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by TetrisCollider »

I would treat all travel insurance promises to provide coverage (for travel during Covid-19) with suspect specifically because most likely there is a clause that PANDEMICS are not covered. It would be interesting to see if anyone on this forum actually had a successful travel insurance payout while experiencing an issue specifically due to Covid-19 (I am not talking about direct airline or airbnb credits/refunds).

Just one immediate example with regards to people relying on their insurance policy - Surfside, Florida building collapse. A number of articles (like this one https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/inv ... 413422001/) are showing the reality of getting paid by insurance companies in unusual circumstances when the pay out is truly needed.
For some reason, people that know nothing, seem to know everything...
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by ResearchMed »

goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:37 pm
ResearchMed wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:59 pm
About that $50,000 LIFETIME limit for Medigap policies...

This is why it is recommended that if one get separate travel insurance that includes medical coverage that one make sure it is "primary" and not "secondary".
Primary means one can submit a claim and it wiol be processed without regard to other possible coverage.
Secondary means that the other, "primary", policy must be submitted first, and claims be paid or denied. THEN one can submit the proof of denial for the travel policy to process the claim.

Thus, IF one gets "primary" on travel insurance, then IF there is a claim, one has not used up any of the Medigap/etc., $50k (or whatever remains if a claim has been paid already). That Medigap $50k remains available for any trips where one didn't take out travel insurance.

In some cases, the difference in price is $25 (for the full policy) to make it "primary" rather than "secondary". Check the language and any costs in any policy you are considering.

RM
Good point.


ResearchMed wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 2:03 pm
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 1:54 pm Also, I saw this blurb in Rick Steves' article about travel insurance (https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/ ... -insurance)...
For travelers over 70 years old, buying travel medical insurance can be expensive. Compare the cost of a stand-alone travel medical plan with comprehensive insurance, which comes with good medical and evacuation coverage. A travel-insurance company can help you sort out the options. Certain Medigap plans cover some emergency care outside the US; call the issuer of your supplemental policy for the details.
I'm a little confused by the wording. Anyone know what he means by "comprehensive insurance, which comes with good medical and evacuation coverage"? Is he referring to certain supplemental plans? If so, would Medigap plans fit that?
I haven't read the original Rick Steves section, but I suspect that this refers to a travel insurance policy that covers cancellation/interruption and perhaps smaller parts such as lost luggage, delayed transportation, etc. in addition to the medical/medevac coverage.

RM
Ah, ok. Any idea what he means by "a stand-alone travel medical plan"? I didn't know those existed.

Or am I not reading that right and he's only talking about 1 type of insurance plan - the one you described. I'm parsing the wording into 2 different types of insurance to be compared...but that might not be what he meant and it's just "stand-alone travel medical plan with comprehensive insurance, which comes with good medical and evacuation coverage"? And this would refer to the type of travel insurance policy you described?
It's not totally clear to me, either. I mean, after all, there are "comprehensive insurance policies" for automobiles. :D

I'd suggest that you call www.TripInsuranceStore.com to find out what general types of policies there are. They are brokers for several different (vetted) travel insurers, each of which probably has several types of policies. They aren't necessarily matching policies from insurer to insurer, so they'd know much better than me.
(There is no cost to the travel to purchasing through TIS; the commission is paid by the insurer from the regular rates they receive.)

I ususally strongly suggest calling rather than reading the online summaries, but for starters, if you mostly want to see "what sorts of policies/coverages are out there", then maybe browsing their website a bit before calling would help you decide what questions you have.

With travel insurance, I found that the more I learned, the MORE question I had. For example, if I learned that one policy covered immediate family members only, then... well, what about grandparents. And then, what if they live in a different state. And then, what if we are traveling together, but live in different states; if one family can't go, the other would (or wouldn't) want to go anyway. And what if we are pre-paying hotel, but using points for airline? What if we are guaranteeing the hotel but didn't actually give any money *yet*?
It seemed a bit endless at first. So I let them help us dhoose the policies, and now we always - thus far - keep getting the same one, as it works for us very well.
So my best recommendation is once you have a specific trip planned, but BEFORE you'e made a payment (or very soon after, if necessary), the call and describe your trip. They are well used to this, and they are great at hand-holding through the choices, especially at first.

