Insurance cover cancel for dads chemo/needing 24 hour care for us?

[MommaK2D2]

Hello. So- purchased an Alaska cruise for June with insurance thru Generali. (Purchased In January). 
   Early this month my elderly dad (not going on the cruise) was hospitalized and diagnosed with lymphoma. He will need chemotherapy ongoing for at least 6 monthts.  He got out of the hospital this week, and is requiring 24hour assistance from us for safety and health, as well as frequent blood transfusions which could require him to be readmitted frequently. 
     Because the cancer is new (occurred after buying insurance, not pre-existing), I assume trip cancellation will be covered?  But because he is not in the hospital at this time I don’t know if things will be complicated?

    Does anyone have experience with this?  Is there particular wording I need from his oncologist to make a claim go smoothly?  When is the best time to cancel? (He goes for his first non-hospital chemo next week so can get physician documentation at that time, to add to his diagnosis dates etc?)
   

[iamtrustworthy]

1 hour ago, MommaK2D2 said:

Hello. So- purchased an Alaska cruise for June with insurance thru Generali. (Purchased In January). 
   Early this month my elderly dad (not going on the cruise) was hospitalized and diagnosed with lymphoma. He will need chemotherapy ongoing for at least 6 monthts.  He got out of the hospital this week, and is requiring 24hour assistance from us for safety and health, as well as frequent blood transfusions which could require him to be readmitted frequently. 
     Because the cancer is new (occurred after buying insurance, not pre-existing), I assume trip cancellation will be covered?  But because he is not in the hospital at this time I don’t know if things will be complicated?

    Does anyone have experience with this?  Is there particular wording I need from his oncologist to make a claim go smoothly?  When is the best time to cancel? (He goes for his first non-hospital chemo next week so can get physician documentation at that time, to add to his diagnosis dates etc?)
   

Hi MommaK2D2,

 

I'm sorry to hear about your Dad. I hope his treatment cures him.

 

If you haven't already done it, call whoever you bought your Generali plan from and make sure they help you with your claim. They would have received a commission for your sale and, in my opinion, they are ethically obligated to help you with your claim.

 

Steve Dasseos

[CDNPolar]

5 hours ago, MommaK2D2 said:

Hello. So- purchased an Alaska cruise for June with insurance thru Generali. (Purchased In January). 
   Early this month my elderly dad (not going on the cruise) was hospitalized and diagnosed with lymphoma. He will need chemotherapy ongoing for at least 6 monthts.  He got out of the hospital this week, and is requiring 24hour assistance from us for safety and health, as well as frequent blood transfusions which could require him to be readmitted frequently. 
     Because the cancer is new (occurred after buying insurance, not pre-existing), I assume trip cancellation will be covered?  But because he is not in the hospital at this time I don’t know if things will be complicated?

    Does anyone have experience with this?  Is there particular wording I need from his oncologist to make a claim go smoothly?  When is the best time to cancel? (He goes for his first non-hospital chemo next week so can get physician documentation at that time, to add to his diagnosis dates etc?)
   

 

Very sorry for you to be experiencing this, and of course for you Dad to be going through this.

 

What @iamtrustworthy said, but you should (IMO) be covered in the way you have described the chain of events.

 

The one thing that I would suggest is that you will need doctor/hospital reports, letters, diagnosis, etc.  Start to collect these kinds of things.  At least keep track of the doctors that you have seen and the dates.  What was the first symptom, was it a family doctor, what was the referral process, etc.

 

Your insurance when you start the claim may ask for their specific forms to be completed by the doctor, or they may take reports signed by the doctor.

 

We had to collect a lot of this information for a cancellation claim, and we also had to pay a few hundred dollars for some forms to be completed by the doctors.  Our insurance claim started with - on the insurance company request - on a report from our family physician that first noticed an abnormality in blood work and then there were several doctors after that and they wanted an accounting of all the appointments and tests to the diagnosis.

[MommaK2D2]

2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Very sorry for you to be experiencing this, and of course for you Dad to be going through this.

 

What @iamtrustworthy said, but you should (IMO) be covered in the way you have described the chain of events.

 

The one thing that I would suggest is that you will need doctor/hospital reports, letters, diagnosis, etc.  Start to collect these kinds of things.  At least keep track of the doctors that you have seen and the dates.  What was the first symptom, was it a family doctor, what was the referral process, etc.

 

Your insurance when you start the claim may ask for their specific forms to be completed by the doctor, or they may take reports signed by the doctor.

 

We had to collect a lot of this information for a cancellation claim, and we also had to pay a few hundred dollars for some forms to be completed by the doctors.  Our insurance claim started with - on the insurance company request - on a report from our family physician that first noticed an abnormality in blood work and then there were several doctors after that and they wanted an accounting of all the appointments and tests to the diagnosis.

Thank you, this is very helpful!

[coldweather]

We had a similar situation except it was one of the travelers who got sick.

 

Hospitals have standard forms for "return to work" that document someone cannot return to work for x days and/ or cannot lift x pounds.

 

We asked the surgeon in the hospital to state right on that document that the traveler is not allow to travel and requires at home care for 60 days.  This 60 days overlapped with the cruise dates.

 

I understand that your parent does not work but you need a form documenting the restrictions for your parent and the REQUIREMENTS of his care should be helpful. 

 

fyi.  I also asked the hospital case manager for a signed letter on letter head stating the restrictions and requirements.

 

Don't leave it up to a claims examiner to "determine" that your parent needs at home assistance.  If there is an official document with the requirements and time frame included that should put facts/dates on the claim that help you to get reimbursed.

 

Best wishes.

 

 

[GeezerCouple]

Yes, in case of any claim based upon a medical situation, you should get a signed letter from a physician (or other healthcare provider), one preferably whom you have just *seen* (unless impossible, I suppose??).  I think many (most? all?) insurance policies state something like this.

[A Zoom call these days may suffice... things have changed in the past few years!]

 

It would not work to "self declare" that there was some medical emergency or other "need" requiring that you not travel, for obvious reasons.

 

GC