Cunard Care Ins. nightmare

I bought Cunard Care Ins when I paid my final payment, I had a stroke, was off loaded into foreign hospital then after 6 days flown home to USA.

Five weeks have gone by.

1/ Cunard charged my credit card for over 2 and half thousand dollars for about 90 mins of medical care on the QM2.

2/ I was sent about 15 different forms asking for statements from doctor on the ship, doctor in foreign hospital (who did not speak English) doctors here in USA who attended to me on my return.

3/ Spoke to Cunard Care, filled out forms, sent them to Claims dept. over 2 weeks ago,

Today spoke with Claims, to be told

a/ You submitted duplicate claims - NOT TRUE- then Cunard care staff told me "First claim cancelled, Second claim NOT RECEIVED??????

Please can someone on here tell me how Cunard can say "you sent in 2 claims then say "2nd claim not received" !!!!!!!!!!!

b/ Now they say I have to re submit the forms !!!!!!!! plus that

c/ Bills charged to my credit card by foreign Hospital and QM2 are not covered by Cunard Care.

I cannot write more I am too distressed. I am struggling to walk, type and deal with normal life , I do not need all this "horse manure" from Cunard Care.

Further to this nightmare.

Spoke again with Berkely Care again. still claim duplicate claims made, yet at same time claiming no claim forms received!!!!!

Asked re refund for 11 days I was not on ship. Told I would receive a new set of forms which I should get signed by doctors ??????

Then I should submit claim to Medicare or Suppl. Insurance for repayment -- Could not get the idiots at Berkely to realize that Medicare does NOT refund money for trip interruption!!! Told then hey will deny your claim, you should then resubmit a claim to us with the denial and we will CONSIDER your claim.HOWEVER THIS DOES NOT MEAN WE WILL REFUND THE MONEY.!!!!

It seems to me that the only thing you can rely on is repatriation home , forget refund or payment of medical expenses, even on board. Told I had to get signature of doctor who treated me on board.

Do not have stroke which renders you speechless, unable to walk, write etc. because you HAVE to deal with the paperwork before you are carried off the ship. Also even though you are lying helpless in a hospital with no one able to speak English you have to deal with the paper work claim form for Berkely Care (Cunard Care) of course you will not have the claim form with you but that does not register with the paper pusher at Berkely Care.

I have not received one cent for refund of interruption of cruise, or medical bills and frankly it does not seem I ever will .

Goodness, what a ghastly mess. I am glad we have our insurance with our bank, who I know work differently.

I hope you are able to get this sorted and far more importantly are in the road to recovery.

Hi Lynn. I'm very sorry you are getting the run-around from Cunard Care. I wonder if the Consumer Protection Agency in Florida might be of assistance? Here is their website: http://www.usa.gov/directory/stateconsumer/florida.shtml

If you have an attorney, you might want to discuss your case with him or her.

I guess it's easier said than done, but please try not to let this nasty business get in the way of your recovery.

Wishing you well,

Salacia

Lynn, I just found this thread about a problem/solution getting a refund from Berkeley Care. The thread is from 2008, but I thought you might find it interesting - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=838838

This consumer advice site might also be helpful http://elliott.org/help/how-to-fix-your-trip/ -Salacia

Dear Lynn,

What an ordeal you're dealing with! When I broke my finger overseas a few years ago and saw a doctor on QM2, it took several months of prodding before the insurance company I used (not Cunard Care) sent a compensation check. But the check did arrive along with a fulsome apology for the delay. Had I suffered a stroke and were living alone, I can't begin to imagine how I would deal with the seemingly endless paperwork that you are wading through, not to mention the obfuscation you confront on the other end.

It may be, as Salacia said, that you should speak to an attorney or the Consumer Protection Agency. But as Salacia and cruiseluvva have both advised, don't let your insurance woes get in the way of your recovery. Your many friends and well-wishers on this board want you sailing again.

John

Lynn, so sorry you are going through all this! We did not opt for Cunard Care but have gone through "Insure my Trip" to search for the best policies. We've purchased Allianz and a couple of others. We fortunately have never had to use our travel insurance, so never had to submit a claim. I therefore have no way to judge the companies, but "Insure my Trip" collects traveler reviews of the various plans so you can read about others' experiences ahead of time.

I do know that for medical expense coverage through travel insurance you need to first go through whoever your primary insurer is before submitting bills to the travel insurance plan. That was made very clear in the policies for the several plans we've purchased. When we first took out travel insurance we were on a group health insurance plan through employer which did cover overseas medical expenses; however, you had to pay first and then submit claim forms and detailed bills to them. Any medical bills not covered by your primary insurer could then go on to be submitted to the travel insurance plan.