Don't hesitate to ask more here or PM me, but again, for specifics, best to talk with the experts.
There are a lot of policies that are less expensive than what we get. Some people only want to insure for medical, and will cover the trip costs themselves if necessary.
(Younger, healther travelers might figure it's less likely to need cancelling, though there are still weather delays or whatever. I do remember that on the first big trip, with our first travel insurance policy, when DH had a medical emergency less than 2 weeks before departure - and the trip price was by far our highest at that point - the only "traveling" we did was to and from assorted medical appointments locally. :annoyed But several times, we mumbled to each other, "Well, at least we won't have to pay again when we finally do make this trip!" Yes, we could have covered it, but i really think that if we had not had that insurance, we may have been quite reluctant to make "special" travel plans again. And as it turns out, we've had quite a few VERY special trips that mean a great deal to us now. Great memories. Terrific photos. :happy
It turned out we loved travelling even more than we expected!
And because we *do* make claims, it's a given for us, "not to leave home without it", etc. :wink:

We also get MedJetAssist annual policies. Ours lapsed last year, and we won't renew until we actually start to travel anywhere. Never had a claim, but given we had a lot of trips, including some domestic, the annual was a good deal for us.

The really important thing, in my opinion, is to make SURE that one way or another, you are covered for any catastrophic medical expenses should something happen.
That could be amounts that many people cannot easily afford, even though it's low probability. That what real insurance is for, after all.

Enjoy the planning!

RM
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by ResearchMed »

TetrisCollider wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 3:01 pm I would treat all travel insurance promises to provide coverage (for travel during Covid-19) with suspect specifically because most likely there is a clause that PANDEMICS are not covered. It would be interesting to see if anyone on this forum actually had a successful travel insurance payout while experiencing an issue specifically due to Covid-19 (I am not talking about direct airline or airbnb credits/refunds).

Just one immediate example with regards to people relying on their insurance policy - Surfside, Florida building collapse. A number of articles (like this one https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/inv ... 413422001/) are showing the reality of getting paid by insurance companies in unusual circumstances when the pay out is truly needed.
Yes, do read the policy carefully! And ask questions.

RM
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by theplayer11 »

goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:22 am I was looking at policies with a company called Tin Leg and spoke with a very helpful customer service rep who said their "Luxury" and "Silver" policies include what I'll call an "extension benefit" for this scenario. The limit is $150/day per person for a maximum of 7 days. Also, if you become sick with COVID, your medical expenses would be covered under the Emergency Medical part of the plan.

I'm looking into this for my parents, who are planning to go to Italy in the fall. They're in their 70s but are vaccinated and in decent health. Their main 2 areas of concern are:

1) getting medical insurance since Medicare does not cover them when they're outside the US (from what I understand, their supplemental does not cover them either)
2) the possibility of testing positive for COVID and having to extend their trip
just checked their website and I don't see anything in writing about an "extension benefit" on any of their policies.
This is a real concern for international travel, testing positive and having to quarantine overseas for 7-10 days..hotel costs, food, new tickets home. Not to mention the boredom of 7 days in a hotel room after you thought your vacation was over.
Anyone seen anything in writing about a policy covering this?
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

ResearchMed wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 3:42 pm
It's not totally clear to me, either. I mean, after all, there are "comprehensive insurance policies" for automobiles. :D

I'd suggest that you call www.TripInsuranceStore.com to find out what general types of policies there are. They are brokers for several different (vetted) travel insurers, each of which probably has several types of policies. They aren't necessarily matching policies from insurer to insurer, so they'd know much better than me.
(There is no cost to the travel to purchasing through TIS; the commission is paid by the insurer from the regular rates they receive.)

I ususally strongly suggest calling rather than reading the online summaries, but for starters, if you mostly want to see "what sorts of policies/coverages are out there", then maybe browsing their website a bit before calling would help you decide what questions you have.

...

