If you’ve been to the blog before, you know the importance of understanding your travel insurance policy before leaving on vacation. So, what happens if you actually have to use the insurance due to an accident or illness abroad? Sometimes, the paperwork for a travel insurance claim can feel overwhelming, especially if you have a large claim or multiple illnesses. But with a little help from us here at TuGo, you’ll find that the process can be easier than you think. Here are our 5 steps to making the process with Claims at TuGo® as smooth as can be.
Step 1: How to speed up a claim post-emergency
Of course, we don’t expect you or your travel companion to focus on anything other than your care and treatment in a medical emergency situation! But once you’re in a position to, contact Claims at TuGo and/or speed up the travel insurance claim process by drafting a short timeline of what took place, and when, and expenses associated with those events. Giving context will help us better understand what happened, so we don’t have to ask for more information later. Be sure to keep all of your bills and receipts; they are essential to helping determine if we need to reimburse you or your medical provider, and can also be used as proof of your travel dates.
Step 2: Open your claim on myTuGo
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there are two ways to get your claims started—feel free to pick the method that works best for you:
- To start a claim as quicky as possible, create an account on myTuGo, then start a claim. If you’ve already signed up before, you can log right in and open a claim. If not, it takes just a few minutes to sign up, and then you’ll be able to open and track your claim from anywhere in the world, using your computer or smartphone.
Step 3: What you’ll need to upload: preparing the necessary travel insurance claim documents
a) Fill out your claim forms, completing every section and make sure to sign everywhere it’s required.
b) Other requirements:
- All of the itemized bills and receipts. If you were prescribed medication, make sure to send the pharmacy-issued receipt that includes:
- Medication Name
- Dosage
- Cost
- Date
- Prescribing doctor’s name
- Proof of your travel dates. This can be airline tickets, boarding passes, a credit card statement, or gas, grocery and restaurant receipts.
- A written statement that explains how your sickness or injury happened.
Tip: It’s best to review your policy to ensure the expenses you’re claiming are in line with your coverage. This will ensure there aren’t any surprises when we’ve completed your claim and determined payment.
Step 4: Upload your claim forms ASAP
Once you’ve completed and prepared your forms, upload them as soon as possible, even if you don’t have all the bills yet. Sending in your claim forms allows us to start our groundwork and coordinate with your provincial health care plan for any bills received to date. There are some hard deadlines for sending in your claim forms, so make sure you don’t miss them, to receive your maximum coverage.
Step 5: What to expect after your claim submission
Once you’ve uploaded your claim documents and we’ve received all of the necessary information, we’ll review your claim. If we need more information from you after you’ve sent in the claim forms, we’ll contact you to request the additional information.
You can monitor the progress of your claim by logging into myTuGo to view your claim status and use our simple upload tool to submit any additional information that we request during the claims process.
If your claim is fully payable, you’ll receive a cheque in the mail for any expenses you’ve paid yourself, and an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) showing the payments we’ve made to your medical providers.
But sometimes, certain expenses aren’t covered by your policy, even though the cause of your claim is covered. This is called a partial payment; and if this happens, you’ll receive a letter with your EOB explaining why some expenses aren’t covered. There are also situations in which a claim is fully denied. This happens when the cause of your claim isn’t covered, or falls under one of the policy exclusions. If it happens, you’ll receive a detailed letter explaining why the claim was denied. Find out more about the most common reasons claims are denied.
Another bill arrived? Don’t panic! This is one of the most common questions we get, after already sending in your claim forms. It can be worrying to get another bill when you thought your claim was finished, but don’t worry—it’s actually quite common! All you have to do is upload the bill to myTuGo and we’ll add it to your claim. If you’ve received another bill from your medical providers, read on to find out why it happens, and where to send it.
Making a travel insurance claim doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming. We’re here to help, and to make the process smooth for you. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!
Happy travels,
Melissa
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in February 2016, and has been updated for freshness and/or accuracy.
