If you've had to use travel insurance for medical reason...help please

[goingtocruise]

May have to cancel Sept. cruise. Mom just diagnosed with cancer yesterday. Haven't talked to surgeon yet. What kinds of documentation did you have to turn in to get the insurance to pay? Letters from doctor? Receipts? Is there anything I need to be getting in order? Thanks for any advice.

[bailey5697]

I don't have a specific answer to your question, I just wanted to wish your Mom and family the best. :)

[summercruise2015]

I had to cancel a cruise last September for medical reasons as well. I simply got a letter from my doctor stating my medical condition (which was severe gastritis/ulcers) and his recommendation was that I did NOT travel. This was all that was needed. I received all of my money back within less then a month with no problem. Was your mother traveling with you? Im not sure how that would work for you, if she was not traveling. Maybe you can get a letter from your doctor recommending you not to travel due to your own medical conditions- (mine was not a serious ailement and had no problems).

 

Good luck and my prayers are with you and your family...

[goingtocruise]

Thanks for the well wishes and prayers. Yes she is traveling with me. This cruise was my treat to her. She has always done so much for me. She is a diabetic and not always in great health (losing eyesight, etc.) I thought now was the time I needed to do this and yet it may not happen. The kids (teenagers) were staying home with my husband so it was going to be just quality time together.

 

allisonf: How did you let the insurance company know how much of the trip you need reimbursed? I need airfare and cruise, but not everything else that I can still cancel? I took out insurance for anything that might get changed while on the trip, but the extra hotels, shore excursions and other stuff can be canceled now with no penalty.

[TBR]

Thanks for the well wishes and prayers. Yes she is traveling with me. This cruise was my treat to her. She has always done so much for me. She is a diabetic and not always in great health (losing eyesight, etc.) I thought now was the time I needed to do this and yet it may not happen. The kids (teenagers) were staying home with my husband so it was going to be just quality time together.

 

allisonf: How did you let the insurance company know how much of the trip you need reimbursed? I need airfare and cruise, but not everything else that I can still cancel? I took out insurance for anything that might get changed while on the trip, but the extra hotels, shore excursions and other stuff can be canceled now with no penalty.

 

Your TA should be able to assist you with all your needs.

[summercruise2015]

My TA took care of most of the details. The only thing I got reinbursed for and actually needed to be reinbursed for was the cruise itself. I had not booked any excursions ahead of time. Airfare I was not able to get reinbursed for, although you are able to use the ticket up to a year after the date. I was even able to transfer the ticket to a friend who was able to use them. This was Jetblue, not sure if other airlines do that. Most airlines charge a cancellation fee, but honor the balance only up to a year for future travel.

 

As I stated earlier, the insurance company did not give any problems for reinbursement and received a full refund less then a month later, I actually think I received the check about 2 weeks later.

[mjyanne]

Thanks for the well wishes and prayers. Yes she is traveling with me. This cruise was my treat to her. She has always done so much for me. She is a diabetic and not always in great health (losing eyesight, etc.) I thought now was the time I needed to do this and yet it may not happen. The kids (teenagers) were staying home with my husband so it was going to be just quality time together.

 

allisonf: How did you let the insurance company know how much of the trip you need reimbursed? I need airfare and cruise, but not everything else that I can still cancel? I took out insurance for anything that might get changed while on the trip, but the extra hotels, shore excursions and other stuff can be canceled now with no penalty.

 

We had to cancel our trip in March when our son got sick 2 days prior to us leaving. Called the insurance company and they said all we needed was a letter from the doctor stating our son's condition and he shouldn't travel and that we needed to stay with him (he wasn't tarveling with us). There is a form that you will fill out (I guess this will vary between companies) and I included the cost of the cruise (the amount that would not be refundable), the cost of the airline cancellation fee, and the cost of the admin fee charged by the TA (actually I paid her for her time even though she didn't ask for it) on a separate spreadsheet and included it with the claim form. The insurance company paid the entire claim except for the admin fee (and that may have been my fault because of the way I showed the amount on the spreadsheet). The only thing you are not entitled to is the insurance charge (obviously).