We also get MedJetAssist annual policies. Ours lapsed last year, and we won't renew until we actually start to travel anywhere. Never had a claim, but given we had a lot of trips, including some domestic, the annual was a good deal for us.

The really important thing, in my opinion, is to make SURE that one way or another, you are covered for any catastrophic medical expenses should something happen.
That could be amounts that many people cannot easily afford, even though it's low probability. That what real insurance is for, after all.

Enjoy the planning!

RM
That is all probably pretty good advice. I want my parents to take ownership of this for themselves, so maybe having them contact a broker is the best way forward. Do you know of any sites/brokers similar to TripInsuranceStore? Just wondering for comparison purposes.

Thank you for all your feedback.
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

theplayer11 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 4:20 pm
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:22 am I was looking at policies with a company called Tin Leg and spoke with a very helpful customer service rep who said their "Luxury" and "Silver" policies include what I'll call an "extension benefit" for this scenario. The limit is $150/day per person for a maximum of 7 days. Also, if you become sick with COVID, your medical expenses would be covered under the Emergency Medical part of the plan.

I'm looking into this for my parents, who are planning to go to Italy in the fall. They're in their 70s but are vaccinated and in decent health. Their main 2 areas of concern are:

1) getting medical insurance since Medicare does not cover them when they're outside the US (from what I understand, their supplemental does not cover them either)
2) the possibility of testing positive for COVID and having to extend their trip
just checked their website and I don't see anything in writing about an "extension benefit" on any of their policies.
This is a real concern for international travel, testing positive and having to quarantine overseas for 7-10 days..hotel costs, food, new tickets home. Not to mention the boredom of 7 days in a hotel room after you thought your vacation was over.
Anyone seen anything in writing about a policy covering this?
Thanks for checking that. I don't know what to believe. I guess I'm back to square one.
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by MedSaver »

diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:33 am
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:22 am I'm looking into this for my parents, who are planning to go to Italy in the fall. They're in their 70s but are vaccinated and in decent health. Their main 2 areas of concern are:

1) getting medical insurance since Medicare does not cover them when they're outside the US (from what I understand, their supplemental does not cover them either)
2) the possibility of testing positive for COVID and having to extend their trip
We're a retired couple and will be traveling intl. in the fall. We rescheduled this trip 3 times and we're not getting any younger. Comments to your points:
1) I believe traditional Medicare with supplemental covers international medical costs (I think up to $50K), so I think your info is incorrect.
2) Several of the popular online media outlets have been fear mongering for many months, with absolutely no let up. I think if you look at the percentage of break thru infections your parent's minds (and yours) should be at ease.

EDITED TO ADD:
This link listed a number of travel insurances with rating. I have no idea if the article is reliable or unbiased, but it might be a start for getting quotes.
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-i ... insurance/
Breakthrough infections are actually probably very common. However, getting “severe” illness requiring hospitalization (or death) are very rare amongst the vaccinated. My issue with traveling right now would be getting a mild case of Covid while in another country and having to quarantine in said foreign country until allowed to fly. I mean, it’s unethical (and maybe illegal) to fly while infected - even if you are vaccinated and have mild/no symptoms.
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by diy60 »

goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 4:36 pm Thanks for checking that. I don't know what to believe. I guess I'm back to square one.
It's good your are taking an interest in your parents intl travel plans. That's what family is about.

Each person is different, but here is how spouse and I would look at travel insurance. We would want it to be primary, and at a minimum cover the potential catastrophic medical bills, including those brought on by pre-existing conditions. I think "extension" costs (hotel, flights, etc.), would pale in comparison to a serious medical event, but perhaps I'm just naive. If I could get "extension" costs at a low rate, I would probably consider it, but I wouldn't let it be the deciding factor.
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by THY4373 »

goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 4:36 pm
theplayer11 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 4:20 pm
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:22 am I was looking at policies with a company called Tin Leg and spoke with a very helpful customer service rep who said their "Luxury" and "Silver" policies include what I'll call an "extension benefit" for this scenario. The limit is $150/day per person for a maximum of 7 days. Also, if you become sick with COVID, your medical expenses would be covered under the Emergency Medical part of the plan.

