Cunard Care Ins. nightmare

[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.

 

Just to clarify, a stroke (which is the "boo-boo" in this thread, is caused by a burst artery, in the brain or a blood clot), in my case it was a blood clot which "escaped from my heart and landed up in my brain, this can happen at any age, some victims are as young as 15 years.

 

I may be a senior but I was not sick, I have been travelling alone for a very long time

 

No one ,least of all myself expects Cunard or any other cruise line to be a floating hospital

the ship does have a crew who need medical attention at times.

 

I ,as the one who started this thread have never blamed Cunard for my stroke, I was surprised to find that although my OBA had several hundred $ unspent, Cunard took that and did not put it to the bill, but simply appropriated it.

 

I did express horror at the "workhouse conditions " at the hospital ashore , and the lack of medical attention - not being seen by a doctor for 4 days ,no tests to pinpoint the damage.

 

This Thread is to point out that although by buying Ins. the cruiser is supposed to be compensated for loss of cruise (11 days in my case). and the cost of medical attention, which has cost me $3,000 That although I have filed the needed paperwork, the ins. company to date has not processed my claim. They have

 

Gentleman cruiser should not cruise unless he is accompanied by his personal doctors, a surgeon , and nurse, equipped with his own medical equipment,lest he choke on his own ego.

 

Lynn

[fantasy51]

It is very common for big companies to act as providers for insurance companies. Here in the UK my insurance is through John Lewis (a large department store company, a guarantee of quality). However, they are just the brokers. They use a particular insurance company that they have chosen for quality. Recently they changed insurance companies. In both cases my fees were paid to John Lewis but it is the details of the insurance company itself that goes down on cruise documents as the medical provider. They are the ones who will handle any claims. If they do a bad job, then is John Lewis at fault? I would say the only fault would be that they selected a company that wasn't as good as it set out to be. The main fault would be with the insurance company.

 

The same is true in this case. Cunard acted as the broker. It is the actual insurance company whom Lynn has to deal with, not Cunard. If we had a problem with a piece of jewellery we had purchased on the ship, it would be dealt with by Hardings, the onboard providers, not by Cunard or Carnival. Cunard acts as a broker for the jewellery store. I therefore agree that we should not be blaming Cunard in this case either, but rather we should put the blame on shonky practices by insurance companies.

 

I am really sorry for all Lynn is going through. I have fought my own battles with insurance companies. I find you cannot let them intimidate you. You politely, firmly and repeatedly state your case with all the relevant documentation. It's just so frustrating that she has to do it when unwell. Persistence pays off.

 

Lynn, don't worry about this. It WILL work out when you have the time and energy to sort it out. Keep positive.

[fantasy51]

I ,as the one who started this thread have never blamed Cunard for my stroke, I was surprised to find that although my OBA had several hundred $ unspent, Cunard took that and did not put it to the bill, but simply appropriated it.

 

I did express horror at the "workhouse conditions " at the hospital ashore , and the lack of medical attention - not being seen by a doctor for 4 days ,no tests to pinpoint the damage.

 

This Thread is to point out that although by buying Ins. the cruiser is supposed to be compensated for loss of cruise (11 days in my case). and the cost of medical attention, which has cost me $3,000 That although I have filed the needed paperwork, the ins. company to date has not processed my claim.

 

Well said Lynn. I felt this was all very clear in all your posts.

 

It is unfortunate but Cunard specifically states that OBC cannot be used against medical bills.

[gentlemancruiser]

Just to clarify, a stroke (which is the "boo-boo" in this thread, is caused by a burst artery, in the brain or a blood clot), in my case it was a blood clot which "escaped from my heart and landed up in my brain, this can happen at any age, some victims are as young as 15 years.

 

 

I did express horror at the "workhouse conditions " at the hospital ashore , and the lack of ,lest he choke on his own ego.

 

Lynn

 

Clearly I have upset you Lynn and you've chosen to take what i have posted personally. I have never said anything nasty about you here. It was not my intentions to insult you or your circumstances, I was just to trying to provide a different perspective of the situation. There are always 2 sides to every story, or so I've been told.