 

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

[wolfcathorse]

Before you jump the gun, I'd wait to hear what the surgeon says. Sometimes surgery is not the first plan of attack for cancer. I know the "C" word puts people in shock and they panic thinking of massive radiation, chemo, and surgical treatments. If your Oncologist suggests chemo first, I'd take Mom on the cruise. Like you stated, this was going to be your quality time with her and she may need it now more than ever. Maybe the cruise will help put her in the right frame of mind for the fight of her life. Best wishes.

[Deets]

Wolfcathorse couldn't have said it any better. I was in your situation a couple years ago. We thought that various treatments for my Mother would be starting immediately and they didn't. Wait to see what the plan of attack is going to be before you cancel your cruise. A cruise may be just what the doctor orders!

 

Good luck and my prayers are with you and your family.

[goingtocruise]

I didn't book through a TA, as I really enjoy doing it all myself.

 

We haven't talked to the actual surgeon yet(met with other cancer specialists yesterday), but we do know that surgery is the first thing they will be doing. They don't know yet how much they will be taking out. Not sure about the lymph nodes. If not a complete mastectomy, she will be given 6 weeks of daily radiation. We have to wait for results after surgery to see about chemo, but hopefully that won't be needed. This caught us both by surprise and really thought the results would be negative. She wants to go on the cruise first and then start all of this, but what is considered the safe period for waiting will be past before we end the cruise. If we have surgery first, she is worried she won't feel or look good. She doesn't want to look sick. I told her we could always find another cruise later. I got a fantastic price on this one (especially with the price drops), that I know I won't be able to match, but that doesn't seem all that important. I want her to be able to do a cruise before her eyesight is gone.

[redhummer96]

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your mom.

[Retired not Expired]

I just mailed in insurance forms for a cruise we were suppose to take this Sunday and a land trip to Germany in September due to my wife needing a major operation to remove a large mass on her left ovary.

 

First, check with RCCL to find out their refund policy. I was on another cruise line and they refunded 50% since I cancelled more than 8 days out. I claimed the rest plus the airfares involved on the insurance.

 

The insurance companies will send you the forms that will most likely include a short form for the doctor to fill out recommending your Mother not travel. That will be enough for that part.

 

You most likely will have to send in a receipt or a copy of the credit card bill showing you actually paid the amount claimed. Both companies have been very easy to work with and very helpful in getting the forms needed.

 

Wishing things go well for your Mother.

[jegoodman]

I am really sorry to hear about your troubles. I hope everything works out fine for you.

 

I've dealt with canceling for medical reasons and using trip insurance. The first thing to remember is you need to mitigate costs. Since you're not sure you are going to cancel yet, you may not need to do anything right now. When you are sure you need to cancel, have the doctor write a DATED NOTE explaining the problem and advising you not to travel. If there's a surgery date on the note, even better. The reason it's important to have a dated note in the file is that the NEXT thing you should then do is cancel your cruise. I know you're in to the penalty phase but you will need to get back all that you can legitimately get back from the cruise/airline, etc. The DATED NOTE will show that you called up within a reasonable amount of time to start cancellation proceedings.

 

Next, you call the insurance company. They will send you the forms. The doctor will have to fill out part of it. You then send them what the company asks for.. in my case it was doctor's notes, copies of invoices from the travel supplier, and proof of payment to the travel supplier. I sent all the documentation in and had a swift answer with no hassles.

 

Again, sorry for your troubles. I don't think though that you will have a problem with the insurance.

[cruiseco]

Contact the insurer's claims department directly. They will be able to get most of the needed information from you at that time. They will give you a list of things to start rounding up (proof of payment -- cancelled checks or credit card statements, invoice showing the cancellation penalties, etc) and will mail you some additional forms that will have to be filled out by the doctor.

 

Don't bother having the doctor write a letter at this point. The insurers have a form for him/her to fill out so no point in doing it twice.