I'm looking into this for my parents, who are planning to go to Italy in the fall. They're in their 70s but are vaccinated and in decent health. Their main 2 areas of concern are:

1) getting medical insurance since Medicare does not cover them when they're outside the US (from what I understand, their supplemental does not cover them either)
2) the possibility of testing positive for COVID and having to extend their trip
just checked their website and I don't see anything in writing about an "extension benefit" on any of their policies.
This is a real concern for international travel, testing positive and having to quarantine overseas for 7-10 days..hotel costs, food, new tickets home. Not to mention the boredom of 7 days in a hotel room after you thought your vacation was over.
Anyone seen anything in writing about a policy covering this?
Thanks for checking that. I don't know what to believe. I guess I'm back to square one.
The section you are looking for should be "trip interruption" insurance. Your trip isn't over until you return home so a quarantine would come under trip interruption.

TravelInsured a company I have used (via USAA as the rates are cheaper) has a good FAQ here on their COVID coverage: https://www.cfins.com/wp-content/upload ... 020221.pdf
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by THY4373 »

TetrisCollider wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 3:01 pm I would treat all travel insurance promises to provide coverage (for travel during Covid-19) with suspect specifically because most likely there is a clause that PANDEMICS are not covered. It would be interesting to see if anyone on this forum actually had a successful travel insurance payout while experiencing an issue specifically due to Covid-19 (I am not talking about direct airline or airbnb credits/refunds).
I had a successful claim with travel insurance last year due to COVID. I had cancel for any reason coverage which I got (I normally don't get that rider) due to what was a logistically complex itinerary to Asia last spring. I cancelled proactively which was a good thing because one of the countries I was due to visit closed to international arrivals the day I would have arrived. Other than delayed processing of my claim due to company being slammed with claims I had no issues. Neither my policy then nor one I purchased this week have any pandemic exclusion.
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by crefwatch »

You don't want to read 30 pages of rules, but you have to. Some of the key terms here are "... will be classified as a Forseen Peril ... " and " .... Trip Interruption ..." and "Trip Delay". You can't just pay more, you have to read the conditions of the policy.

Regarding Medicare, I might mention that in order to collect on a high-end policy medical claim, I was ordered to provide a Medicare rejection of the claim. Otherwise, no payout from Travel Insurance.

Insurance companies are in business to make money, not as charities.
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 5:05 pm
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 4:36 pm Thanks for checking that. I don't know what to believe. I guess I'm back to square one.
It's good your are taking an interest in your parents intl travel plans. That's what family is about.

Each person is different, but here is how spouse and I would look at travel insurance. We would want it to be primary, and at a minimum cover the potential catastrophic medical bills, including those brought on by pre-existing conditions. I think "extension" costs (hotel, flights, etc.), would pale in comparison to a serious medical event, but perhaps I'm just naive. If I could get "extension" costs at a low rate, I would probably consider it, but I wouldn't let it be the deciding factor.
Thanks for the encouragement. That helps.

I agree with your "don't sweat the small stuff" approach to this. I think I'm going to, like you said, make sure they have a good amount of medical coverage and that it's primary and be done with it. If they have to spend another few thousand on remaining in Italy, it will suck but it won't be a financial catastrophe.
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

crefwatch wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:01 pm
Regarding Medicare, I might mention that in order to collect on a high-end policy medical claim, I was ordered to provide a Medicare rejection of the claim. Otherwise, no payout from Travel Insurance.
Was the medical coverage provided in your travel insurance considered "secondary"? Sounds like it might have been.
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by ResearchMed »

I've just had a very long call with Steve, owner of TripInsuranceStore, and I'll report back as soon as I can put some of the info in a coherent summary form, given that I'm NOT an expert.

Better yet, it turns out that he happens to be in the process of writing something new to post on his website about just this issue,
(I think it was triggered by a call from a currently traveling client who tested postive towards the end of a cruise, and is going to be quarantined... delaying the trip home.)

And I'll post a link to his piece when he's posted it (perhaps in the morning?).