 

BTW, I am fully aware of what a Stoke is and it's impact on day to day living, having helped my elderly aunt care for my elderly uncle for many years while he was bed bound and wheelchair bound and then caring for my aunt when she suffered a major debilitating stroke and died. I also watched as my mother died from one a few years ago. So yes I'm fully aware of what they can do!!!

[Salacia]

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.

 

 

 

Gentlemancruiser, you need to read more closely the details of this incident. A dose of empathy and understanding would be appreciated in the event you are blind to the facts posted by a loyal Cunard passenger - who against all odds, our fellow passenger, Jimsgirl, survived what could have been a catastrophic event with her faculties intact. As I read it, no complaint was made regarding the treatment on board.

 

 

Requiring passengers to submit claims for interrupted cruise coverage to Medicare before a refund is consider is ridiculous.

 

Off loading a sick passenger at a foreign port without support is nasty, and when a passenger buys Cunard Care Insurance, they expect to Cunard to step up to the plate and do the right thing. Other wise, what is the purpose of buying "CUNARD CARE" if they don't. ?

[Salacia]

Clearly I have upset you Lynn and you've chosen to take what i have posted personally. I have never said anything nasty about you here. It was not my intentions to insult you or your circumstances, I was just to trying to provide a different perspective of the situation. There are always 2 sides to every story, or so I've been told.

 

BTW, I am fully aware of what a Stoke is and it's impact on day to day living, having helped my elderly aunt care for my elderly uncle for many years while he was bed bound and wheelchair bound and then caring for my aunt when she suffered a major debilitating stroke and died. I also watched as my mother died from one a few years ago. So yes I'm fully aware of what they can do!!!

 

Gentlemancruiser, I doubt that you upset Lynn, but you did upset me. Just my opinion, but once we board a ship, we are all shipmates. We will all sink or swim together.

 

That is what I was taught - a metaphor for life.

 

Salacia

[balf]

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.

 

When we are sick, whether young or old and are incapable of caring for ourselves, we have medics who are or should be, dedicated to our well being.

 

I don't understand your comments about taking care of ourselves. How does that work when you have had a stroke with all the disability that entails.

 

Nor do I understand you comment about "a floating hospital for the elderly or sick". Are you implying that the elderly should not be on the ship. Should Lynn not have travelled because she was elderly, which is a derogatory term anyway.

 

David.

[Emma Chisit]

I have been following the threads about this insurance nightmare with interest, and send my best wishes to Jimsgirl for a swift recovery. I have always appreciated her posts. (I drop in on the Cunard board sometimes, because this year we did a crossing on QM2, our first time on Cunard.)

Now…..We know that the cruiselines do read Cruise Critic. What they should be keenly aware of is the “Silent Majority”; people like me who may not post often – but who are very much influenced by instances (such as this) when a cruise passenger is treated poorly by a cruise line. For example, the floods in Europe last year severely disrupted many river cruises. The floods were unavoidable, but it was clear that several river cruiselines did not treat their passengers well. Those are the cruiselines that I, and almost certainly many more of the silent majority, have decided never to use. There is a lot of competition for our tourist dollars, so it is only common sense to spend them with cruiselines that look after their passengers when problems occur.

One sees of course many clearly frivolous (even ridiculous) complaints and reviews on Cruise Critic. Yet it seems here we have a situation where a long-time loyal passenger assumed she was paying for something called “ Cunard Care” (Whatever “Care” means), but seems instead to have experienced Cunard “Care Less”. I understand the arguments offered here, that in this instance Cunard is merely a broker for the insurance company which is the source of the problem. It is not a good look for the company, however, given their marketing slogan of “Cunard Care” - and they need to step up and help Jimsgirl with all this morass of paperwork now facing her.

[Jimsgirl]

I thank all those who have expressed good wishes .

 

To my sorrow it is unlikely I will be able to travel alone in the future. I have been fortunate to have seen so much of the world in the past, so I have many great memories..

