December
One thing to keep in mind when travelling is that you don't need to be doing high risk activities like rock climbing or parasailing to consider travel insurance. Travel insurance is for everybody. Use it to cover yourself and the entire family whenever you leave your province of residence.
Kayla's parents were happy they bought travel insurance for their trip to Anaheim, California. Kayla, a regular 8-year-old, was simply playing by the pool when she lost her footing and slipped. She scraped her chin on the edge of a pool and the cut was bad enough for a visit to the local medical clinic. After stitches, antibiotics and a prescription for a mild pain-killer, Kayla's family was presented with a $596.27 bill.
Our emergency assistance staff phoned the clinic and arranged for direct billing so the family wouldn't have to pay that kind of money. They did, however, have to pay for the prescription, but we explained how they could file a claim. They did so and we paid them back shortly after they returned home to Kamloops, British Columbia.
Their provincial medical plan only covered $52.97 out of the nearly $600 they owed. Travel insurance saved them money and aggravation. No one wants those on their vacation.
November
It says something about how you view a company when you sell its product to your own family. That's what happened to Earl. As owner of a travel agency, he knew the importance of travel insurance and the benefits of using a customer-centric travel insurance company. So when his 18-year-old grandson Kyle booked his trip to China, Earl didn't hesitate to recommend The Co-operators Emergency Hospital & Medical Travel Insurance for Canadians.
A week into his trip Kyle found himself in a Chinese hospital, suffering from dehydration and general malaise. We jumped into action and told Earl what had happened. We sent constant updates, communicated with hospital officials on Kyle's behalf and generally tried to make things go as smooth as possible. The hospital started charging Kyle's credit card so we insisted they bill us directly instead. Although the hospital continued to charge Kyle's card (occasionally this happens) we quickly paid out his claim once he returned to Canada.
All our travellers receive the best possible customer service, wherever they go and whatever they do. Earl already knew this. Now Kyle does too.
October
Did you know that some species of Box jellyfish have venom so poisonous they can kill a human? Jason found this out on a recent trip to the Philippines. While swimming in the ocean, he suddenly felt a sharp burning pain on his arm.
Box jellyfish typically use their nearly invisible tentacles to latch onto unsuspecting prey and flood the victim with venom. The tentacles then pull the prey towards the main body to be ingested.
Jason called for help and a few people pulled him to the shore. He blacked out and even stopped breathing for a moment. His family rushed him to the hospital. After a few days Jason had fully recovered and was allowed to return home to Canada. Throughout the ordeal The Co-operators helped coordinate with medical facilities, kept concerned family members up-to-date and helped make sure Jason received an adequate level of care.
In the end Jason saved $1,000 in medical bills and our service helped take the "sting" out of this unpleasant experience.
September
The weather doesn't always cooperate when we're sick. Rick phoned us in a panic - his wife Becky had sharp pains in her stomach and was feeling nauseous and faint. They visited a 24-hour medical clinic in Houston, Texas and the doctors immediately called an ambulance. Just then a huge Texas storm swept down, making travel extremely difficult.
We assured Becky's husband that we'd contact the hospital to make sure Becky arrived safely. We called the hospital that evening and confirmed that she had been assigned a room. We helped the doctors obtain medical records and asked the hospital to send us the bills directly so she wouldn't have to pay out-of-pocket medical costs.
In the end, Becky recovered after a successful abdominal surgery. She and her husband saved $5,000 USD. Just as importantly, they felt good knowing that The Co-operators case manager and medical consultant followed Becky's progress throughout their "stormy" trip.
August
Travellers often don't think about how they'd react during a medical emergency or injury in a foreign country. When Angie found out that her 71-year-old husband Raymond had crashed his motorcycle on his way to the Sturgis Motorcycle rally in South Dakota, she felt overwhelmed. She phoned our travel assistance office with the bare minimum of information: her husband had been in a crash, she didn't know his condition, didn't know his policy number, didn't know how to get in touch with him.
The Co-operators offers travellers more than just financial coverage. We also offer 24-hour, toll-free support from a team of travel professionals. Our case coordinator immediately contacted the treating facility and found out that Raymond had been admitted to hospital and already had surgery. We provided Angie with constant updates on his condition, coordinated details with their car insurance company and later helped find a bed and hospital for Raymond back in Canada.
Could Raymond and Angie have done all this by themselves? Probably. But when a loved one has had a devastating accident or illness, you don't want to spend time on administration. You want to help your loved one get better. The Co-operators deals with the complicated administrative details so you can help loved ones recover quickly and easily.
July
Gloria, a 64-year-old traveller, was having a great vacation in France. She and her husband had just finished a day of sightseeing when her taxi was suddenly rear-ended by another car. The jolt cracked two of her vertebrae. Her husband was so badly shaken that he didn't know what to do or how to cope.
We quickly took control. Our travel assistance team assured him that we would actively monitor Gloria' admission and let him know what needed to be done next. As we are a multi-lingual company, our French-speaking case manager spoke with the treating doctor and obtained an update on Gloria's condition and inquired about a possible repatriation back to Canada.