RM
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

THY4373 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 5:48 pm
The section you are looking for should be "trip interruption" insurance. Your trip isn't over until you return home so a quarantine would come under trip interruption.

TravelInsured a company I have used (via USAA as the rates are cheaper) has a good FAQ here on their COVID coverage: https://www.cfins.com/wp-content/upload ... 020221.pdf
Thanks. Sounds like a "Legally Qualified Physician" would have to confirm that you're positive. They mention that a physician's visit delivered via telehealth *may* be able to satisfy this requirement.
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

ResearchMed wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:20 pm I've just had a very long call with Steve, owner of TripInsuranceStore, and I'll report back as soon as I can put some of the info in a coherent summary form, given that I'm NOT an expert.

Better yet, it turns out that he happens to be in the process of writing something new to post on his website about just this issue,
(I think it was triggered by a call from a currently traveling client who tested postive towards the end of a cruise, and is going to be quarantined... delaying the trip home.)

And I'll post a link to his piece when he's posted it (perhaps in the morning?).

RM
Thanks! That would be great!

I'm guessing the negative test requirement isn't going away anytime soon, so the travel insurance industry probably needs to get clarity on this issue.
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by ResearchMed »

ResearchMed wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:20 pm I've just had a very long call with Steve, owner of TripInsuranceStore, and I'll report back as soon as I can put some of the info in a coherent summary form, given that I'm NOT an expert.

Better yet, it turns out that he happens to be in the process of writing something new to post on his website about just this issue,
(I think it was triggered by a call from a currently traveling client who tested postive towards the end of a cruise, and is going to be quarantined... delaying the trip home.)

And I'll post a link to his piece when he's posted it (perhaps in the morning?).

RM
Here is a general summary of the quarantine situation and covid/quarantine,
--> as *I* currently understand it, and about coverage for those in the USA.
Please check with a travel insurance professional about any information that I post here, before taking any action based upon it. Thank you.

In general, some of this would indeed be covered under an "extension of coverage. (I guess I hadn't noticed that terminology before, but it's already in the policies that we get). That could apply for other reasons, too, of course,

The FIRST thing to remember is that this would be medical, and that REQUIRES a note from a licensed physician (licensed in whichever location/country you are in, etc.).
So if you test positive and cannot travel, this would be because you tested positive for a medical reason and thus you cannot travel at this time. It becomes a medical requirement.
If it's based upon some government official, for quarantine, then you still need a note from a physician. This part is VERY important.
(We found out about that firsthand when I was suddenly hospitalized overseas. The physician called in by the hotel wrote the note for me, including after discharge when I was still too sick to continue for a few more days. We had emailed Steve for assistance about handling this, so we were able to get all of the necessary documentation before we left that city.)

We still would rather *not* be quarantined, obviously, but it would certainly take some of the sting away if the costs were covered.
That reminds me of that hospital stay I mentioned above. We had been staying at a 5* hotel, as it was a special anniversary trip. So instead of continuing our travels to the "next town" to visit dear friends for several days, I could not go anywhere. The insurance paid for DH to remain at our hotel, including all of his meals. When I was finally able to be back there, because it was medically necessary that I *not* travel for a few more days, they continued to pay for all of our costs at that hotel. They also paid for some alternative transportation due to some restrictions in my activities for a while. There were no challenges to the claim.
Again, this was with physician directives, or it would not have been covered.
(I also sent the hospital records, all in a foreign language, to the insurer and let them deal with any translations. :twisted: However, there were no hospital costs, due to the policy where we were, even though we tried to insist upon paying. After all, we didn't pay taxes there, etc.)

One point I'd like to emphasize about medical claims relates to complaints about travel insurance that i've read about elsewhere.
Some people refuse to supply medical records, citing privacy or HIPAA, or even "it's none of their business!!" It IS "their business" if you are making a claim; otherwise, obviously not. The insurer does have the right to determine that the claim is valid, and "self-declaring a disabling illness" is not satisfactory. Nor is a note from a physician who is a fanily member, etc.

