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How would you handle this


Thamsey

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6 days prior to my cruise I had pains in my stomach and sides eventually went to the emergency ward and after ultra sound and cat scan I was diagnosed with a mass on my kidney. I was gong solo on my cruise and did not feel comfortable crusing alone in case the pains came back. My insurance says the doctor in the emergency ward had to tell me I could not travel. Has anyone ever run into this problem before and how did you deal with it. Of course going solo I was scared in case I developed more stomach pains but I am (was) distressed about the diagnosis.

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6 days prior to my cruise I had pains in my stomach and sides eventually went to the emergency ward and after ultra sound and cat scan I was diagnosed with a mass on my kidney. I was gong solo on my cruise and did not feel comfortable crusing alone in case the pains came back. My insurance says the doctor in the emergency ward had to tell me I could not travel. Has anyone ever run into this problem before and how did you deal with it. Of course going solo I was scared in case I developed more stomach pains but I am (was) distressed about the diagnosis.

 

What the person at the insurance company told you is generally correct with every insurer I can think of -- the cancellation has to be reconnended by a doctor. For example, this is from the covered reasons for trip cancellation with TravelSafe:

 

"A covered Sickness or Injury involving You, Your Traveling Companion or Business Partner, or Your Family Member which necessitates Medical Treatment at the time of cancellation and results in medically imposed restrictions, as certified by a Legally Qualified Physician, which prevents Your participation in the Trip; "

 

So, being afraid of a re-occurance of the pain will not be enough. Your choices are to 1) go on the cruise as planned, 2) cancel and accept your loss of the cancellation penalty, or 3) get a second opinion.

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Did your doctor recommend not going? I think that if you had pain bad enough to go to the emergency department, then that should have been enough of a red flag to tell you to rebook the cruise. I would be more concerned about the "mass on the kidney" ...

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Get a statement from the doctor stating that travel would not have been recommended in your condition. You don't necessarily have to have gotten the statement before you canceled.

 

It's worth a try...

 

SirWired

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Thank you, I will go back to the emergency ward and ask the doctor if she could fill it out stating that I needed to see my specalist first to recommend if I could travel or not. My ship sails tonight and I see the specialist tomorrow. I hope that works I could never have travelled being told I probably have a cancer of the kidney. I stilll do not know what I am up against until seeing the specialist tomorrow.

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Well, if you booked the specialist immediately, all you need the ER Dr. to write is something along the lines of "I recommend Thamsey consult with a Nephrologist (or whatever kind of doc you saw) without delay." Also send in the file from the specialist you are about to see to show you followed the Dr.'s advice.

 

When filing your claim, don't be shy about sending in your explanation of the timeline, copies of your medical records (with the juicy bits highlighted), etc. While all they request is usually a short form, the more records the better.

 

SirWired

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I sent in the short form the emergency room doctor she did put on it that it was an emergency. I was diagnosed with cancer of the kidney on April 12th and will now have surgery on May 13th/ I have had bone scans chest, x rays, blood work and MRI is next week. I can not believe how quickly this has all been handled I am very grateful for the doctors I have.

Hopefully I get my refund and it will help with expenses until I can return to work/

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As I said before, don't be shy when filing your claim. Don't send in every last scrap of paper you have, and the insurance Co doesn't need to see your x-rays, but pages detailing your diagnosis, treatment plans, and timelines are helpful. Circle the significant bits demonstrating why it was a bad idea for you to be on vacation. I've filed two claims so far, both of them were over 20 pages. One was a medical-based cancellation (my Dad needed a triple-bypass), the other was a "simple" two-day delay coming home due to a snowstorm; that one clocked in at 34 pages.

 

It can also be very helpful to include an explanation you write of the timeline, a list of all the attachments you are sending, and an explanation stating what the adjuster is supposed to learn from reading that particular attachment. You want to answer any questions the adjuster has on the validity of the claim before they think to ask them. If you don't, there will be a delay why the insurer contacts your doctor to request additional records, contacts you to ask questions, etc.

 

If your policy does NOT have a pre-existing-condition waiver, expect the claim to take longer to process.

 

I think if you can show that in the middle of what would have been your vacation you have been at the doctor's receiving treatment (on a timeline requested by the doctor) you should be in good shape to get the claim approved.

 

Certainly the "golden ticket" would be a statement explicitly saying you shouldn't travel, starting April 12, but even if you don't have that, evidence of getting treatment during your vacation should be pretty compelling.

 

SirWired

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