More recently, we aged up to Medicare, and as I understand it "traditional" Medicare does not pay for medical expenses outside the U.S. (but I am no expert so others may know better). However, we are on a Medicare Advantage plan not traditional Medicare, and this particular plan operates the same as our previous group plan, i.e., pay the bills for overseas care, submit the bills to them for reimbursement (or partial reimbursement), and then submit any remaining bills to the travel insurance company. I called before we went on our recent trip to see what our Medicare Advantage coverage procedures were. It's still a 3-step process--pay bill yourself; submit to Medicare Advantage plan company forst; any remainng balance submit to travel insurance company

The trip interruption coverage is another story. I suspect the reason that Berkeley is asking you to submit the doctor's bills/insurance statements in order to get reimbursed for trip interruption (the 11 days) is to prove that the interruption was due to medical necessity. Might it be possible for your treating Dr. here in the U.S. just to write a detailed letter to Berkely Care which covers the whole sequence of events from when you were first taken ill, including your diagnosis and the need for leaving the ship and for repatriation? That should be enough to prove medical necessity in order for the insurance company to at least give you reimbursement for the travel interruption part of your claim. I can understand that they need more detail (bills, insurance denials or coverage, etc.) for paying the medical portion of your claim.

Cunard needs to have a much better system in place for covering the bureaucratic logistics of onboard medical emergencies and treatment. For example, they should routinely provide a copy of their medical bill which the patient, or someone designated by the patient, can use to seek reimbursement--be that from a group insurance plan, travel insurance, or whoever. My husband and I went down to the medical facility on the QM to get some tylenol, since there was none available to purchase in the little "drugstore" onboard. We were in fact handed over the itemized bill on the spot, and it was charged to our onboard account. In your circumstance, being so ill and incapacitated, that step may not have been done at the time. Did you ever get the bill from Cunard? I can understand why Cunard has billed your credit card for your onboard care since they can't bill insurance companaies directly themselves. However, they need to provide you with an itemized copy of the bill so you can submit the appropriate claim(s).

For those who are traveling solo, it might be well worthwhile to name someone as a healthcare power of attorney, and for Cunard (or any other cruiseline) to ask the traveler to voluntarily have that information on file with them in case of emergency. That way, even if the traveler is incapacitated there is someone with whom to communicate, to whom a copy of the bill could go, etc.

Wishing you well in your recovery and in your battles with the insurance bureaucracy!

Ann

Oh Lynn I'm so sorry to here you are having so much trouble with the insurance. They seem to make things so ridiculously difficult. I hope you get it sorted out.

We are having a similar fight with my son who suffered a ruptured kidney just before he was due to go on holiday in September and was not able to go. He is still trying to get his money back and keeps getting asked for different bits of paper signed by different people.

It is bad enough to have your holiday ruined by such an awful event, they don't have to make it so difficult when you come to sort out the insurance you have paid for.

All the best.

Just to lighten up this thread, I searched the mass of paperwork, I stuffed away before leaving for the flight home and found something from the Hospital cannot make head nor tail of it, as it is Flemish, but being pig headed as I am, and with my temper up, have decided that since Berkely Care wants paperwork from Belgium I will send them a copy of that, now that should cause their eyebrows to go up to their hairline. It is absolute gobbledegook, can you imagine how much work it will be for them to find a translator????

Well I have to get my laughs where I can.

Thank you all for letting me vent, it was that or burst a blood vessel.

Will keep you informed.

To all of you lucky people on board QM2 today, when you are sitting in the Chart Room, sip your glass of whatever and know I wish I was sitting there with you.

Best wishes

Lynn

Dear Lynn,

I'm so very sorry for not only the experience you suffered with your illness & the aftermath which I have followed on other threads, but also on this insurance problem.

I'm very unfamiliar with US insurance details, but when I have experienced a problem here in London with Insurance Companies & claims I've engaged an assessor who works for the claimant & takes over all the admin & aggro that comes with it to get the best outcome for you. This obviously entails you giving them all the info/paperwork at the outset (plus a percentage of the settlement) but it may well save you many a sleepless night at such a difficult time & introduce a 3rd party with more teeth to fight these people. Let's face it, you are at a venerable point in your recovery & need your strength to get better, not to argue with these sharks.

As said, not sure if this option is open to you in the US (sorry if this post is not therefore relevant) but if it is, do consider this, because you've paid your premium & are therefore entitled to the coverage the insurance affords. Pure, simple & quickly. So let someone else take the strain for you.

Good wishes to you & a speedy recovery.

