Travel Insurance

Old Apr 18th, 2011, 11:32 PM
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Travel Insurance

Whilst on a game drive last week, the heavens opened and within seconds we were totally wet. I shoved my camera up my shirt with a jumper over it but it still got a little wet.
On the whole it works but the view finder is dead, I rang the Insurance company and they dont cover rain damage.
We have read their booklet through twice and no where is this mentioned, I'm posting this to warn people that perhaps that's a question to ask.
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 04:46 AM
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Sally, you raise an interesting point. I think most travel insurance will have coverage of 'Baggage & Personal Items Loss' which I believe means 'luggage, personal possessions and travel documents.' The 'personal possessions' part is pretty vague. I think most companies will have a list of exclusions that includes cameras, phones, laptops, glasses, among others. I believe the policies probably exclude loss from things like rain, misuse, damage caused by animals and the like.

An alternative to trying to find a comprehensive travel package that would cover certain items is to contact your home insurer to see if you can add a rider to cover high-end items while on travel.

Steve
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 04:49 AM
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If you can find NOTHING in the policy to suggest that rain-damage is not covered (I'd count this under accidental damage myself, so it may not be listed specifically as rain) I'd take it up within an arbiter and challenge their decision.

However, I have taken out separate camera/ photography equiment insurance which is priced based on exactly what cover I need and one lists each individual item with them (including serial number).
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 07:36 AM
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Sally -

Yup, gotta check everything, but I do not find it unusual to find such items would not be covered by one's trip insurance.

So Steve and I are thinking alike, in that you might want to check your homeowners or renters policy. These often cover such items if you have a rider for such.
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 08:49 AM
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FWIW, this is a good example, never really knowing what the insurance covers, is one reason why I do -not- buy it. The other reason is that I do not insure anything that I can afford to replace. A wet broken camera (happened to me in Feb, cost $300 to fix) I can pay for. If my house burns down, I can't pay for new a one. My cameras are not insured, my house is.

regards - tom
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 09:26 AM
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For tom's reasons above, I always buy travel medical insurance. Just a reminder, Medicare does not cover you (unless you pay for an expensive part B plan that does)outside the USA.
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 10:18 AM
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christabar - re Medicare, can you refer me to information about the "part B" that does cover outside USA ? Maybe you mean part "C"?. I still am trying to figure out Medicare, maybe before I die , or should it be ?

http://www.medicare.gov/navigation/m...-overview.aspx

FWIW, I have a part "C" plan that does cover me for 30 days outside of USA. (Anthem Blue Cross). So the only other insurance I get for Africa is emergency medical evacuation.

regards - tom
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 12:57 PM
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We mostly buy regular travel insurance to cover the med/ evacuation stuff.

Trip cancellation, most of the policies don't cover anywhere near high enough amounts to cover African safaris. Most are set really low.

And personal items, again, not worth much.

So, we pay the insurance for the med cover, which is the cheapest way to buy it for travel situations.

Camera gear, ours adds up to one heck of a lot more than $300 so we do cover that separately. Our policy also covers renting/ buying replacements on a trip if need be, though obviously in remote areas we couldn't do that if we wanted to, so we have the back up bodies.

But it would be a big outlay to buy from new all the equipment we now have, some of which we bought second hand or were given...
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 01:19 PM
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Hi Kavey-

Can you clarify "Trip cancellation, most of the policies don't cover anywhere near high enough amounts to cover African safaris. Most are set really low."

Most policies I've seen will cover 100% of non-refundable fees that you've paid if you can not go on the trip due to a covered reason. (Of course you end up spending an additional amount in the 5-to-10 percent range of the entire trip cost.) Are you referring to 'cancel for any reason coverage'?

Thanks-

Steve
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 01:42 PM
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My camera gear also is lot more than $300 (maybe $3,000?) but I still do not insure it. If it breaks on safari, like my Nikon did, it is not the insurance that is important to me but the ability to continue taking photos. So the best camera insurance is spare of everything.

Insurance (of any kind) is a gamble with the insurance companies setting the odds - in their favor. If you can loose something without undue financial hardship, don't insure it. On the other hand, insurance gives many people "piece-of-mind" - at least until they make a claim against it

regards - tom
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 02:07 PM
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Steve -

Kavey is in the UK and I believe their policies are different than those available in the US where many allow travelers to insure up to the total cost of the safari. With 100% cancellation and some 150% for interruption. So like anything else, have to compare apples-to-apples.