Once the treating doctor approved of repatriation to Canada, The Co-operators case manager started phoning air ambulance providers. By using our international connections we managed to find a company based in Paris and familiar with the country's rules and regulations concerning air evacuation. We communicated with Gloria's family doctor and arranged for follow-up care once she returned home. The doctors in France also said she would require home care and a hospital bed. We got in touch with a home care provider in Canada and made all these arrangements as well.
Gloria's total medical charges came to approximately $72,000. The Co-operators completely covered this amount. She paid only $169.28 for her insurance policy and received 100% coverage and the kind of invaluable support in this type of a crisis situation.
June
Sometimes we forget that visitors to Canada need travel insurance too. They aren't covered under the Canadian health care system and have to pay for all expenses out of their own pockets.
"Angela" was visiting her son here in Canada from the UK. Things were going great until she started feeling intense pain in her stomach. A few minutes later she couldn't even walk.
Her son called the ambulance and she was taken to the emergency room. The doctors diagnosed her with a bowel obstruction and quickly put her in the intensive care unit. A CT scan showed that she needed emergency surgery and the operation was scheduled for the next morning. The surgery went off without a hitch and Angela was walking around again within five days.
As she left the hospital, the receptionist presented her with the following itemized bill:
Hospital stay: $8,771
Physician Fee: $1,253
ER Doctor: $500
Attending Doctor: $65
ER Care: $250
Surgeon: $1,450
TOTAL COST: $12,289
Good thing for Angela that she bought our "Visitors to Canada" policy. We covered all her costs.
May
Do you still need travel insurance if you have perfect health? "Cathy" thought so.
She was a retired mother who wanted to spend some time with her son in Alberta. In good health and having no previous medical conditions, Cathy was pretty sure nothing eventful would happen on her trip. Still, she wanted to be safe.
Cathy bought TIC's Visitors to Canada travel insurance for the maximum period of coverage - one year. She opted for the $50,000 plan, which gave her coverage for hospital confinement and medical services and other benefits like Ambulance Services, Return Home and Prescription Medication.
The first month went well. She spent time with her son and quickly adjusted to life in Canada. Then one day she suddenly collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors quickly realized she had suffered from a stroke.
In total, she spend 9 days in the hospital (5 in the intensive care unit) and had to undergo acute rehabilitation before being released.
During that week and a half, TIC's assistance team spoke daily to the doctors and nurses for medical updates. We kept Cathy's family informed about her progress and worked with the hospital's finance office to arrange direct billing to TIC.
The total cost of her hospitalization was $37,000. Cathy and her family didn't have to pay any of these costs.
She had no reason to expect that she would ever need to use her travel insurance. But anything can happen when you travel.
April 2007
One night in a Canadian hospital could cost as much as your whole trip. That's what happened to "John", a British traveller who had always wanted to visit Canada.
British Columbia's majestic mountains seemed like the perfect place to spend a few weeks. John booked his trip and wisely bought a Visitors to Canada policy for $168.
Things went great for two weeks. Then one day John felt pain in his chest and started having shortness of breath. Medical personnel were quickly summoned. Fearing a heart attack, they rushed him to the nearest hospital.
It turned out that John wasn't actually having a heart attack. Instead, he was experiencing atrial fibrillation (AF) - an abnormal and irregular heartbeat. AF can lead to other complications and John was kept overnight in the hospital for observation.
The next day he was released with no other problems. Doctors encouraged him to follow up with his cardiologist when he returned to England.
How much did his one night of observation in a Canadian hospital cost? $2100. Fortunately, John had enough foresight to purchase travel insurance and The Co-operators took care of his medical bill.
Travel insurance is the best way to protect yourself from unexpected events that can easily ruin your budget.
March 2007
Many students and young Canadian travellers enjoy outdoor adventure during their vacations. "Mark" and his wife "Kathy" didn't want to take any chances. They paid $56.70 for an EHM policy for a trip to Mexico - just to be safe. It turns out that was one of the best decisions they could have made.
On February 14th, while paragliding, Mark lost control and crashed into the ground. "He hurt himself very badly," said our case manager who received the phone call from Mark's very distraught wife. "This was just a horrifying experience for them."
An ambulance took Mark to the nearest medical facility for stabilization and then an air ambulance took him to the hospital for emergency spinal surgery.
Although the surgery went great, the accident also broke Mark's pelvis and he couldn't return to Canada on his originally scheduled flight. Part of The Co-operators' pledge to customers includes offering all the support and assistance they need to help get them through tough times like this.
We made special seating and flight arrangements for Mark - a reclining seat in first-class, wheelchair assistance and a place to rest during the stop-over on his long flight home.
In the end, Mark and Kathy's hospital bill came to $68,000 US and the commercial flight home cost another $1,800 US. They paid only $56.70 Cdn for their policy, saved tens of thousands of dollars and received the help of our outstanding team of travel assistance professionals. Travel insurance always makes sense!
About The Co-operators Travel Insurance
The Co-operators Travel Insurance is administered by TIC Travel Insurance Coordinators Ltd. We have been insuring travelling Canadians for more than 30 years. TIC is 100% owned by Co-operators Life Insurance Company, part of the Co-operators Group, Canada's largest, Canadian-owned, multi-product insurer. |