Lynn--In case you need translation, Flemish is basically a dialect (actually several dialects) of Dutch. The written language is regular Dutch. Our son, who just returned to the U.S., spent the last 5 years in the Netherlands and his Dutch is pretty good. If you need the paperwork translated, he might be able to help, or knows others who can.

Ann

Lynn, I'm so sorry! I suspect that insurance claims are always difficult. They want to put people off so they think twice about claiming. It's just not fair.

My first step in your situation would be to go to the insurance paperwork so that I am absolutely clear what Cunard Care does cover. If their wording is unclear, I would consider getting a friend to phone up, pretending to be a potential customer, to ask questions that cover the relevant points. Keep a note of the date and time and operator's name so you can tell them 'You DO promise X and Y.'

When you send them any documents, keep a photocopy. If it's easy enough, get a certified (or notarised) copy so that if it goes astray you still have something to resend. Also, when you post documents, pay a little extra so that the company has to sign for them at the other end, so you can prove they arrived.

It's all hard work, and I wish you did not have to do this while unwell, but I hope it all works out in the end.

We have used Berkely Care and for us they were very helpful. Yes you do have to submit a claim to your own insurance first. Once you receive the denial letter then you can submit your claim with all paperwork from the original doctor plus the denial letter from your insurance company to Berkely for payment. It did take a couple of months of going through the process to get payment but we did.

I bought Cunard Care Ins when I paid my final payment, I had a stroke, was off loaded into foreign hospital then after 6 days flown home to USA.

 

Five weeks have gone by.

1/ Cunard charged my credit card for over 2 and half thousand dollars for about 90 mins of medical care on the QM2.

 

2/ I was sent about 15 different forms asking for statements from doctor on the ship, doctor in foreign hospital (who did not speak English) doctors here in USA who attended to me on my return.

 

3/ Spoke to Cunard Care, filled out forms, sent them to Claims dept. over 2 weeks ago,

Today spoke with Claims, to be told

 

a/ You submitted duplicate claims - NOT TRUE- then Cunard care staff told me "First claim cancelled, Second claim NOT RECEIVED??????

Please can someone on here tell me how Cunard can say "you sent in 2 claims then say "2nd claim not received" !!!!!!!!!!!

 

b/ Now they say I have to re submit the forms !!!!!!!! plus that

 

c/ Bills charged to my credit card by foreign Hospital and QM2 are not covered by Cunard Care.

 

I cannot write more I am too distressed. I am struggling to walk, type and deal with normal life , I do not need all this "horse manure" from Cunard Care.

What's happened to you is the reason I never buy insurance from the cruiseline. You could drive a bus through the loopholes.

Lynn, I am happy to see your sense of humor showing, as well as your cheers to the folks now happily ensconced in the Chart Room!

You absolutely need to turn this mess over to a trusted friend or agent! Your sole job right now should be recovering in peace without this aggravation. You do not need a lawyer at this juncture (I'm a lawyer, and I'm experienced in dealing with insurance claims--all you need is someone who is organized, detail-oriented and persistent.) I would happily volunteer to take this off your hands for you but for the fact I am presently covered up with the same sort of paperwork nightmares involving parent long-term care insurance and death-related matters.

If you can't identify anyone you think fits the bill of willing and able helper, please send me a Friend Request, and I will try to connect you with someone in your area. I have never done the clunky CC Friend thing before, so in case you haven't either, here is the instruction page: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/faq.php?faq=vb3_user_profile#faq_vb3_friends_contacts

Best regards,

^ never mind with that Friend business. It seems it is a worthless exercise, i.e., does not facilitate any form of private messaging.

Please see my email linked on this page of my recent QM2 crossing site.

found something from the Hospital cannot make head nor tail of it, as it is Flemish, but being pig headed

If you need a translation, I'm a native speaker of Dutch (which is 99% compatible with Flemish).

What's happened to you is the reason I never buy insurance from the cruiseline. You could drive a bus through the loopholes.

Hi Kieth. My travel agent said the same thing...I'm beginning to understand why she said that.

Just to show how stupid I am (as if anyone needed more proof), I thought that by buying Cunard Care Insurance, any medical costs occurred on board would be covered up to the limit specified. Thanks to Jimsgirl for sharing her recent experience, I now know to give more attention to travel insurance, and to be willing to pay more for a more inclusive policy. -S.

Lynn, we shared a coffee together a few years ago in Sir Samuel's during a Caribbean run on Queen Mary.

I am so sorry for your illness and for the insurance nightmare you are trying to sort out.

Focus on your recuperation first.

Let the insurance companies burn in hell which is what all of their ilk deserve. I have been through this too.

Bobby

I am very sorry to hear about your problems with the insurance. I wish I could offer you some practical help in your situation. Is there nothing that Cunard can do about? I wish you a good recovery.

