Travel Insurance Claim Problem

Manxman_in_exile

RADDERS wrote: »

But as the ops father was travelling alone, how was he supposed to get authorisation before treatment? That seems very harsh surely it was more important to ensure that he got the treatment as it could have been a life or death situation.

But that is an inherent risk of an 80 year old travelling abroad on their own. They may be fully physically fit (for an 80 year old) and fully competent mentally, but it is a real (and I would have thought obvious) risk.


When my 70 year old parents in law spent a month in Australia over 20 years ago, my wife and I made sure they had adequate travel insurance (given their ages and medical conditions) and made sure they knew what to do and whom to contact in an emergency. There's no point having insurance if you don't know how to use it.


Also, I'm not being ageist. Travelling on your own, even with insurance and whether you are 20, 30, 40 0r 80, is a bit of a risk if you're policy doesn't cover you if, for whatever reason, you can't get in touch with your insurer.


shop around - but cheapest isn't necessarily best.

EveryWhere

I guess that he didn't offer the clinic his insurance details. Especially if he didn't know that he needed pre-authorisation in certain circumstances.
The hospital in turn should then try to contact his emergency line.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/holidays/article-3117445/Maureen-s-2-400-bill-care-Spanish-hospital.html

This doesn't mean that the claims handler won't pay out, but you may need to go to the effort of getting an itemised bill for the treatment.
In order to pressure them into doing so, contact; http://www.msssi.gob.es/en/pnc/home.htm

pollypenny

leylandsunaddict wrote: »

You're hardly likely to be going to hospital on holiday unless it's an emergency situation.

I'm just looking at the policy booklet for my last policy and under the What is not Covered it says

Any in-patient, hospital, clinic or repatriation expenses in excess of £500 which have not been reported to and authorised by the Medical Assistance Helpline in advance.

Several years ago my son had an accident one year. He slipped and cracked his head on marble floor and was drifting in and out of consciousness. We rang the insurers immediately and they liased with the hospital and paid the hospital direct. Since then though most companies now tell you that you have to use the local health service where available.

Well, there's a difference between a fall and a broken hip and a fall with a potential sprained ankle, which could mean you can't move around easily.

Even in the example you quote, you had time to ring the insurers. I can envisage a situation when all that can done is call emergenc services and off to hospital. A couple could be injured in a road accident, for example.

hollydays

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

That was the point of my question - and I don't think you worry too much!


We're both 60ish and have pre-existing conditions. We travel abroad a couple of times a year - most recently three weeks ago. We'd checked the EHIC website about the country we were going to and we each had a separate copy of our travel insurance including UK contact 'phone numbers and when we had to contact our insurers. We also had these numbers saved on our 'phones.

Yes I do this too.
In the past I’ve also been given an emergency number by the insurers which was an 0800 number and I had to point out to them you can’t ring 0800 from abroad - it might have changed now with mobiles.

Ganga

I watched a program on tv a while ago about a hospital in Majorca and they had an english speaking member of staff who was employed to contact peoples insurance companies and get the ball rolling for treatment or not in one case ( a young lad who had basic cover and had to pay for treatment received and be transported to a state clinic/hospital )
I am sure other hospitals abroad in main tourist areas do the same.

leylandsunaddict

pollypenny wrote: »

Well, there's a difference between a fall and a broken hip and a fall with a potential sprained ankle, which could mean you can't move around easily.

Even in the example you quote, you had time to ring the insurers. I can envisage a situation when all that can done is call emergenc services and off to hospital. A couple could be injured in a road accident, for example.

I reckon slipping on a soaking wet tiled floor, cracking your head on the marble floor while catching it on the stairs on your way down and knocking yourself out means you're more incapable of moving than if you have a potential sprained ankle or even a broken hip. We weren't even there. A local bar owner saw the club bouncers drag him outside unconscious, pour water down his throat and just leave him. Luckily for our son he did. He phoned the ambulance, he got someone to stay with him while he went in the club to find his friends. They rung us. The insurers were rung en route to the hospital at 01.00.

Manxman_in_exile

What I do not understand, because I've never been on a cruise (and have no desire to do so) is that surely you are entrusting your well-being (to some extent) to the cruise company? Don't they ask you at the outset for things like emergency contacts and travel insurance contacts? I don't know.


If I were an 80 year old (or even 20 year old) travelling on my own on a cruise, I would give them all my contact numbers and make sure they contacted them first, except in the case of a life saving emergency. And I'd make sure my emergency contacts in the UK had my travel insurance numbers and also understood what the travel insurance would cover. Perhaps more so in the case of an 80 year old parent travelling solo.


If I had an 80 year old parent travelling abroad solo I think I would also have talked through with my parent (and travel insurance company) what to do in the event of a health emergency. I don't think that is unforeseeable (but I may be wrong).


I think in the circumstances, 1500 euros might be reasonable (without prior approval - which I suspect OP's father's cover may exclude)


(EDIT: Our annual insurance is quite clear about what is and isn't covered It also advises you to make sure all people covered have a copy of the policy, and gives comprehensive UK 'phone numbers to call for approval etc.)


(2nd EDIT: The whole point of travel insurance is to cover you for the worst eventuality possible - and this could be 10s or even 100s of thousand pounds. It almost certainly won't happen - but if it does, you need to follow the T&Cs).

Cyclizine

I have a few colleagues who work/have worked as doctors on cruise ships. Certainly for the companies they worked for, insurance was mandatory for all passengers - those without would be refused boarding. Medical care on board is essentially private, the doctor has absolute authority to disembark passengers that require care beyond that which is able to be provided on board - insurance is expected to deal with this, but it's not their job to ensure that.

Manxman_in_exile

Cyclizine wrote: »

I have a few colleagues who work/have worked as doctors on cruise ships. Certainly for the companies they worked for, insurance was mandatory for all passengers - those without would be refused boarding. Medical care on board is essentially private, the doctor has absolute authority to disembark passengers that require care beyond that which is able to be provided on board - insurance is expected to deal with this, but it's not their job to ensure that.

I've just remembered one of the reasons why I don't go on cruises!!!


EDIT: I think if you are paying them ££££ it should be their job to do so!!


Check T&Cs before embarking!!!

Katiehound

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

What I do not understand, because I've never been on a cruise (and have no desire to do so) is that surely you are entrusting your well-being (to some extent) to the cruise company? Don't they ask you at the outset for things like emergency contacts and travel insurance contacts? I don't know.
.

The answer is yes.
The cruise company I have travelled with insist that you have adequate insurance with cruise cover and that you must provide details of : next-of-kin, insurance name and policy number and emergency health phone number. Then , in an emergency the cruise line (probably someone at head office) liaises with the insurance company.

I have been on several cruises when someone has had to be airlifted to hospital, the latest was in August when late evening a helicopter came out from Rejkavik when we were midway between Greenland & Shetlands ie the middle of nowhere!
they really look after their guests so I don't quite understand what happened in this case.

On Greenland cruise a lady broke her tooth on the crunchy bacon! The cruise line admitted liabilty, sent her ashore in a tender (all to herself), car waiting to take her to the dentist, no charge - free under Danish law- tooth fixed properly (not an emergency job), car brought her back to the jetty.