This "extension of benefits" apparently varies in number of days by policy, from something like 7-10 days. IF you actually get sick and then need to stay, then that is a different claim and remains covered. (Policies may vary about this, and length of coverage, etc.)
The pandemic is obviously raising a lot of new issues/questions. At least, by now, most companies have figured out their policies. At first, back in early 2020, things got a bit tricky, and some people just didn't notice the Covid restrictions. (And AfAIK, there was a very short time where some people purchased policies without such restrictions, Covid was recognized, and the restriction back dated very sightly. If that's true, I have a LOT of trouble with that!)

For now, the bottom line seems to be that some (most? all??) insurers DO cover the quarantine situation as long as it is handled properly.
Also, last I checked, MedJetAssist no longer excludes Covid for medevac home at patient's request. (That took a while.)
So if you are hospitalized as an inpatient, and have MJA, at your request, they'll get you home, assuming you are stable enough for a regular air ambulance with medical staffing.

Also see the "travel insurance" section of www.CruiseCritic.com

RM
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Lalamimi
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by Lalamimi »

Regarding the question about Medicare coverage on trips outside the US:
https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11037 ... States.pdf
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by theplayer11 »

ResearchMed wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:59 pm
ResearchMed wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 6:20 pm I've just had a very long call with Steve, owner of TripInsuranceStore, and I'll report back as soon as I can put some of the info in a coherent summary form, given that I'm NOT an expert.

Better yet, it turns out that he happens to be in the process of writing something new to post on his website about just this issue,
(I think it was triggered by a call from a currently traveling client who tested postive towards the end of a cruise, and is going to be quarantined... delaying the trip home.)

And I'll post a link to his piece when he's posted it (perhaps in the morning?).

RM
Here is a general summary of the quarantine situation and covid/quarantine,
--> as *I* currently understand it, and about coverage for those in the USA.
Please check with a travel insurance professional about any information that I post here, before taking any action based upon it. Thank you.

In general, some of this would indeed be covered under an "extension of coverage. (I guess I hadn't noticed that terminology before, but it's already in the policies that we get). That could apply for other reasons, too, of course,

The FIRST thing to remember is that this would be medical, and that REQUIRES a note from a licensed physician (licensed in whichever location/country you are in, etc.).
So if you test positive and cannot travel, this would be because you tested positive for a medical reason and thus you cannot travel at this time. It becomes a medical requirement.
If it's based upon some government official, for quarantine, then you still need a note from a physician. This part is VERY important.
(We found out about that firsthand when I was suddenly hospitalized overseas. The physician called in by the hotel wrote the note for me, including after discharge when I was still too sick to continue for a few more days. We had emailed Steve for assistance about handling this, so we were able to get all of the necessary documentation before we left that city.)

We still would rather *not* be quarantined, obviously, but it would certainly take some of the sting away if the costs were covered.
That reminds me of that hospital stay I mentioned above. We had been staying at a 5* hotel, as it was a special anniversary trip. So instead of continuing our travels to the "next town" to visit dear friends for several days, I could not go anywhere. The insurance paid for DH to remain at our hotel, including all of his meals. When I was finally able to be back there, because it was medically necessary that I *not* travel for a few more days, they continued to pay for all of our costs at that hotel. They also paid for some alternative transportation due to some restrictions in my activities for a while. There were no challenges to the claim.
Again, this was with physician directives, or it would not have been covered.
(I also sent the hospital records, all in a foreign language, to the insurer and let them deal with any translations. :twisted: However, there were no hospital costs, due to the policy where we were, even though we tried to insist upon paying. After all, we didn't pay taxes there, etc.)

One point I'd like to emphasize about medical claims relates to complaints about travel insurance that i've read about elsewhere.
Some people refuse to supply medical records, citing privacy or HIPAA, or even "it's none of their business!!" It IS "their business" if you are making a claim; otherwise, obviously not. The insurer does have the right to determine that the claim is valid, and "self-declaring a disabling illness" is not satisfactory. Nor is a note from a physician who is a fanily member, etc.

