Travel insurance paper error costs British family £100,000 in medical bill
The distraught British family is warning other travellers about the importance of diligently reviewing insurance policies to avoid costly blunders such as this
A British family is distraught after an error in filling up a travel insurance form cost them a 100,000-pound medical bill when their daughter fell ill in Africa.
Roberto and Masha Katalinic returned to the United Kingdom after vacationing in Kenya on Christmas but their daughter Katya decided to stay on for a yachting stewarding course in South Africa.
Illness in Africa
Unfortunately, the 18-year-old was hit by a brain haemorrhage and found herself in a hospital, unable to read or speak and feeling helpless.
The family's hopes for their daughter's treatment were dashed when their insurer, Axa, denied coverage for her 100,000-pound medical bill. It cited incorrect information on the application form.
Invalid policy
Axa declared the policy invalid because Kalya’s trip to South Africa had started in Kenya, not the UK, as it was meant to be.
"There may have been 'the journey must start in the UK', which I assumed; well, it started in the UK; it didn't start anywhere else. The journey started in Midhurst, in the UK," a furious dad told BBC.
Warning for others
The insurance company, however, refunded the full premium to the young woman.
The distraught British family is now warning other travellers about the importance of diligently reviewing their insurance policies to avoid costly blunders such as this.
