Claim for positive covid test?

[39august]

Do you need to see your doctor after a positive test in order to make a claim, or is the test itself all that is needed to file a claim, please?

[iflyrc5]

9 minutes ago, 39august said:

Do you need to see your doctor after a positive test in order to make a claim, or is the test itself all that is needed to file a claim, please?

Ask your insurance company.  If it was a proctored test the results that they send you might be enough but if it was a home self test I would think not.

[GeezerCouple]

Many policies require a physician to complete a relatively short form documenting that there was a medical need to "not travel".

So double check if this applies to *your* specific policy, and whether at test result is sufficient.

 

ALWAYS double check the exact wording of your own policy about claim requirements.

Someone else may have a "similar" policy, but it might not be identical to yours. 

And what some anonymous internet forum poster writes... that's not going to help if a claim is denied.  ("But someone wrote online that it would be okay!")

 

GC

[Babr]

Policies today treat COVID as any other illness. That means you have to have a doctor’s diagnosis and advice not to travel as with any other illness. Even if the test was proctored, the insurance company will want confirmation.

 

Check your policy and/or call your insurance to be sure you are fulfilling the requirements.

[39august]

Thanks for the replies. I intend to call my insurance company tomorrow. 

[klfrodo]

26 minutes ago, 39august said:

Thanks for the replies. I intend to call my insurance company tomorrow. 

Please come back and share what your travel insurance tells you so others may learn.

[iamtrustworthy]

9 hours ago, 39august said:

Do you need to see your doctor after a positive test in order to make a claim, or is the test itself all that is needed to file a claim, please?

Hi 39august,

 

I can't say all plans cover Covid the same same as any illness. Check the wording to see if epidemics and pandemics are excluded. All our Trip Cancellation plans cover Covid the same as any illness.

 

Did you get the positive test before or during your trip?

 

Steve Dasseos

[nextcruiseonmymind]

On 4/3/2022 at 1:58 PM, Babr said:

Policies today treat COVID as any other illness. That means you have to have a doctor’s diagnosis and advice not to travel as with any other illness. Even if the test was proctored, the insurance company will want confirmation.

 

Check your policy and/or call your insurance to be sure you are fulfilling the requirements.

What a load of crap. It's not the doctor that won't let you travel, it's the cruise line. Has nothing to do with the doctor. Just another excuse not to pay a ligit claim. 

 

[Babr]

24 minutes ago, nextcruiseonmymind said:

What a load of crap. It's not the doctor that won't let you travel, it's the cruise line. Has nothing to do with the doctor. Just another excuse not to pay a ligit claim. 

 

As you please - but without the proper documentation, your claim will be denied. Read the policy or check with your insurer to be sure what is required for your policy.

[GeezerCouple]

2 hours ago, nextcruiseonmymind said:

What a load of crap. It's not the doctor that won't let you travel, it's the cruise line. Has nothing to do with the doctor. Just another excuse not to pay a ligit claim. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Babr said:

As you please - but without the proper documentation, your claim will be denied. Read the policy or check with your insurer to be sure what is required for your policy.

 

Babr is correct.

And to get that "proper documentation" if you test positive/have Covid, contact your physician.  Chances are very good that s/he will tell you that you can not travel because you are sick... you have Covid.

It's not tricky.

 

IF you have insurance that explicitly would cover a cancellation because you "test positive", then the test result would be sufficient.  However, I'm not aware if there are such policies.  But that's not a problem.  If you have measles, your physician will tell you not to travel.  Ditto with Covid or acute appendicitis.  But the physician has to write the letter/complete the form.  You don't get to "declare yourself sick" so you can collect insurance money.

 

GC

[mauimary]

I have a question on getting the documentation one would need if it was discover upon disembarking that they have tested positive per proctored test in a hotel room.  I know it depends on the insurance company if that documented result will be all that is needed.  Could a person just call up their own physician at home to get a letter along  with proof of the result?  Venturing to guess a clinic abroad would not want you to come in knowing you are positive.  Sometimes these tests do not turn negative after a week.  There is nothing magic about 6 days.  I know we definitely need to look into details before we travel this summer. 

[Babr]

9 hours ago, mauimary said:

I have a question on getting the documentation one would need if it was discover upon disembarking that they have tested positive per proctored test in a hotel room.  I know it depends on the insurance company if that documented result will be all that is needed.  Could a person just call up their own physician at home to get a letter along  with proof of the result?  Venturing to guess a clinic abroad would not want you to come in knowing you are positive.  Sometimes these tests do not turn negative after a week.  There is nothing magic about 6 days.  I know we definitely need to look into details before we travel this summer. 

