Forum Discussion

Mich_x's avatar
Mich_x
Member
13 years ago

Insurance

Hi girls

I thought I would hop on line and tell you all about a horrible experience I have been dealing with for over six months through an insurance company.  The whole time I have been having two lots of surgery, chemo and all the wonderful things that go with that and then 7 weeks of radiotherapy followed by a serious infection.

Unfortunately since my diagnosis of BC last November I have been unable to return to work for various reasons of travelling and living away from home for treatment, being a physical job I was doing and being monthly rostering  type of work where I wasn't always confident I would be well enough to work and 95% of the time I haven't been well enough to work.

Anyway we (hubby and I)decided not to stress over that as we had planned for these types of things should they arise by investing in a safe guard of insurance. We had planned for the future -  Yeah right!!!!!!  The Insurance company have been mongrels and the "Trauma Cover" I took out to help me out financially in the type of situation I have found myself in has been very traumatic cover to have I can assure you.

We put in a claim over six plus months ago and there has been no contact from the Insurance Company at any stage except to say they received out claim back in March.  I have called and tried to get an update on our claim of where I did speak to a nice young girl but came away with no answers to my questions.  Our finance advisers can't get any answers due to the privacy act etc.....

I was getting so terribly traumatised from this trauma cover that my husband said leave it with the financial advisers to deal with it as they were happy to do that for us as they were the ones that helped us set the insurances that we now have through this said company.

You can imagine that when you have been working 3 jobs and been both financially and physically independent to all of a sudden have they taken away from you with 4 words "you have breast cancer".  I thought at least the financial side is covered for a little while.  Well it is 6 plus months down the track and we are still waiting for an answer of yes or no from the insurance company. 

I understand they need to look in to everything but six months?????

Anyway the day following my last radiotherapy  before we headed home for me to recuperate as I was quite ill and still very much suffering quite badly with bronchial/pneumonia (infection of lung??) I was invited to meet with an Independent Investigator on behalf of the insurance company we have our claim with.  I was very happy to attend especially if it gave us an answer yes or no before we returned back home to try and get some normaiity back in our lives.  I had no reason to feel guilty etc. and just wanted this ongoing saga to be over with so I was happy for the meeting.  We decided to meet at the financial advisers office as they had set up the meeting along with this "investigator".  WELL let me tell you I was made to feel like a criminal, it was disgusting, degrading and all I could keep saying was OMG how can you be putting me through this, this is disgusting, I have done nothing wrong and I am being treated like a criminal.  It was honestly unbelievable and that day will stay with me for a long time.

I was to sit in this room with the finance adviser (my husband wasn't allowed to be there with me and he is my rock and we make all our financial decisions etc. together) and this INVESTIGATOR who recorded the whole interrogation of which we can ask for a copy of the recording at the end of this whole saga that is and when and if we ever get a yes or no.  The finance adviser was not allowed to record anything or speak at any time unless the recorder was turned off.  I was so sick and had to stop a couple of times with coughing fits (one time I thought I was going to bring my lunch up all over this man) so I had to go out of the room for a bit before heading back in there for it to start all over again.  If I had have been well I would have put a stop to this whole thing but I have no idea why I let it continue now when I think back.  I know he was doing his job but what a horrible job and why I needed to be put through it is still beyond me.

I have never ever been so humiliated in my whole life.  I have always heard stories about insurance companies but I have never ever been put through such a harrowing experience as what I am going through at the moment.

You will be pleased to know though that as I am getting well slowly I do plan to take the matter further, not sure who with yet but I have decided today is the day and if I don't hear from anyone with an answer one way or the other I will be following on with it.

There is a principal at stake now with this whole thing. 

Girls, should you be considering any form of insurance PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure when you fill in the insurance companies questionaire that if you have ever suffered from a headache, have ever been tired or rund down etc. etc. then to say yes as that is the pathetic questions that I was being interrogated over. 

I do apologise if you or any of your loved ones work for insurance companies and I am sure they are not all the same but I just believe you need to be aware and don't expect to rely on any money becoming available through your trauma cover like I did.

If you would like to know the name of the Insurance Companies involved then I am more than happy to tell you if you wish to send me a personal message.  I would love to write their name across the sky in big letters but would never do that but I just wanted to get it out there to my pink sisters.  Please be warned and I hope you never have to go through what I am.

Thanks girls

LOL, Mich xoxo

9 Replies

  • Mich_x's avatar
    Mich_x
    Member
    13 years ago

    Hi

    Just wanted to update you.  I contacted Cancer Council who gave me numbers of Insurance Ombudsman and also some lawyers in Victoria.

    I called I. O. and they had a message on machine and said that I had to put in a complaint to the Finance Services Provider so I managed to get the phone number and email address for the Manager so will email her tomorrow after I speak with hubby tonight.

    The Provider then passes on complaint to insurance company who has 45 days to respond.  If they don't respond or you are not happy with their response then the Insurance Ombudsman will get involved.  So I didn't get to speak to anyone at the I.O. direct except just a young girl giving out details.  I guess it saves them a lot of time sitting on the phone if they just instruct you what to do with a message. 