This "extension of benefits" apparently varies in number of days by policy, from something like 7-10 days. IF you actually get sick and then need to stay, then that is a different claim and remains covered. (Policies may vary about this, and length of coverage, etc.)
The pandemic is obviously raising a lot of new issues/questions. At least, by now, most companies have figured out their policies. At first, back in early 2020, things got a bit tricky, and some people just didn't notice the Covid restrictions. (And AfAIK, there was a very short time where some people purchased policies without such restrictions, Covid was recognized, and the restriction back dated very sightly. If that's true, I have a LOT of trouble with that!)

For now, the bottom line seems to be that some (most? all??) insurers DO cover the quarantine situation as long as it is handled properly.
Also, last I checked, MedJetAssist no longer excludes Covid for medevac home at patient's request. (That took a while.)
So if you are hospitalized as an inpatient, and have MJA, at your request, they'll get you home, assuming you are stable enough for a regular air ambulance with medical staffing.

Also see the "travel insurance" section of www.CruiseCritic.com

RM
how would you get a note from a physician if tested positive in a lab? I would assume not many are being tested in a Dr's office. A positive test requires a quarantine. If not showing symptoms(or mild), there is no trip to a DR.
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by SRenaeP »

diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 10:23 am
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:58 am
diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:33 am
EDITED TO ADD:
This link listed a number of travel insurances with rating. I have no idea if the article is reliable or unbiased, but it might be a start for getting quotes.
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-i ... insurance/
Thanks. That's actually how we came across Tin Leg. Of course, this article lists their "Gold" policy, which doesn't have the extension benefit I described.
I hadn't thought of the "extension" benefit aspect. Thanks for posting. Please do post back if you discover travel insurance which covers Covid-related costs, including extensions. I'm somewhat naïve in this area. I've traveled extensively throughout my career and never had to give a 2nd thought to insurance, trip extension, medical, or evacuation costs. The MegaCorp just made it happen.
I purchased a Trawick policy (Safe Travels Explorer) which explicitly covers additional lodging if required to quarantine due to a positive test. I would wait to purchase insurance until just before your trip as things are constantly changing. I'm a planner and purchased this policy well in advance of our trip. Only to recently discover that Costa Rica (which required this type of insurance) has changed its policy and the insurance is no longer required. Unfortunately, I didn't read the fine print this time and the policy was only cancellable/refundable within 10 days of purchase. :(
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goonie
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by goonie »

theplayer11 wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:43 am
how would you get a note from a physician if tested positive in a lab? I would assume not many are being tested in a Dr's office. A positive test requires a quarantine. If not showing symptoms(or mild), there is no trip to a DR.
Good question. Most pre-return flight COVID testing is not going to involve a local doctor. I guess if you test positive and want to file a claim, you'll have to visit a local doctor...even with no (or mild) symptoms. And then you may also be filing the cost of the doctor visit as part of your claim.

What a headache. Thanks for posting your summary RM.
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ResearchMed
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by ResearchMed »

theplayer11 wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:43 am how would you get a note from a physician if tested positive in a lab? I would assume not many are being tested in a Dr's office. A positive test requires a quarantine. If not showing symptoms(or mild), there is no trip to a DR.
This is precisely what I was trying to emphasize.

If you expect/want to make a claim on your travel insurance (at least for most policies; can't speak for all of them, obviously), then you *MUST* get a physician's letter, at a hospital or clinic or regular office, etc. (or a physician visit to your hotel room or such), and get written/signed confirmation of the situation and the medical need for <whatever>. These days, Zoom "visits" may work if you can get something like an emailed pdf signed by the physician.
I'd assume that one would show the physician the test result, unless they also then want to have you take another test under their direction or something like that (??). If the tests is from a known lab, then that should suffice, but they'd tell you what was needed.
(This is exactly why, as I described above, when we first encountered a significant travel delay due to hospital stay overseas, we emailed Steve to find out just how to proceed to make sure that we handled it right. It would have been far more tedious for us to try to gather some of the documentation after we got home! YOUR insurance agent/broker would advise you per the requirements of the policy you have.)

