Terminally Ill Flyer with Travel Insurance – Needing Refund

I am happy to report that I received a full refund from Priceline for
my unused tickets.

Thank you to my supports and to the negative nay sayers....I pray that
you will be a little more understanding and compassionate to others.

I am appalled and stunned at the level of disregard Priceline, and
those who commented here, are showing to Sonya. It appears to me that
she purchased insurance for her tickets. I would have done the same
thing. She is fighting for her life and now she has to fight for her
money back? Appalling. I will never use Priceline, that is for sure.
What has happened to this country and the citizens of it that we don't
honor our customers, or each other!!! This is wrong on so many levels.
By a simple customer service standpoint, the passionate-less response
she received is ridiculous. And by a human standpoint, it is sheer
ridiculousness. Appalling.

Perhaps you should have bought a refundable ticket.

This would have been the best bet in your situation.

Maybe look at taking the greyhound or something.


good day

I'd like to offer this to those negative responders...

Sonya could have done a lot of things differently in retrospect. She
could have gotten a second opinion on her symptoms and she might not
have needed experimental treatment. Shame on her? What she was
planning to go was to get treatment that might extend her life. She
was not planning to have bad counts. She was responsible and purchased
travel insurance. She is doing the best she can and is still working
and not absorbing off of the system. Hopefully she gets a break here
because she purchased the travel insurance and sure doesn't deserve
this financial burden & red tape to be yet another stresser in the
time she has left. Thanks for any compassion and understanding.

To Fairy with Fangs - This is the portion that actually applies and
does indeed cover Sonya's situation:

PART A. TRAVEL ARRANGEMENT PROTECTION
(Flight, Hotel Reservation and/or Rental Car Reservation Plan(s), as
applicable)

Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption Benefits

Pre-Departure Trip Cancellation
The Insurer will pay a Pre-Departure Trip Cancellation Benefit, up to
the amount in the Schedule, if you are prevented from taking your
Flight, Hotel Reservation and/or Rental Car Reservation, as
applicable, due to your, an Immediate Family Member's, Traveling
Companion's, or Business Partner's Sickness, Injury or death or Other
Covered Events as defined, that occur(s) on or before the Scheduled
Travel Date of your Covered Trip. The Sickness or Injury must: a)
commence while your coverage is in effect under the plan; b) require
the examination and treatment by a Physician at the time the Covered
Trip is canceled; and c) in the written opinion of the treating
Physician, be so disabling as to prevent you from taking your Covered
Trip.

Pre-Departure Trip Cancellation Benefits
The Insurer will reimburse you, up to the amount in the Schedule for
the amount of prepaid, non-refundable, and unused Payments or Deposits
that you paid for your Flight, Hotel Reservation and/or Rental Car
Reservation, as applicable.

First - I am very sorry for your illness.

Second - It took me less then 3 minutes to find the part that says the
travel insurance doesn't cover this.

http://www.priceline.com/vacations/Lang/en-us/InfoCtr/Travel_TI_BC_Cov
erage.asp?session_key=5D0011AC3F0011AC2011051501182592eda0249096&plf=p
cln

THE INSURER WILL NOT PAY FOR ANY LOSS CAUSED BY OR INCURRED RESULTING
FROM:
medical treatment during or arising from a Covered Trip undertaken for
the purpose or intent of securing medical treatment;

Number 11 on the list under general plan exclusions in the description
of coverage. I found that in the FAQ's on pricelines site.

I think in this situation I would have read the refund guidelines
before buying the tickets.

It is not a HIPAA violation to ask you to sign a release for medical
information, it's a violation for a provider to give that information
without a signed release.

If you want them to cancel a flight you had made for medical
treatment, and you weren't able to make the flight because of medical
issues, it's not unreasonable for them to want to verify.

HIPAA is meant to protect your information from incorrect release.
Them asking you to sign a release is not a HIPAA violation.

Couldnt you have just gone through Delta and paid more for refundable
tickets?

Would have seemed that would be the better way to go under your
circumstances.

Dont think I would use a third party vendor in a medical situation.


good day