 

Tonight , my "walking contraption and I are going to "walk" across our parking lot to the complex clubhouse for a Pre Thanksgiving meal , There will be music as well as food.

Not quite up to Cunard style but should be fun.

 

I will continue my claim. Many trees were cut down to make the very excessive number of forms, containing some absurd questions, I have to wonder at the mind set of the person who dreamed these up.

 

By the way if anyone ever has to go to the medical centre on board, be sure to get a FULL explanation of your medical condition, and a signed letter from the doctor, together with complete details of EVERYTHING done to treat you. Of course I did not do this and trying to get all that now is truly frustrating.

 

Personally I would have thought there would have been some details on board in the Medical Centre concerning my need for treatment and why I had to be put ashore, but it is amazing how difficult it is to convince the Ins. company , that I had no choice at the time, a very pert YOUNG person did insist that I should have "TRIED to continue the cruise"! She asked what efforts I made to do so!!!!

 

Clearly her brain is a "Drive through not a parking lot" .

 

Enough is enough, I think this thread had better close, there are more fun things to do on board than think about being ill.

 

I did read some really good news in two e mails this week, from cruising friends who received upgrades, one really hit the jackpot, from a Britannia Club to a Q4, on QV at Christmas what fun they will have talk about wishing I was there, my eyes are very green with envy.

[Jules.]

Jimsgirl I am sorry to hear of your problems with your health and with your insurance claim and I hope that things get sorted out for you as soon as possible x

[jimmybean]

Dear Jimsgirl,

 

Wishing you a speedy recovery and the eventual resolution of frustrating insurance issues...

 

Also… Don't rule out another voyage! Who knows? Time is a great healer, after a stroke.

 

Your postings and wisdom (and candor) are always such a delight. Please continue to share what you know and what you think in this venue.

 

Jimmybean

[Josie8]

We were on the same cruise and my partner was nearby when you fell ill.

 

After reading this thread we have decided not to take out cunard care insurance for our next cruise which is at Christmas on the Queen Victoria, though offered it through our US travel agent.

 

Insurers are quick to take your money but not so quick to settle claims.

[keithm]

Just to clarify, a stroke (which is the "boo-boo" in this thread, is caused by a burst artery, in the brain or a blood clot), in my case it was a blood clot which "escaped from my heart and landed up in my brain, this can happen at any age, some victims are as young as 15 years.

 

I may be a senior but I was not sick, I have been travelling alone for a very long time

 

No one ,least of all myself expects Cunard or any other cruise line to be a floating hospital

the ship does have a crew who need medical attention at times.

 

I ,as the one who started this thread have never blamed Cunard for my stroke, I was surprised to find that although my OBA had several hundred $ unspent, Cunard took that and did not put it to the bill, but simply appropriated it.

 

I did express horror at the "workhouse conditions " at the hospital ashore , and the lack of medical attention - not being seen by a doctor for 4 days ,no tests to pinpoint the damage.

 

This Thread is to point out that although by buying Ins. the cruiser is supposed to be compensated for loss of cruise (11 days in my case). and the cost of medical attention, which has cost me $3,000 That although I have filed the needed paperwork, the ins. company to date has not processed my claim. They have

 

Gentleman cruiser should not cruise unless he is accompanied by his personal doctors, a surgeon , and nurse, equipped with his own medical equipment,lest he choke on his own ego.

 

Lynn

Great to see your wit is a sharp as ever! On our last Cunard trip in 2012(on the QV) Richard had a stomach bug(not the same as Norovirus)Actually we both had it. Richard had a Kidney transplant in 2009, things like this can really hit him hard. He became dehydrated & started having real issues. Cunard was "more" than glad to try to get us to leave at the first port. Dr.Petra Potts, however ran several tests & decided to really give him a good dose of intraveineous fluids. After a few days of this, he was pretty much back to his old self. Appetite took a little longer to restore. The bill was about $1200, which was refunded(minus a deductable)by our insurance. Needless to say it can get very scary when an illness hits you. It's much worse when traveling solo. I wish more people would understand that "I'm all alone" feeling. It's very disconcerting.