Hi - Pinkdove and Jane…
I take all your very valid comments seriously on board. Guess I was speaking from my own perspective, which is perhaps wrong on here. I have had many problems with travel medical insurance because of Crohn’s and my experience has led me to believe, in my own case only, that I will not pay exorbitant costs for two concurrent diseases - bc is perhaps the least problem for me. I had a real problem in Florida a few years ago, staying with friends, before dx with bc, when I had a severe rectal haemorrhage, filled the toilet pan twice with red blood before I dared tell my hostess on New Year’s Eve when my husband and I and our friends had paid for an expensive pre-booked dinner. My friend rushed me to the nearest hospital, laying in the back of her cadillac on old towels. I spent two hours in the lavatory there oozing blood , my friend went up to the triage nurse, asked for her name and said: “If my friend dies here tonight I will hold you personally responsible.” And believe me, she would have sued. I was out of it, and all I remember is going into the examination room and the doctor sayng “We are losing her”. I spent some 5 days in the high dependancy unit, IV steroids and blood transfusions. My bp was 88 over 56. It cost 15,000 and took me some 9 months to get Gold Barclaycard and their underwriters to pay up. We had to stay with our friends for 2 months afterwards until I was fit enough to travel home. So, I do know how lucky I was to have such good friends, and whereof I speak.
Some 3 yrs later, when I was dx with bc I had already booked and paid for a flight to Tampa to stay with the same friends, as the husband was dx with stage IV lung and kidney cancer - had one of each removed and delighted to say he is still alive …both Last Minute.com and British Airways refused to refund my flight costs. Another 9 month debacle, but ill as I was, I would not let them get away scot free. I had paid for my flight in good faith in Oct 2002, got expensive insurance cover for Crohn’s and didn’t know I had bc until Jan 2003. . They both refused to refund my £650 flight cost. Well, I got very cross, found out the name of the Chief Executive of British Airways and told him I would go to the media in 7 days if I did not get a refund. His personal assistant gave me the run around…but to cut a long 9 month hassle short, I got a cheque from BA with total refund. Unbelievably, on my next credit card statement I also got the refund from Last Minute.dot com. True justice, when I was so very ill with chemo and Crohn’s. To paraphrase the L’Oreal ad: “I deserved it”. My lovely, gentle giant of a husband, a scientist so not attuned to my particular wavelength, is completely perplexed by me, a little 5’2" gal who weighs all of 7 stones at the moment (big problems with Arimidex), but said to some friends recently: “You do not mess with Liz…not even British Airways could cope .”
I don’t thankfully have mets, but do have osteo-arthritis and had two bone fractures in both feet last year, so am aware of contributory factors that can affect my overall health. I now figure, I am going to travel to see my friends in the US, my Crohn’s is under control through weekly chemo, and am NED with bc. I refuse to become a victim of either disease, and thankfully, have enough assets to repatriate me to the UK whatever happens. I am not going to give hard earned cash to these iniquitious, greedy insurance companies any more and am thankful we saved enough to support us in our retirement.
Sorry to go on at length, but I am really very cynical about travel insurance and I am going to Florida in Jan 2009, with a recently widowed friend, and Spain in August 2008 for my husband’s 80th, without private medial insurance and will deal with whatever happens. I know I am fortunate that we can cope financially with whatever happens, and do empathise with those than cannot. But, I am 63 yrs old and there are no pockets in shrouds.
Gosh it is so late, am very tired, but am passionate about this ridiculous travel insurance situation for people with serious incurable diseases.
Hugs to all,.
Liz.