As to Medicare "B" for which supplements are available, at discretion of the purchaser, some of these will cover for travel outside the US. If one travels often, then it makes sense to purchase such; most people don't and thus depend on their trip insurance to pick-up the medical expenses. Along with evacuation, if needed.
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 02:07 PM
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Steve -

Kavey is in the UK and I believe their policies are different than those available in the US where many allow travelers to insure up to the total cost of the safari. With 100% cancellation and some 150% for interruption. So like anything else, have to compare apples-to-apples.

As to Medicare "B" for which supplements are available, at discretion of the purchaser, some of these will cover for travel outside the US. If one travels often, then it makes sense to purchase such; most people don't and thus depend on their trip insurance to pick-up the medical expenses. Along with evacuation, if needed.
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 02:45 PM
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sandi - sandi or anyone, re Medicare B, can you point me to -any- website that states Medicare B provides coverage outside USA? I'm concerned that I/we am confusing B with C ? You can I guess call C a supplement to B since C takes the B base and adds coverage to it. But if you have only B (and A) you do not have overseas coverage. IMHO

All of my web research finds that standard Medicare, A and B, does -not- provide insurance while out side USA (and territories). Here's a typical article re this, written in July 2010 -http://www.elderlawanswers.com/resources/article.asp?id=8229&section=4
The article does mention Medicare "Advantage" (aka as part C) which is additional insurance you pay for.

Here is a gov site that does explain some about international travel and medical insurance - http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p....html#coverage
It says - "The Social Security Medicare Program does not provide coverage for hospital or medical costs outside the United States."
Which is my understanding. Unless you choose to add (and pay for) Medicare part C. You buy part C from an insurance company, e.g Blue Cross.

It is the obfuscation of Medicare plans (and of insurance policies in general) that drives me NUTS !!!

regards - tom
ps - will reference again the gov site for Medicare that explains (somewhat) parts A, B, C, D - http://www.medicare.gov/navigation/m...-overview.aspx
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 03:17 PM
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The original poster mentions a booklet, most insurance polices are a document setting out the individual sections covered & exclusions, under personal effects check to see if the wording states 'loss, theft or damage' then check the exclusions listed. If you tell us who the insurer is perhaps can look the policy up on-line ?
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 03:30 PM
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Sandi-

Thanks for that clarification. I certainly agree we don't want to be comparing apples to oranges or even to quinces for that matter.

Tom-

Is this of any use?

https://questions.medicare.gov/app/a...ited-states%3F

Steve
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 04:11 PM
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Yeah, thanks Steve, explains it more. It also refers you to this -
http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11037.pdf

And we need more "names" to add to the confusion. They also refer to "Medigap" insurance, which I believe is another name for Medicare Supplement, or part C. I think. Then there is also "Medicare Advantage". Which I believe also falls under part C. Medicare Advantage turns over Medicare payment and care responsibility to an HMO type organization, e.g. Kaiser Permanente.

Man, you ask for simply the time of day and I tell you how to build a watch

regards - tom
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 05:43 PM
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tom - I have no idea. People just say "mine covers me!" whenever I say Medicare doesn't cover you outside the US (I think they have private insurance coverage, but they say it's Medicare). So I tried to clarify, but I guess I made it more confusing. I'm joining the Peace Corps at Medicare age (probably at least 67 by the time I qualify) so I don't have to deal with it for 18 months. . When we were trying to figure out parents' Medicare, I was confused, too. I don't remember how we chose.

I was out all day, sorry I did not get back to you.
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Old Apr 19th, 2011, 11:08 PM
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Aah yes I am in UK, so must be differences. For most travel insurance policies, there is a cap to £3000 or, for a few, £5000 per person. That won't cover some of the longer and more expensive trips we do.

We could pay a significant premium for a customised policy to cover higher trip price but to be honest, as I said, we're buying the insurance for the medical/ evacuation side (and perhaps the liability/ legal side too) so we just take it as is.
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Old Apr 20th, 2011, 02:55 AM
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I lost my camera on a trip about 2 years ago. I had TravelEx insurance and called them during the trip. Was told I needed to get a police report for the loss if I wanted to file a claim. If I'd waited until I got home, I would not have known this. I was out in the Canadian Rockies and it was a bit of a pain to get a piece of paper documenting the loss from the Mounties, but I did get it and the cost of replacing the camera was paid. I don't know about damage to a camera or other personal item, but a heads up on loss.... get a police report.
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Old Apr 20th, 2011, 06:44 AM
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A & B - these don't cover outside the US.
C = called medigap or supplemental, may cover if the policy you purchase does... not all of them do.

Medicare/Medigap... no more confusion than those who scream "Keep the government out of my life, but don't touch my Social Security or Medicare." They just don't understand, as if that's a surprise to anyone.
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