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| Travel insurance loophole devastates B.C. couple | |
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| Topic Started: Mar 10 2012, 01:46 AM (1,694 Views) | |
| Darcie | Mar 10 2012, 01:46 AM Post #1 |
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Skeptic
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The travel health insurance that millions of Canadians buy may offer no protection at all if they answer a single question incorrectly — no matter how innocent the error — on a medical questionnaire full of convoluted language, confusing clauses and tricky definitions, the CBC's Marketplace has learned. For some people, the result can be financial ruin when their claims are denied. That’s what happened to Bill Jennings, 67, and his wife Tracy, 48, of Gold River, B.C., who bought travel insurance from Manulife before leaving on a trip to Fort Walton, Fla., in December 2010. They filled out the application, including the medical questionnaire, online and thought they were covered in case of illness during their trip. In Florida, Bill had chest pains and numbness in his arm. He discovered he had suffered a heart attack and needed emergency surgery to remove five blockages in his heart. The surgeon explained that Bill could not be flown home because a change in altitude could bring on another heart attack Which is why we bought insurance in the first place — unexpected emergency," Tracy said. "This was unexpected." Recovering back home, Bill was stunned to receive a letter six months later, saying his travel health insurance claim was denied and he owed $346,000 US in medical bills. "I was just in shock," he said. "I’ve always had travel insurance whenever I’ve left the country. Just in case something happens." Added Tracy: "We're in financial ruin." The problem, according to his insurer, Manulife, was the way the Jennings filled out the medical questionnaire. Manulife says Bill should have answered yes to this question about two conditions: "In the last two (2) years, have you been prescribed or received treatment for and/or been hospitalized (as an in-patient or seen in the emergency department) and/or been prescribed or taken medication for any of the following conditions: diverticular disorder or gastrointestinal bleeding?" Bill insists that he didn’t know what was spelled out in his medical file or that he’d been diagnosed with those two conditions. He thought all his symptoms were related to the colon cancer he’d had surgery for 19 months earlier. "Most importantly to me would be the question, 'What does anything, what does anything related to this have to do with Bill’s heart?'" Tracy said. "Absolutely nothing. Absolutely nothing." Susan Eng of CARP, a Canadian advocacy group for people over 50, says the system is set up for claims to be denied. "Ordinary people are out thousands and thousands of dollars because they did not get the protection they thought they had — only because they made a mistake on the form that they could not possibly have done correctly," she said. While people do have the responsibility to fill out the medical questionnaires correctly, the bar is set too high, she said. "They have to do their best. But as we’ve looked at some examples, the best is not good enough. They simply have all the cards stacked up against them." http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/03/08/travel-insurance-marketplace.html Never realized that people trusted insurance companies. Carp is right on about them. |
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| LuvSouth | Mar 13 2012, 08:34 AM Post #76 |
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I hope the BC couple get a chance to read this thread. We have all the keywords (BC couple, Bill Jennings, 67, and his wife Tracy, 48, of Gold River, B.C. Manulife denied claims, Fort Walton Florida, hospital bill) in case they do a google search, haven't we ? Do they have an email address ? Perhaps someone can send them a link, just a thought ! |
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| campy | Mar 13 2012, 08:36 AM Post #77 |
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Handyman Extraordinaire
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The best thing they can do is hire a lawyer. |
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| LuvSouth | Mar 13 2012, 08:59 AM Post #78 |
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I think the Canadian government should legislate the insurance industries to protect consumers. |
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| swing | Mar 13 2012, 11:44 AM Post #79 |
swing
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I agree LuvSouth. Many of us are afraid to travel should they find a loop hole! There's been a couple cases on the news here in Edmonton, the underwriters were Cooperators! |
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| LuvSouth | Mar 14 2012, 01:35 AM Post #80 |
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I will put Manulife and Cooperators on my watch list. I think they have hidden agenda and consumers must be very careful with them. I suspect they compare the precedures performed between Canada and private hospitals in the US, if it costs too much when performed in the US, say US$360,000 whereas it MIGHT cost only CA$50,000-$100,000, they will try to find "excuses" to deny claims. |
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| friendshipgal | Mar 14 2012, 07:38 AM Post #81 |
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Guess everyone wants their own Trudashians
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We usually go with CAA but this time went with the Canadian Tire group which saved us $500.00 between the two of us. Hubby had a problem with his foot so they authorized two doctor's visits but it didn't clear up and he wanted a prescription renewal, they refused to authorize or pay for a third visit. The reasoning is it's no longer a first time emergency, we did however get a prescription renewal without a visit. I was pleased at the cost of prescriptions, only $34.00 for 90 pills (anti inflammatory). Another problem is that they are based in Quebec so any operator we spoke to had a very heavy accent, one was very hard to understand, so I think next year we will go back to CAA. |
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| swing | Mar 14 2012, 11:44 AM Post #82 |
swing
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Make sure you find out who CAA's underwriters are. If it's Manulife or Cooperators, I'd give them a miss. I called AMA here for insurance. I had to call their underwriter directly who was Manulife. If you're on more than 5 meds you have to go directly to the underwriter. |
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| campy | Mar 14 2012, 04:19 PM Post #83 |
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Handyman Extraordinaire
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Canadian Tire insurance won't even look at you if you're over 75. |
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