| InsuranceRanked Score | 4.4 |
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| InsuranceRanked Score | 4.4 |
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In today’s environment, more modern-day adventurers are carefully plotting their trips before they board their next airplane, cruise ship or train. Now more than ever, balancing benefits with price is critical to finding the right travel insurance products. That’s why before shopping with any particular company, smart travelers will go to a marketplace website to find the right products for them.
What makes Aardy.com unique is their variety of products. Instead of just focusing on travel insurance, Aardy also allows users to shop for health insurance and Medicare supplement plans. This makes the website a one-stop shop for everything relating to health insurance, regardless of if you’re looking for a plan to cover you at home or abroad.
In this article, we’ll go through all the products Aardy.com offers, and how to purchase the right insurance product for your needs.
In many cases, insurance marketplace websites focus on just one line of products. What makes Aardy.com unique is their focus on all lines of health products. This ranges from specialty lines for travel and Medicare supplements, to ACA-compliant health insurance plans from both the national Health Insurance Exchange and off-marketplace plans.
Aardy.com was originally founded in 2015 as Aardvarkinsure.com. Originally focusing on offering travel insurance products for seniors, their market has since grown to offer multiple health insurance lines — creating a true comparison shop for everything related to health insurance.
While individuals can search for insurance plans through the Aardy.com website, their health insurance and Medicare supplement insurance searches go through other partners. The health insurance search is powered by Quotit’s software, while the Medicare options are offered by HealthCompare.com.
Across all three insurance options, Aardy.com offers a variety of plans from some of the top rated companies in the United States. For travel insurance, the company offers products from:
On the health insurance side, Aardy.com offers a variety of plans that are both available through the Health Insurance Exchange, and outside of the federal marketplace. For Medicare supplement plans, the plans may be limited by your age, location, and when you are purchasing a “Medigap” insurance plan. Some of companies offering insurance plans with Aardy.com include:
There are many reasons people search for health insurance every year. For example: some smaller employers may not offer health insurance to their workers, while others may want to save money on their expenses by finding a plan that works better for their situation.
Health insurance plans can be broken down into two categories: Health Insurance Exchange plans, and off-exchange plans. Insurance offered on the federal exchange are classified by four easy-to-understand categories (bronze, silver, gold, platinum), and must include coverage for the following situations:
Although Exchange plans are among the most common chosen by individuals and families, they are only available under specific rules. Plans must be purchased either during the open enrollment period between Nov. 1 and Dec. 15 every year, or during a special enrollment period triggered by a qualifying event. These events may include losing pre-existing health insurance coverage from an employer, or the birth of a child.
Off-exchange health insurance plans can be purchased at any time and for any reason, but do not necessarily cover everything that an exchange-compliant plan covers. Others may be written as “short-term” health insurance, which do not offer coverage for annual exams with your physician, or any pre-existing conditions you may have. Before purchasing an off-exchange health insurance plan, be sure to read through all the fine print to understand which situations are covered by your plan.
According to the National Committee to Protect Social Security and Medicare, over 61 million Americans — or roughly 19% of the population — are currently on Medicare. The national insurance program available to the elderly and disabled is broken into parts, with each portion covering a different aspect of care. For example: Medicare Part A covers emergency care and hospitalization, while Medicare Part B covers routine care, like doctor’s visits.
There are two types of Medicare plans available: Medicare Advantage plans and Medicare supplement plans. Medicare Advantage plans, also known as “Part C” plans, are offered through private insurance companies as an alternative way to get Medicare Part A and B benefits. These insurance plans must comply with Medicare rules, but also offer additional levels of coverage, like an out-of-pocket maximum and prescription medication coverage. Similar to traditional health insurance, Medicare Advantage subscribers must use providers within their plan “network” to get the most benefit.
Unlike a Medicare Advantage plan, Medicare supplement plans don’t combine the national insurance option with private insurance benefits. Instead, these “Medigap” plans cover additional costs in traditional Medicare, including co-payments, co-insurance payments and deductibles. Certain Medigap plans may also offer insurance coverage for travel outside of the United States. On the downside, Medigap plans only cover one individual. Thus, if a couple both wanted Medigap coverage, they would each need to purchase their own policy.