    Tomorrow is another day but need to discuss with hubby tonight.....

    Mich xoxo

  • Mich_x's avatar
    Mich_x
    Member
    13 years ago

    Thank you so much Serenity for your support and I plan to start with the Cancer Council who it seems have a consumer forum for this type of issue and I will see what they suggest and then from there I will definitely be following through on your suggestions.

    Thank you again, I really appreciate it.  This bloody chemo fog is a pain hey???

    And yes I agree they are "bloody mongrels"

    LOL, Mich xoxoxoxo

  • serenity11's avatar
    serenity11
    Member
    13 years ago

    You know my story.  I am right behind you when you take this insurance company to task.  I think a phone call to the insurance ombudsman and your local member, followed by a  letter to each would be a great start.  Your blog would do very well as a basis for the letter.  So when you are in the right head space (chemo fog free) I hope you rip into them.  Let me know if there is anything I can help you with.  And let me just say " bloody mongrels"!!

    Take care.

  • Mich_x's avatar
    Mich_x
    Member
    13 years ago

    Thank you Ann

    I so need a driving force behind me to get me kicking someones butt and you girls are the ones to give it to me. 

    I took a very small step for mankind today and plan to take a much bigger step for me and mankind tomorrow as long as my head space, confidence, wellbring and everything else that I need to get me mad and not sad and want to make me fight hard enought to get even with these mongrels as I call them in my kind and composed moment.  You don't want to hear the other words that have managed to slip from my mouth while I have been going through my yukky old bumpy journey and dealing with these greedy, dadadadadada mongrels.

    Stay strong for me and for you and for the rest of our pink sisters.  I am so hoping and wishing that you are travelling well my lovely.

    LOL

    Mich xoxox

  • Mich_x's avatar
    Mich_x
    Member
    13 years ago

    I got a copy of the original application that my interrogator was referring to today so I am going to go over that and have a look at what he was referring to.  I do plan to follow the mongrels up though just got to get myself in the right head space which isn't always easy when you have chemo brain, lost your confidence and trying to recover but I will get there.

    I was so pleased to hear that your trauma cover went through so smoothly.  I would suggest it wasn't through the same company I am trying to deal with.

    Thank you sooooooo much for your wonderful support.

    Mich xoxo

  • Mich_x's avatar
    Mich_x
    Member
    13 years ago

    Thanks heaps Tonya for your much needed support.  I do plan to take it further just got to get in the right head space if you know what I mean.  Still recovering unfortunately.  Not quite sure how the mongrels think but they definitely have not once ounce of compassion that is for sure.

    Unfortunately I was a casual at one of my jobs and the other two jobs I worked from home so no sickies up my sleeve so that didn't help but I am glad it worked for you and long service can be a blessing.  I honestly wonder how they expected me to survive financially as well.  I guess they really don't give a damn. 

    Anyway I will be trying to stick it up them whether they ever come through with the payment or not.  I just want to make people aware so other people don't have to go through what I have.

    Thanks again

    Mich xoxo

  • TonyaM's avatar
    TonyaM
    Member
    13 years ago

    What a terrible ordeal and especially interrogating you like that when you were obviously not well.Did they think you were faking cancer and chemo ?What a load of rubbish.I think you should put in a complaint to management demanding an apology - fancy treating anyone like that let alone a cancer patient.Having breast cancer treatments can really disadvantage you financially and money should be the last thing you have to worry about. I was lucky in that I had plenty of sick leave and long service leave.So what were you supposed to survive on for the last 6 months?I thought you got the money immediately.I hope you get it soon and I hope you "stick"it to them Mich.They are greedy mongrels.

                                                           Tonya xx

  • TonyaM's avatar
    TonyaM
    Member
    13 years ago

    What a terrible ordeal and especially interrogating you like that when you were obviously not well.Did they think you were faking cancer and chemo ?What a load of rubbish.I think you should put in a complaint to management demanding an apology - fancy treating anyone like that let alone a cancer patient.Having breast cancer treatments can really disadvantage you financially and money should be the last thing you have to worry about. I was lucky in that I had plenty of sick leave and long service leave.So what were you supposed to survive on for the last 6 months?I thought you got the money immediately.I hope you get it soon and I hope you "stick"it to them Mich.They are greedy mongrels.

                                                           Tonya xx

  • Dancing_with_Ne's avatar
    Dancing_with_Ne
    Member
    13 years ago

    Mich I am so sorry for your experience.  I had trauma insurance when I was diagnosed back in 2002 as it was by pure chance that I took it out...I'd had an old policy of life for years and out of the blue the insurance rep called me to say I should look at updating to the new fandangled policies...which I did...and low and behold unbelievable as it is I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer about 5 months after they accepted my medical.  I was so lucky as I'd never thought about changing and at the time I hadn't been to the doctors for anything more than the usual pap smear.  My experience was nothing like yours...a couple of forms filled out by me, more by my doctors and a few anxious months wait and we got a letter to say they accepted my claim.  I so hope this happens for you.