[mjyanne]

I didn't book through a TA, as I really enjoy doing it all myself.

 

We haven't talked to the actual surgeon yet(met with other cancer specialists yesterday), but we do know that surgery is the first thing they will be doing. They don't know yet how much they will be taking out. Not sure about the lymph nodes. If not a complete mastectomy, she will be given 6 weeks of daily radiation. We have to wait for results after surgery to see about chemo, but hopefully that won't be needed. This caught us both by surprise and really thought the results would be negative. She wants to go on the cruise first and then start all of this, but what is considered the safe period for waiting will be past before we end the cruise. If we have surgery first, she is worried she won't feel or look good. She doesn't want to look sick. I told her we could always find another cruise later. I got a fantastic price on this one (especially with the price drops), that I know I won't be able to match, but that doesn't seem all that important. I want her to be able to do a cruise before her eyesight is gone.

 

Not to sound morbid or mean but based on what you said here I would ask what the long term prognosis is, what would happen if you waited to start treatment until you returned and also factor in how your mother is feeling right now. It may actually make more sense to do the trip now then deal with treatment if the long term prognosis is not good regardless of whether you start treatment now or later.

[AudioFilly]

I agree with Mike. And I don't think that is being morbid, certainly not mean. It is just being realistic.

 

Your mother's concern about not feeling like a cruise after the surgery may be a legitimate one. As a diabetic she may react more strongly to treatments afterwards and may not be as quick to bounce back from the surgery. How well she keeps her glucose levels under control will be a factor. Openly discuss all of your Mom's concerns with her doctors. If she really doesn't want to cancel the cruise ask how much greater the risks are by that much of a delay.

 

The saying 'Knowledge is Power' is true, go to the American Cancer Society website:

 

http://www.cancer.org

 

There you can find terrific information and support services. I can't begin to tell you how much it helped my Mom and I through this same thing to have someone to talk to that had already been where you are now.

[Need2Cruze]

My thoughts and prayers go out to you.

 

I agree with Mike and Audio. As long as the doctors feel that delaying treatment will not be a major problem, and as long as your Mom is still willing to go, I think she may actually enjoy the cruise more now, rather than later on after surgery, radiation, chemo, etc. And I think it would be so special for the two of you to spend quality time together. I truly hope it all works out well for you both.

[cindiedee]

My thoughts and many prayers are with you all. We went through this exact same thing last year. DH, Mom and I were booked on 2 different cruises (Europe and a TA). Doc told us NOT to cancel the cruises because he thought they might be Mom's last cruises. Mom had a total mastectomy and at 74 was out of the hospital the next day - she did great! (She was also diabetic) Alas, as time went on it became clear that Mom would not be cruising.......I cancelled both cruises. Once cancelled with the cruiseline (get a cancellation number, name of person/title you cancelled with), then call insurance company. Give them all info and the will send you forms for you and the docs to fill out. One was paid immediately - one, they wanted "more" info from the doc but once supplied, all fees except for the insurance fee were returned. The only thing I didn't like was because we had paid for cruises with credit card, the amounts were credited back to credit card. Due to the large amounts, we just called the credit card companies and requested checks be sent for the credit amounts - no problems there. So, take a deep breath (I KNOW how hard this is), talk to all docs involved and make a plan - if Mom can cruise before surgery, chemo, etc - DO IT! Go make more wonderful memories! The one thing DH and I always say is we have no regrets - we traveled all over the world with Mom for many years and those memories sustain us. Will continue to pray for Mom and your family! Please keep us updated and never give up. The power of prayer is an awesome thing and we see miracles happening everyday - keep praying!

[DeepWaterMariner]

I think just about everything has been covered by the responses so far. We've been through this type of thing a couple of times. Our credit card statements were adequate for proving that we had paid for the cruise. Also, we don't necessarily insure the air portion of our trips since we often book our own air long after we've booked the cruise. As far as travel insurance goes you buy a certain amount of coverage for trip cancellation and you choose the amount so unless you've included the air in the total amount you've insured you won't be covered for that portion of the trip.

