Seriously Ill Pensioner Trapped In Mexico….

[naomi24]

…..after insurers refuse to pay £40k medical bill

A man who fell critically-ill on holiday is trapped in a Mexican hospital after his insurers refused to settle a £40,000 bill. The company, Axa, refuse to pay up because he failed to disclose his high blood pressure when he took out the policy. The company is perfectly within its rights to refuse payment, but the family are living a nightmare need help urgently. Should the government fund his medical expenses and his return to the UK - or a charity perhaps? Somehow he has to be brought home.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/672328/pensioner-trapped-mexico-insurers-refuse-pay-40k-bill

[viv41]

But he took a risk and sadly it didn't pay off.

[jno]

not necessarily, TTT. I have high blood pressure, I take pills which keep it perfectly safe, I tell insurers, and while it might raise the premiums slightly (I'm not sure it does) I've never been refused insurance.

About 1 in 3 American adults have high blood pressure (I can't find a figure for Britain) - if general insurance companies refused to cover 30% of the population they'd go out of business. Their business isn't avoiding risk, it's quantifying it and charging for it.

[ToraToraTora]

yes jno but they generally just exclude anything related to a pre condition. In the US there are companies who exists only to find ways to help insurance companies wriggle out of paying. It's a barbaric system.

[Svejk]

The trouble here is, their travel agent sold them this insurance (no doubt, collecting a bonus and or fee) and, allegedly told them they were covered regardless of existing conditions. Several local people who used the same agent confirmed that.
Either their staff need better training or perhaps the people selling holidays shouldn't act as insurance agents.

[furrypusscat]

At the end of the day you should read the small print. It would have been there on the form that you sign. In fact if you go on axa website, it is there in black and white and not in 'small print'. These are presumably intelligent people, he having been a business man and I believe I read yesterday that she is a former policewoman.

[Svejk]

I thought this exchange in the local paper might interest ABers.

kpvv71 9:26am Fri 20 May 16
Myself and partner booked a holiday in thomson supermarket cardiff bay and took out insurance with them at time of booking holiday and asked if anything needed declaring and told NO we are covered from time of booking and covered from everything from cancellation and treatments..thomson staff are not giving correct info on insurances or holidays...thomson need to check there employees training and insurance policies there staff sell to customers
Report Reply
Score: 6
davidcp Replying kpvv71 3:56pm Fri 20 May 16
"My partner and I." Myself is an object noun used when the subject is I as in 'I gave myself an English lesson." Telling Thomson (proper noun capital letter) how to train their (not 'there') staff when English appears to be a subject you have yet to master seems rude.///

I wonder does 'david' work in the travel business?

[jno]

I don't knlw why anyone would want holiday in a supermarket. But aside from that, if it's true (and they have a lot of corroborative witnesses) they have a legal claim against Thomson and personally I'd be alleging that Thomson were Axa's agents and therefore Axa themselves were liable.

[Old_Geezer]

You mean the same as you tell me the government of tourists to the UK does Eddie ? Don't see any issue in a tit for tat agreement. Meanwhile the government wouldn't be acting as a free insurer. We already pay into the public kitty for medical treatment. It ought not stop at the UK border for UK citizens. Insurers can't be trusted. From my own experience when I informed one I'd paid money to for an imminent vacation abroad, regarding an issue that had suddenly arisen for my woman which increased the risk of a problem away and *THEN* the confessed that medical issue wasn't covered anyway. If you pay for medical insurance it must automatically cover everything. Anything missed, especially if not pointed out, indicates a con job.

[Old_Geezer]

...they confessed...

Like I $^&*^// typed !

[Jackdaw33]

Difficult to know what to disclose. For 13 years I had HBP. I no longer have. For the past 8 years I have been diabetic. I was informed last week by the surgery that I am not and never have been. What would happen should I develop either of these conditions when travelling, not having declared them?

[Mamyalynne]

I feel the forms should be clearer, I am a great believer in giving too much info rather than not enough when filling forms in.

Even adding extra pages if necessary.

I do feel for the gentleman, being so ill is bad enough without all the worry.

[237SJ]

It`s a very unfortunate position to be in. Even if the hospital took pity on him and didn`t send him the bill, being air ambulanced home costs a fortune.

[bednobs]

i don't get how he is "trapped" in hospital - it looks like he is receiving life sustaining care to me - he's in intensive care and ventilated. Even if he could come home - is it really advisble to fly such a critically ill man home?
plus the bill isnt £40 it's 18k (so far) which they hve in fact been able to pay.

[Jackdaw33]

I just wondered if it would be feasible for travel insurers to set up some kind of fund to cover this type of thing as motor insurers do.

[naomi24]

bednobs, he's 'trapped' in hospital because he's sick and unable to get home and his family have to find another £20,000 to fly him home, all costs that would have been borne by his insurers had his insurance been valid - hence the £40,000.

[THEMOTLEY1]

Sounds like a home goal to me, why should we bail him out?

[agchristie]

Tortilla lesson?

[THEMOTLEY1]

It's all in the Link
///The family from Cwmbran, South Wales, have had to pull together £18,166 to pay for Mr Read’s treatment for bronchitis and pneumonia so far and have been told it will be another £20,000 to fly him home.///

[bednobs]

nevertheless, an elderly person who has been ventilated for so long really in my opinion shouldn't be moved if possible.

[THEMOTLEY1]

I don't think they would just pop him on the next holiday jet due out, I guessing £20K would pay for a Medivac, eg still ventilated on the flight