Last fall, my husband signed us up to go on a cruise. I had a case of a sore and calcified tendon which was still tolerable. It became very bad in February to the point where I could hardly walk. It was clear that I would not be able to handle all of the steps in a cruise ship. The doctor recommended that I do not make the trip and provided a doctor's excuse.
It took Aon months to process my claim. They finally stated that because my condition preceded the date of the cruise booking, I had a "pre-existing condition" so they would not pay the claim. This is in the policy but nobody ever gave me a copy of it until I asked for one last Friday.
My mother also told me to tell them about my father's funeral which I attended one month before the cruise, and tell them it would be too difficult to travel after such an event. I doubt they will honor that either but will try. Perhaps, someone can put enough pressure on them so that they will pay it from that funeral reason instead of the medical reason. The policy says the death has to occur during the time of the cruise. Even a one-day deviation from the exact date of the cruise may disqualify the death of a family member unless a powerful person intervenes on my behalf.
This pre-existing clause is unconscionable. If anyone has a heart attack or cancer, chances are that he/she would have a pre-existing condition. This would disqualify just about anyone from receiving help from this insurance policy.
Why can't our huge government with all of its regulators protect the public from this type of a ripoff? Can't anything be done? $1400 is a lot of money to lose. Maybe there is a regulation that requires that a pre-existing clause be written a certain way, or a regulation that an insurance company always needs to provide a copy of the policy. Maybe Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines is required by the state to provide adequate trip insurance. New York is the home of Aon Affinity. New York is a very consumer-oriented state with what seems to be a good insurance bureau. Maybe they have better laws than at home.
The insurance industry has a lot of political power as well as lobbying power and this may be why they are getting away with this. However, trip insurance companies might not have as much clout as the medical insurance companies, and maybe somebody can do something to stop them from hurting anybody else in this manner.
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