Before deciding on either a Medicare Advantage or Medicare supplement, be sure to do the research on which plans are right for your needs. Through their partner, Aardy.com offers both plans, along with separate prescription drug plans, also known as “Part D” programs. Because these plans can be complicated, Aardy.com offers the option to call a licensed insurance agent to discuss the different plans, and get help to determine what plans offer the best benefits for your individual situation.
At the core of Aardy.com’s offerings is travel insurance. As a specialized product, these plans are usually very different when compared to traditional health insurance or Medicare products. Traditionally, travel insurance only covers individuals when they are away from their primary home, or in a foreign nation. Each plan includes the most common coverages associated with travel insurance, including:
Many of the travel insurance policies offered by Aardy.com offer pre-existing condition waiver when you purchase your travel insurance early in your planning phase. While most policies require you to buy insurance between 14 and 60 days from your first deposit, others allow you to still get a pre-existing condition waiver when you purchase at least one day before your final trip payment.
To determine what is considered a “pre-existing condition,” many of the plans have a look-back period, usually between 60 and 180 days before your trip. While conditions managed by a doctor through diet, exercise and prescription medications are not usually considered “pre-existing” for the purposes of travel insurance, any new medical issues that happen during the look-back period would be considered “pre-existing.” That is why the waiver is so important, especially for older travelers: If you took advantage of the pre-existing condition waiver through early purchase, any recurrence or issues would be covered by travel insurance.
Buying travel insurance through Aardy.com is a straightforward process. To start, you will send information about your trip (where you are going and travel dates), followed by the residency, citizenship and ages of all travelers. You will also be asked for the total trip cost, when the first payment was made (for early purchase benefit requirements), and your e-mail address.
From there, you will be given several quotes from their travel insurance partners. After selecting the best plan for your needs, you will be taken to checkout, where you will have to share personal information including:
If you are buying health insurance, you will be required to send in additional information to give you the best possible quote. The information you should be prepared with includes:
For those looking for Medicare-based insurance products, your information will be handled by Aardy.com partner HealthCompare.com. While you must provide your ZIP code to see which plans are available in your area, you will also be asked for the gender, date of birth and plan effective date for the individual to be insured. Entering this information will help you get the best possible quote.
If you are purchasing travel insurance documents, all of your items will be delivered electronically to the e-mail address you provide when you purchase direct;y from the insurance provider. While you can carry these documents electronically, it’s recommended you print them out and keep them in a safe place in the event of an emergency.
Should you opt to purchase health insurance or Medicare products, your confirmation and receipt for first payment will be provided electronically. Additional forms, including your summary of benefits, may also be provided online during the shopping and purchasing phases. Once your purchase is complete, your insurance card and other important documents will be delivered via mail.
All information transmitted through Aardy.com is encrypted by a SHA 256-bit SSL connection. The security certificate is provided through R3, doing business as LetsEncrypt.org. Aardy.com also advertises itself as McAfee Secure Certified, but as of the time of this writing, their certificate is not currently active.
Aardy.com is one of the highest reviewed insurance marketplaces online today. Over 5,000 reviews on TrustPilot.com give the site an aggregate 4.9 score out of 5, with an overwhelming number of positive comments. The few complaints registered were focused on coverage related to the COVID-19 pandemic, customer service, and claims with the individual insurance providers.
The Better Business Bureau does not currently offer a rating for the insurance company, and the company is not accredited by the organization.
When it comes to health insurance — travel or otherwise — individuals and families would be hard pressed to find a more robust marketplace than Aardy.com. While the website focuses on insurance products for older customers, their shopping experience is easy to navigate and clearly spells out what insurance is available, and which options provide the best coverage for your kind of trip.
On the other side, just because a market offers multiple products in one place, it doesn’t mean they have all the best options for your needs. Before purchasing any insurance plan, you should always evaluate multiple options, and consider talking to an insurance agent to determine your best path forward.
Yes! Aardy.com is well reviewed by verified users on TrustPilot.com, and all data is secured by 256-bit RSA security.
While the travel insurance products on Aardy.com offer a pre-existing condition waiver on most plans, they do not offer other waivers, including cancel for any reason or hazardous activity waivers.
In most situations, health insurance products will only cover travelers when they are in their home country. If you require medical care in another state or region, out-of-network rates may apply. While some Medicare supplement plans offer international benefits, they are not guaranteed by any product. Medicare travelers should always consider travel insurance when they visit another country.
