Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection

The only time I needed to interact with Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection customer service was a correction to my travel dates. The travel dates were correct when input into Squaremouth, but somewhere along the way, the dates shifted backward by one day. I e-mailed BHTP customer service with my request for date correction along with screenshots of the original dates input into Squaremouth, and they responded within a short time and e-mailed me a corrected copy of the policy within 24 hours of my request.

I was very impressed with BHTP customer service's quick response and action to complete the updates before my trip. Although, I did not need to submit any claims, I was very happy to have trip insurance that included first-payer medical coverage as my medical insurance only reimburses claims once they determine a claim meets their coverage criteria.

For any future trips, I would, again, purchase Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection insurance, and would recommend purchase of this insurance through Squaremouth to my friends.

I contacted Berkshire Hathaway to assist me in finding a clinic for a urinary tract infection. The agent transferred me to a medical assistant agent, and he found a nearby clinic for me, and he fax'd the paperwork to the clinic. I asked him what information I would need to have in order to file a claim. He said I needed nothing, because the clinic would bill Berkshire Hathaway directly. Everything went smoothly at the clinic and I was delighted that I chose Berkshire Hathaway. However, over the next 3 months, I was continuously billed by the clinic. I had to make many, many calls to Berkshire Hathaway to resolve the situation. I spoke to a supervisor numerous times. Each time, I was offered an apology and was assured that the claim would be paid right away, but the claim did not get paid until more than 3 months of my constant phone complaints. I will not use or recommend Berkshire Hathaway travel insurance again.

I have purchased policies through square mouth for many years. This is my first experience with BHT and it will be my last
Their paperwork requirement was onerous. And unnecessary. For a simple claim like mine they required an on inch of documentation.
.

Just a heads-up for people considering this insurance. It's very economical compared to other policies, but a few things are at issue. One is that they do not provide an insurance card (that I've found invaluable in foreign countries that may be hesitant to even admit you as a patient) and expect you to print out either the coverage page or the 38-page policy (that is stamped with "Sample" in the back ground). I've used HCC and HTH in the past without problems as they issue a plastic, very professional looking insurance card that most places smile at and accept. At least to get initial treatment. After they fix your broken bones, THEN they might ask about finances, but won't send you away without treatment as they'll assume you have 1st world insurance coverage.

Anyway, BH does not provide that and will put you at risk for being rejected for treatment at the door (unlike the US and such, most 3rd-world countries don't HAVE to treat you at all and can refuse you outright if they think they won't get paid).

For triple the cost, it seems steep to have to go to another carrier solely for the insurance card, but with my experiences with injuries, the few bucks more is better paid now, than struggling to pull your wallet when half-conscious from an accident, hoping an ER will be satisfied that you might actually have insurance and treat you...

Fair warning. Hope BH has enough common sense to change this policy, but till then, I'm not hauling around pages of policy documents in my pocket everywhere I go in hopes someone will think it means I'm covered. Even a totally FAKE med card from somewhere would be better for getting you treated than a crumpled 8-1/2x11 paper policy you keep stuffed in a pocket...

Come to think of it? Just get a fake plastic card made in a 3-rd world country, then get the BH insurance. Use the card for emergency, immediate treatment, then get it paid for later by the BH insurance. Brilliant. ;-)

Before the trip had even started, but after buying the policy, highly
incompetent persons at Berkshire Hathaway kept giving me conflicting,
erroneous information. It took emails and calls to finally get them to
admit the info was wrong. They then corrected the mistakes.

I have the emails saved for future reference.

What I'm concerned about: if its so difficult to get anything done BEFORE
a claim even shows up, imagine how hard it would be to get them to pay on
a legitimate claim!!!!

Insurance? Dream on! No reduction in personal stress by buying this policy
as the company does not inspire confidence. So its fingers crossed and hope
there will be no need for a claim.

Travel Insurance appears to be a Donation picnic for Insurance companies.

Joseph Dantas :)