I’m not sure anyone has the answer to this question. I think timing is the issue. The diagnosis has to be confirmed before you incur expenses for quarantine or transportation. The insurance company may want a PCR rather than a monitored antigen. I think it is best to inquire with your insurer so that you know ahead of time and can have a plan in place.

[klfrodo]

9 hours ago, mauimary said:

I have a question on getting the documentation one would need if it was discover upon disembarking that they have tested positive per proctored test in a hotel room.  I know it depends on the insurance company if that documented result will be all that is needed.  Could a person just call up their own physician at home to get a letter along  with proof of the result?  Venturing to guess a clinic abroad would not want you to come in knowing you are positive.  Sometimes these tests do not turn negative after a week.  There is nothing magic about 6 days.  I know we definitely need to look into details before we travel this summer. 

Let's just pretend we are sitting at work and we work as a Claims Adjuster for XYZ Travel Insurance Company.

The claim comes across your desk that someone wants to be reimbursed for a trip they cancelled because they came up positive for Covid. In researching this, you find that they took a proctored Covid test in Miami. Okay, no problem. When you go to look at the Licensed Physician documentation, you see the MD is a physician in Oregon in the claimants home town.

 

How many red flags would that throw up?

 

I could be wrong though. I'm thinking it would be the expectation that if one came up hot on a proctored test, one would immediately go to a local Urgent Care clinic for immediate care.

[Babr]

29 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

Let's just pretend we are sitting at work and we work as a Claims Adjuster for XYZ Travel Insurance Company.

The claim comes across your desk that someone wants to be reimbursed for a trip they cancelled because they came up positive for Covid. In researching this, you find that they took a proctored Covid test in Miami. Okay, no problem. When you go to look at the Licensed Physician documentation, you see the MD is a physician in Oregon in the claimants home town.

 

How many red flags would that throw up?

 

I could be wrong though. I'm thinking it would be the expectation that if one came up hot on a proctored test, one would immediately go to a local Urgent Care clinic for immediate care.

I agree, but it becomes more problematic if you are somewhere in Europe and not familiar with the regulations or resources. Perhaps the hotel could advise you of what is available, but it would be better to know ahead of time what the insurance company requires and how to get it.

[mauimary]

Thank you. We will definitely give a call ahead of time before we go to Europe. We will have to get ourselves tested before returning home if it is still a requirement to be tested before entering the US.  

[GeezerCouple]

44 minutes ago, Babr said:

I agree, but it becomes more problematic if you are somewhere in Europe and not familiar with the regulations or resources. Perhaps the hotel could advise you of what is available, but it would be better to know ahead of time what the insurance company requires and how to get it.

 

We had a very different situation (pre-Covid) overseas while we were staying at a hotel.
The hotel can call one of "their" physicians, and then you get a receipt (on some sort of letterhead if not an official invoice/etc.).  The travel insurance covers that as part of the situation.  It was that physician who stated that I could not travel until a certain date.  The insurance also covered all of our expenses during that "change" in our travel plans, plus transportation to get to our regularly planned "next reservation".

 

There was nothing special about the claims process for that.  One key thing almost always (or always always?) is that documentation from a physician to verify the medical need for <whatever>.

Presumably, if it's Covid, then the restrictions would be... whatever the current restrictions are, wherever you are at that time, and of course, any expenses for any medical care.

 

GC

[Babr]

59 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

We had a very different situation (pre-Covid) overseas while we were staying at a hotel.
The hotel can call one of "their" physicians, and then you get a receipt (on some sort of letterhead if not an official invoice/etc.).  The travel insurance covers that as part of the situation.  It was that physician who stated that I could not travel until a certain date.  The insurance also covered all of our expenses during that "change" in our travel plans, plus transportation to get to our regularly planned "next reservation".

 

There was nothing special about the claims process for that.  One key thing almost always (or always always?) is that documentation from a physician to verify the medical need for <whatever>.

Presumably, if it's Covid, then the restrictions would be... whatever the current restrictions are, wherever you are at that time, and of course, any expenses for any medical care.

 

GC

Thanks. I knew that calling in a “house doctor” might be a possibility, but I do not know if it is a common practice with the advent urgent care clinics. The health care system across Europe is not the same as ours so those clinics may not be as available as they are here. In any case, the hotel should be able to assist as necessary.