What do you need to make an illness related claim on travel insurance?

[kerandjessem]

I have flights booked from Australia to the States in September and I will be travelling with my 9 month old daughter. She has recently been sick a lot - nothing serious - bronchiolitis, croup, temperatures etc - but sick enough that if she was in that state when we were supposed to be flying I wouldn't take her. As a precautionary measure I want to get some advice on what you need to make a successful travel insurance claim due to illness of one of the passengers? Also what do they usually cover? ie do we get a refund on our flights? I have read our Product Disclosure statement but it is really vague with no details.
Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

[straitman]

I have flights booked from Australia to the States in September and I will be travelling with my 9 month old daughter. She has recently been sick a lot - nothing serious - bronchiolitis, croup, temperatures etc - but sick enough that if she was in that state when we were supposed to be flying I wouldn't take her. As a precautionary measure I want to get some advice on what you need to make a successful travel insurance claim due to illness of one of the passengers? Also what do they usually cover? ie do we get a refund on our flights? I have read our Product Disclosure statement but it is really vague with no details.
Thanks in advance for your responses.

kerandjessem,

Welcome to AFF.

Be aware that the biggest hurdle I can see for you is that the insurance companies may see your daughters illnesses as pre existing conditions and therefore may not provide the cover you seek.

 

[Foray]

See your doc, get it in writing that this is a new illness and your child is unable to travel(post the issuance of the policy as only under this fact will you be able to make a legitimate claim), give your insurance company a ring to advise of the situation see what they offer an your best option. You may find that as with most covers that the insurer would like the least about of $$ to be refunded. So you will find that if the illness is temporary they would like you to change your flights to a new date v's canceling for a refund. Do your research and contact your airline for a costing on moving to new dates.

Hope this helps .

 

[significance]

I attempted to make such a claim recently, not realising that the amount that I was trying to claim was less than the excess on the policy. I needed to get a doctor to fill in a form confirming that I was too ill to travel, whether or not she was my usual doctor (no), and whether she had treated me for a related condition previously. I also needed to include receipts for my original travel itinerary and for my changed plans, and contact details for my usual doctor. If you look up your insurer's web site, you should be able to find a copy of the claim form with all the details you need.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

See your doc, get it in writing that this is a new illness and your child is unable to travel (post the issuance of the policy as only under this fact will you be able to make a legitimate claim), .

Why would the Doctor be willing to do this? The child's illness will have started when it did and I cannot see any Dr being willing to post date an illness for an insurance claim.

Hopefully the illness occurred after the policy was first taken out and after any flight bookings were made.

If not it will be pre-existing conditions.


And if you use a new Doctor the TI company will want the name of your normal Doctor.

 

[significance]

Why would the Doctor be willing to do this? The child's illness will have started when it did and I cannot see any Dr being willing to post date an illness for an insurance claim.

I don't think it was being suggested that the doctor would post-date an illness. Rather, it must be presumed that the child was not sick at the time of the booking (the OP is merely worried that she might get sick) and the doctor would in this case accurately record a new illness.

 

[Foray]

Totally agree. It was not a subversive act I was highlighting, the fact is that to have a legitimate claim you must ensure your policy was taken out before any illness is identified.