Writing this message to warn friends and family about travel insurance has been big on my to-do-list ever since the accident happened. Now that Cadence’s surgeries are over, I finally have to time to sit back, reflect on what happened and write about what I learned from this experience.  I urge you all to forward this message to all those you care about to ensure that they are never caught in a position to have to mortgage or sell their house to pay for travel medical expenses.

We’re so grateful that we purchased travel insurance from BCAA just before we left Vancouver. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much more dreadful this already tragic ordeal would be without travel insurance. The total costs paid out by BCAA after all said and done is over $185,000. $10,000 for SOS International to bring Cadence from Guangzhou hospital to Hong Kong, $10,000 for hospital expenses, and over $3000 for out of pocket travel expenses including meals, hotel and telephone calls. Last and not least, $160,000 for the money sucking, greedy and heartless Air Ambulance Network to fly us back from Hong Kong to Vancouver. For most people, $185,000 would mean signing papers to mortgage or sell their home. For us, all it meant was signing the insurance claim form.

The BCAA Experience

Our first contact with BCAA Insurance was within hours of our arrival at Guangzhou hospital. BCAA has a claims and medical assistance hotline that open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Immediately after speaking to BCAA, they determined that our travel medical insurance policy was valid and put me in touch with Rose McLeod, the Manager of Medical Assistance. Rose advised me that their doctor will get in touch with the Guangzhou hospital to determine if they had adequate facilities to care for Cadence and told me to keep in touch with her if I had any questions or concerns.

48 hours after the accident, I began to have my doubts about the Guangzhou hospital so I called up Rose to ask for permission to transport Cadence via SOS International to Hong Kong. At first, Rose was reluctant to cover the transportation cost until I explained to her how bad the conditions were at the Guangzhou hospital. I said that I didn’t care if the costs would be covered but if I didn’t get my daughter out of China asap, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. How can I trust a hospital that even refused to give Cadence pain medication when she was experiencing such excruciating pain?

BCAA did not only approve the $10,000 USD cost for SOS to transport Cadence from China to Hong Kong, they further paid over $160,000 to fly her home from Hong Kong to Vancouver. In hindsight, I realize how lucky we are to have travel insurance. Not just because we don’t have to fork out our life savings to Air Ambulance but because having BCAA travel insurance expedited the entire process. Tim from the Air Ambulance was our first contact and the first question he asked is if we have travel medical insurance. As soon as we told him our contact was Rose Mcleod, he was reassured because he’s worked with her numerous times. However, he insisted to talk to Rose to get approval and collect payment. It was quite obvious that he wouldn’t start the process until he was paid!

Looking back now, it took us over a week to get back to Vancouver on Air Ambulance even with immediate payment. I can’t imagine how much longer it will take if we had to make available $160,000 USD via direct deposit into Air Ambulance’s bank account? Without insurance, would it even be a possible for us to make it back to Vancouver??? Thank god we bought travel insurance!!!

Frequents Myths about Travel Insurance

After hearing about our experience, many friends and families told us that they don’t buy travel medical insurance. When I picked up our reimbursement cheque from BCAA, the adjuster confirmed that the percentage of people who travel without buying insurance is staggering! Here are some of the reasons why people don’t buy travel insurance:

1)      I’m young, I won’t need it – Yes, it’s true that there is a higher percentage of claims among seniors over 60 but accidents can happen anytime so better be safe than sorry. Besides, travel medical insurance is so much cheaper for people under 60. It only costs about $1.50/day.

2)      My travel medical is covered by BC’s Medical Services Plan (MSP) – Not really. MSP only covers the first $75 for out of province medical expenses.

3)      I have coverage through my company’s benefit plan – Please read the fine print. Some company plans don’t actually have travel medical insurance but rather only provide services to help you seek overseas medical treatment. Other plans that do pay for out-of-town medical expenses have a limit that can be as little as $25,000 a year.  

4)      I have coverage through my credit card – If you think you’re covered because you have a gold, platinum, Avion or Infinite credit card. Think again. Although many credit cards do offer travel insurance, there are many limitations. Some cards limit coverage only to expenses incurred on trips paid by that same card. Many credit card companies have a limit to the number of days allowed during a trip– usually 7 or 14 days maximum. There is an option to extend coverage but you must do so before you leave for your trip.

Emergency Travel Medical Insurance Options

The following are some reputable companies that offer Emergency Travel Medical Insurance:

BCAA Travel Insurance – Can be purchased by telephone

http://www.bcaa.com/HTML/insurance-travel.htm

Manulife Travel Insurance – Can be purchased directly online. Discounted rates available for seniors. Offered through my trusted Insurance agent, Siobhan Harlow.

https://hermes.manulife.com/can/affinity/travel/travel.nsf/public/wlhome?Open&as=wlhf

RBC Travel Insurance

http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/cards/documentation/pdf/Inf%20Avion%20Emerg%20Med.pdf

*Top-up coverage is available for RBC Infinite Visa cardholders if you are travelling for more than fifteen (15) days and you are under 65 years of age or if you are travelling for more than three (3) days you are 65 years of age or older. Please call the Enrollment Centre at 1-800-565-3129 for further information.

As the owner of www.suiteliving.ca, a furnished accommodations provider, we’ve seen our fair share of travelers who neglect to buy travel insurance. Insurance is definitely one of those things you buy but don’t want to use so perhaps that’s why so many people don’t think of it. However, from my personal experience, I don’t want to see any of my family, friends or clients be stuck with a huge medical bill because they don’t have insurance. Travel with a peace of mind – remember to buy travel insurance!