Hi Kieth. My travel agent said the same thing...I'm beginning to understand why she said that.

 

Just to show how stupid I am (as if anyone needed more proof), I thought that by buying Cunard Care Insurance, any medical costs occurred on board would be covered up to the limit specified. Thanks to Jimsgirl for sharing her recent experience, I now know to give more attention to travel insurance, and to be willing to pay more for a more inclusive policy. -S.

And I believe that if one had Cunard Care and they received medical care on board, then the ship/Cunard should coordinate payment with the insurance company and leave the poor patient out of it - wishful thinking I see now.

Cunard should be ashamed! Awful handling in a very distressing situation by their insurance carrier.

And I for one will not be inclined to purchase Cunard Care in the future.

Hopefully all will be resolved over time. And funds will be released. Insurance companies can be so daunting to deal with.

Hope you are feeling better soon Jimsgirl.

After reading this post I felt I must comment. Just to clarify a point Cunard is not responsible for any of our boo boo's. Cunard is a cruse line, they are NOT a floating hospital for the elderly or sick.

Most adults in the 1st world are required to take care of themselves. These are all 1st world problems which can be resolved with a little bit of information and personal accountability. If I get hurt I must take care of myself and get the required medical attention and not blame others for my misfortunes or the decisions that I have made based upon what I believe was right.

After reading this post I felt I must comment. Just to clarify a point Cunard is not responsible for any of our boo boo's. Cunard is a cruse line, they are NOT a floating hospital for the elderly or sick.

 

A quick google tells me that a boo boo is either -

1. A stupid mistake; a blunder

or

2. A slight physical injury, such as a scratch.

I think we are talking about more than a slight injury in this quite specific case.

I would expect Cunard CS to stand behind their branded insurance products if approached and to assist a claimant to process their paperwork.

From what Jimsgirl has told us it seems that the ship medical staff have done all the right things in transferring her to hospital and then the ball was dropped by the assistance provider - leaving her feeling deserted and vulnerable for 6 days.

The subsequent claim issues just add insult to injury and are a salutary warning for all of us.

I hope this is resolved soon for you Jimsgirl and you can return to cruising in some form at least.

A quick google tells me that a boo boo is either -

1. A stupid mistake; a blunder

or

2. A slight physical injury, such as a scratch.

 

I think we are talking about more than a slight injury in this quite specific case.

 

I would expect Cunard CS to stand behind their branded insurance products if approached and to assist a claimant to process their paperwork.

 

From what Jimsgirl has told us it seems that the ship medical staff have done all the right things in transferring her to hospital and then the ball was dropped by the assistance provider - leaving her feeling deserted and vulnerable for 6 days.

 

The subsequent claim issues just add insult to injury and are a salutary warning for all of us.

 

I hope this is resolved soon for you Jimsgirl and you can return to cruising in some form at least.

From what i've been able to read from this thread Cunard's insurance company has done what is standard practice of many insurance company's. You must submit a claim to your primary insurer first and then put the unclaimed expenses to your secondary insurer, etc. These practices are very common and are not directly attributed to Cunard Cruise Lines and they have not done anything underhanded. This is ALL hearsay and doesn't help anyone.

All information about their policy is available online.

I'm not aware of any policy that states that you will have someone beside you 24 /7 to make sure you don't feel deserted or vulnerable.

There is a website that provides a lot of information about how to process a claim. Including an authorization form to contact health care providers on your behalf. This thread has become real Cunard bashing and its' unfortunate some people are not able to look for information that is relative easy to find - just to add an insult to injury....

Below is information directly from their website.

Questions Specific to Medical Claims

I sought medical assistance while on my Trip and don’t know if I can reach the physician to complete Part 5 of the claim form?

The hospital admittance or discharge papers, a doctor’s statement or a bill showing diagnosis and date of treatment, will

suffice if the Attending Physician for your illness cannot complete Part 5 of the claim form. If the paperwork provided to you by the hospital does not contain a diagnosis and you sought follow up medical care upon your return home, please have your home physician complete Part 5 in addition to submitting the paperwork you were given during your Trip.

Why are you requesting I place a claim with my own insurance for my Medical claim when I took out your protection plan?

If the plan you purchased states it is secondary or “in excess” to any other medical insurance you may have, then it is our intent to supplement any remaining amounts expended for Covered Expenses that your insurance will not pay (i.e.co-payments/deductibles). An Explanation of Benefits from your own insurance would be necessary to finalize your claim.

BTW Berkley Cruise care who handle part of Cunard Care are also providers of insurance to MANY other cruise lines such has HAL, RCCL, Celebrity etc.