Seniors and Medical Travel Insurance

Travelers shouldn’t have to take the big banks to small claims court but that is their only recourse lately, it seems.  The CBC Go Public reported recently that seniors who have made travel medical insurance arrangements through their bank are getting stung when it comes to having their insurance paid for medical emergencies while out of the country.

Letter from the Royal Bank

I’m within 2 months of being a senior and I’m not going to stop travelling anytime soon.  I recently got a notice from the Royal Bank of Canada explaining that my RBC WestJet Mastercard would no longer cover me for my 2 weeks medical insurance when I turn 65.  They will cover me for 3 days though and then I can top up through them.

First of all, what the hell are the banks doing in the insurance business anyway?  Don’t they think they are already making enough money off the seniors who have been investing all their lives to finally be able to afford a trip occasionally?  Since when are “insurance adjusters” medical experts who can determine that certain conditions are a result of pre-existing conditions...... after the fact!

I think I’ve only ever extended my travel medical insurance through RBC once.  That was before 9/11 when the world appeared to be a little more peaceful.  I remember that the questions I was asked about my “pre-existing” medical conditions were vague.  Thank goodness I didn’t have to use that medical out of the country!  Who knows what may have happened.

I usually purchase my travel insurance through BCAA or the travel company I’m booking my flight through.  The only time I’ve had to rely on it out of country was on a trip to Amsterdam.  The whole process went very smoothly with no follow-up concerns.  Friends have done the same.  They also look at getting a disclaimer on their insurance to remove responsibility from the insurance company should they have a pre-existing condition.  For instance, if someone has a heart condition but wants to be covered for a possible car accident it can be written up.  Unless the person has a heart attack, he is covered for all other eventualities.

Cancer is a condition that unscrupulous insurance companies will take advantage of.  If the cancer has been surgically removed (prostate, breast, lung, colon, kidney, etc.) and your surgeon has deemed you cancer free, you are cancer free!  It is no longer a pre-existing condition!  Get a letter from your surgeon stating you are cancer free in case the insurance company tries to tell you that you have a pre-existing condition. 

And while you are at it, it might be a good thing to get a report from your doctor on your health and any "pre-existing conditions" you might have before you take your next trip.  Send a registered copy to the insurance company and have them quote your rate based on the information your doctor, the specialist, has supplied!  You certainly don’t want to deal with the stress that the seniors in the CBC article have to deal with.  

The stress might become a pre-existing condition in the eyes of an insurance broker working for the bank!