Local couple grateful for travel insurance after medical emergency on overseas trip

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When you book a trip, you'll often see an offer to protect it with travel insurance.

Sure, that covers lost bags or canceled flights, but what about your health?

Did you know your health insurance here in the U.S. offers little to no coverage overseas?

A local couple found out firsthand how important travel insurance is after a medical emergency in the middle of a European vacation.

"It was the trip from hell that saved his life," Susan Draper remarks with a laugh.

Susan and her husband Jeff call it the trip from hell because he ended up needing emergency triple bypass surgery while vacationing in France.

"They told me we have to do triple because you will not survive the plane ride back home," Jeff recalls.

Still, they said being there might have saved Jeff's life because had they not been together on vacation, he might have been home alone when his health took a sudden turn.

"If I had been here, I would’ve been on a walk or I’d have been in the backyard cutting the grass," he admits.

Plus, as fate or luck would have it, they learned from the hospital's care coordinator there was another perk to being in Paris.

"She told us Americans are coming over there just to have the surgery because they do it differently in France," Susan recalls.

Still, they learned they wouldn't have had access to that expert care had it not been for the travel insurance they pre-purchased, considering most countries don't accept standard U.S. health insurance outside our borders and instead want cash upfront.

We sat down with a travel agent with Shelton Travel in Kansas City to see how common it is for hospitals outside of the U.S. to ask for cash upfront.

"It’s very common," Kelly Marchand with Shelton Travel exclaims. "I’ve had people break their ankles and their arms and all kinds of different things doing water sports and things. You never, never know. You definitely want to have medical in place before you travel."

Luckily, Marchand passed that advice on to the Drapers before she helped them book their trip, something they said they're eternally grateful for.

"I did not know that in France they have public hospitals and private hospitals. (The travel insurance) got us into the private hospital. If a physician works in that private hospital, they are at the top. It’s like going to Mayo here," Susan adds.

The Drapers said Blue Cross Blue Shield Global paid the hospital costs, but at the time declined to pay the surgeon's fee.

"I asked them; they said that it was because the surgeon was not in their network and would not come down to their price. And I said, 'You're negotiating my husband's life right now,' and I wasn't happy," Susan recalls.

But even coming up with the funds proved to be problematic. The hospital wouldn't take an American credit or debit card for that large of a payment, and the ATM's there didn't carry that kind of cash for a withdrawal.

Susan tried contacting her bank for a wire transfer, but said the bank refused, citing the possibility of fraud, because the Drapers hadn't previously alerted them they'd be traveling out of the country.

Thankfully, the Drapers were able to contact close friends who wired enough money to cover the remaining balance.

Still, what was supposed to be a 10-day trip turned into a month, meaning an extended hotel stay for Susan and expensive last-minute flights to finally return home to the U.S. once Jeff was medically cleared. In all, they estimate they spent around $30,000.

"We've paid the surgeon, and so if they could reimburse us, it would be nice if they would reimburse lodging. But we haven't heard from them," Susan shared at the time of our interview.

After sitting down with the couple, I reached out to BCBS Global, the company the Drapers used for their travel insurance.

A rep thanked me for bringing the case to their attention and told me, in part:

"...we were not aware that the Drapers had made an out-of-pocket payment to a provider. After learning of the situation, we immediately reached out to the Drapers, obtained documentation from the Drapers related to the payment, and are now working directly with the Drapers and the provider to facilitate the reimbursement process."

Since then, the Drapers told me the company did, in fact, reimburse them for the surgeon's fee.

Meanwhile, they're sharing this message with anyone traveling outside the country:

"Get insurance, absolutely. Like I said, it got us into the best hospital. It got us the best surgeon," Susan exclaimed.

"At least you have something to fight over if you get it. Otherwise you’re out of luck," Jeff added

Below is the additional information Blue Cross Blue Shield Global provided when we reached out inquiring about the Drapers' case:

"Mr. Draper's policy included coverage for eligible medical expenses related to his emergency hospitalization and heart bypass surgery. Our medical team approved and supported the admission, and we issued multiple guarantees of payment to the facility to cover the hospitalization and treatment provided during his surgery. Our review found no record of the surgeon's bill being presented to us by either the member or the treating facility. We also were not aware that the member had been asked to make a separate payment directly to the surgeon. As a result, we did not have the opportunity to review or process that expense at the time it was incurred.

While the family recalls being told the surgeon's fee would not be covered, we could find no calls, emails, or other records indicating that the member was informed that the charge was not covered. The approximately $9,560 payment was not submitted to us as a reimbursement claim, and we did not become aware of the charge until you contacted us. Because neither the bill nor a reimbursement request had been submitted for review, we did not have the opportunity to evaluate or process the expense at that time.

Since learning of the situation, we have been working directly with Mr. Draper and the facility to resolve the matter and facilitate reimbursement as quickly as possible. Mr. Draper has been kept informed of those discussions and has a direct point of contact dedicated to resolving the issue.

Coverage for expenses beyond medical treatment depends on the specific benefits and limits of the policy purchased, as well as the circumstances of the claim. Hotel accommodations are not a covered benefit under this policy. The policy does include a post-departure trip interruption benefit that may provide limited reimbursement for certain eligible travel-related expenses, subject to policy terms and limits. To date, we have not received a claim from the member for these expenses.

Coverage determinations are based on the specific policy provisions and documentation submitted. We would be happy to review any eligible claims the member chooses to file in accordance with the terms of the policy."