My point was that it is not necessarily sufficient to do "what YOU think is the right way to handle the situation". The insurers/policies each have specific, written requirements for each specific type of claim.
We always kept a copy of our full policy available online somehow, or for the first trip, we printed it out "to be sure", until we felt more comfortable about how to handle any claim, etc.

You might be asking the insurer to pay you/cover your expenses for tens of thousands of dollars - and perhaps more for significant medical costs plus a long medevac flight. They *will* want to have all of the documentation, as there are, unfortunately, cases of fraud.

In most cases, most travel insurance is managed where you pay the bill (we keep high limit credit cards with us when we travel abroad, although not usually carried with us on each outing), and then you submit receipts. (There are some types of coverage that use a network of providers, but we'd never want to be required to go to some specific providers but these are not the usual travel "insurance" companies.)
For the more expensive situations, one could call the (usually toll free or call collect, etc.) travel insurer, and they would try to assist with guarantees of payment, etc.
At one overseas ER (a popular tourist area), the billing office had a sign about how they would only accept guarantees from "the following travel insurance companies", and all that I had heard of at that point seemed to be listed.

There are reports in some smaller locations where medical care is handled quite differently than we are usually accustomed to here in the USA (and other major countries). The provider may refuse to provide treatment until *after* payment has been made. (There are some first hand accounts of this on CruiseCritic.) But keep in mind that the major travel insurers are likely familiar with these situations. One needs to be in contact with the insurer at that point, of course.
For most, the goal in a true life/death emergency is to get any treatment started and deal with the longer term payments and insurance a bit later. Hence, credit cards...

Again, have the contact info of your travel insurer at hand when traveling, and contact them asap for directions about how to proceed so that your claim IS honored.
It's not difficult [at least, it never has been for us and others we know] as long as you understand and handle it per the policy instructions, etc.

RM
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ResearchMed
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Re: travel insurance for a positive COVID test and its impact on return to the US

Post by ResearchMed »

SRenaeP wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 6:34 am
diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 10:23 am
goonie wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:58 am
diy60 wrote: Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:33 am
EDITED TO ADD:
This link listed a number of travel insurances with rating. I have no idea if the article is reliable or unbiased, but it might be a start for getting quotes.
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-i ... insurance/
Thanks. That's actually how we came across Tin Leg. Of course, this article lists their "Gold" policy, which doesn't have the extension benefit I described.
I hadn't thought of the "extension" benefit aspect. Thanks for posting. Please do post back if you discover travel insurance which covers Covid-related costs, including extensions. I'm somewhat naïve in this area. I've traveled extensively throughout my career and never had to give a 2nd thought to insurance, trip extension, medical, or evacuation costs. The MegaCorp just made it happen.
I purchased a Trawick policy (Safe Travels Explorer) which explicitly covers additional lodging if required to quarantine due to a positive test. I would wait to purchase insurance until just before your trip as things are constantly changing. I'm a planner and purchased this policy well in advance of our trip. Only to recently discover that Costa Rica (which required this type of insurance) has changed its policy and the insurance is no longer required. Unfortunately, I didn't read the fine print this time and the policy was only cancellable/refundable within 10 days of purchase. :(
[emphasis added]

Keep in mind that in many cases, the best types of coverage (depending upon one's situation, of course) may need to be started within 10-20 days of the FIRST payment to any vendor, refundable or not, (That varies by state.)
Importantly, this is usually required for any coverage that does not exclude pre-existing conditions. That will be critical for some, and not a problem for others... unless one gets some pre-existing condition before the planned initial purchase of the travel insurance.

We only insure the initial deposit (even if refundable) to get this clock started properly. Then we add coverage as we make additional payments.

Also, our type of policy allows a one-time transfer to a different trip, within certain time deadlines, as long as there have not been any losses yet. We've used this a few times, especially given that we often start the trip planning and insurance coverage well in advance, and our plans may change.

For these and other reasons, we strongly encourage others to purchase the insurance directly from an insurance broker or insurer by phone, rather than doing it all online. It's less likely that something gets overlooked that way.
(And as with most important phone calls, write down the time of the call and the agent's name, and brief notes about what was said. Better safe than sorry. I think most of these types of calls are recorded.)

RM
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