 

Having some experience with cancer I know it is hard to believe that cancer is not considered a medical emergency. That level of care is reserved for heart attacks and the like. Depending on the type of cancer delaying treatment for a few weeks may not be that big a deal. Professional medical advice should be your guide on how to proceed.

[goingtocruise]

I want to thank everyone for your help, ideas and prayers. We went for a long ride today and mom seems to be in good spirits. She still keeps insisting we should go ahead and go on the trip, but I said what if its the worst case, and we will always wonder what would have been if we hadn't waited. The doctor called today and still insists it needs to be done before and maybe she would still be able to go on vacation. If she has surgery she probably couldn't get in the ocean and maybe limited on how she feels for other things. And her blood sugars are NEVER under control. They fluctuate anywhere between 49 and 380 in any given day. When I took her to Michigan 2 years ago, she ended up with gangrene. They managed to save her foot, after she didn't want them to take part of it. They waited, and after 2 years, it still isn't all the way healed. I wish I knew what to do. Those were some good points about maybe never being able to go afterwards. It does take a diabetic a long time to heal with even a scratch. We have an appointment with the surgeon on Wed and I will go with many of these questions written down. Thanks again.

[mydogs]

We had to cancel a cruise last Dec. due to an emergency surgery for my husband about 1 week before the Westerdam was to leave. I phoned the insurance co., itI, which is the policy the on-line TA sold me. They were very cooperative and sent me a form letter that the MD had to fill out. It took more then a few weeks but, we got a full refund. I certainly hope your Mother will be feeling better and we wish all of you the best of luck for a bright future with great cruises.

[BJane]

We recently had to cancel a cruise and file for the insurance. I just went to the company's website and downloaded the forms I needed. You might want to do that right away just to get an idea what you will need to do. We had paid for our own air, but because we could not use it for any other trip the insurance also paid for that. We just had to send them the e-tickets along with the other paperwork. If you cancel the cruise be sure that you get a cancellation notice from the cruise line. The insurance company wanted that as well as proof that we had paid for the cruise in the first place.

[goingtocruise]

I went to the company's website and saw where to request a form. Thanks. I didn't want to request it yet. Thought I should wait until I know something more. We will make some cruise work at some point.

[AudioFilly]

I want to thank everyone for your help, ideas and prayers. We went for a long ride today and mom seems to be in good spirits. She still keeps insisting we should go ahead and go on the trip, but I said what if its the worst case, and we will always wonder what would have been if we hadn't waited. The doctor called today and still insists it needs to be done before and maybe she would still be able to go on vacation. If she has surgery she probably couldn't get in the ocean and maybe limited on how she feels for other things. And her blood sugars are NEVER under control. They fluctuate anywhere between 49 and 380 in any given day. When I took her to Michigan 2 years ago, she ended up with gangrene. They managed to save her foot, after she didn't want them to take part of it. They waited, and after 2 years, it still isn't all the way healed. I wish I knew what to do. Those were some good points about maybe never being able to go afterwards. It does take a diabetic a long time to heal with even a scratch. We have an appointment with the surgeon on Wed and I will go with many of these questions written down. Thanks again.

 

Please don't start playing the "What If" game with yourself. There is never a way to win it.

 

If you were my girlfriend my advice to you would be this: after you have listened to all of the doctors and after you have been given all of the information they can give you allow your Mom to make this decision. Ultimately she is an adult and this is her life and this is her battle to fight as she chooses. It will feel as if this battle is yours, but it is not. Your battle is a very different one. Whatever decision she makes, honor it. By doing so, you will be honoring her in the best way you can.

 

I know it is incredibly presumptuous of me to be offering you advice. It's just that your story hit my heart hard.

 

So as long as I am out here on this limb, let me offer one more piece of advice. While you are busy being a support for your Mom, don't forget to build up a support system for yourself as well. Through this long journey ahead there will be times when you feel like you are losing yourself. So don't forget to take time for YOU! You may feel guilty and selfish when you do, but it will keep you stronger and make you a better support in the long run.