What the report is for
Manitoba Blue Cross trip cancellation coverage refunds non-refundable travel costs when an insured cause, such as a sudden illness or injury, forces a cancellation. When the cause is medical, Manitoba Blue Cross needs a report from the attending physician. The report is short, and most of it turns on timing: when the condition began, whether it changed in the six months before the policy was purchased, and whether it deteriorated afterwards to the point of cancellation.
The report goes with the trip cancellation claim form, which the patient completes. Manitoba Blue Cross’s current claim instructions also describe an Attending Physician’s Declaration within the trip cancellation claim form. If the patient brings that declaration, complete it instead.
Who completes it
The attending physician who treated the illness or injury completes and signs the report. That’s sometimes a family member’s physician, when their illness is what stopped the trip. The patient completes the separate trip cancellation claim form and sends both with the receipts and tickets.
How to fill in the report
Patient, diagnosis, and first visit
Enter the patient’s name, the policy and claim numbers if the patient has them, and the primary and secondary diagnoses. Give the date of the first visit for the illness or injury that caused the cancellation, and any hospital admission and discharge dates.
How long travel was precluded
Give the date until which, to the best of your knowledge, the condition would prevent travel. Check it against the trip dates the patient gives on the claim form.
The six-month question
The form asks whether there was any change in the condition in the six months immediately before a date, which is the date the policy was purchased. Ask the patient for that date and write it in the blank. Then answer yes or no from the chart. Check the record for that window before you answer, including medication changes, new symptoms, investigations, and referrals, and explain any in the remarks.
Deterioration and remarks
Answer whether, in your opinion, the condition deteriorated after the purchase date to the point that the trip was cancelled. Use the remarks for the timeline: when symptoms worsened, what you found, and when you advised against travel. Print your name and address, then sign and date.
Common reasons it’s delayed
- The policy purchase date left blank in the six-month question.
- No date until which travel was precluded.
- A “yes” to a change in the six months with no explanation in the remarks.
- The deterioration question left unanswered.
- An unsigned or undated report.
Submitting and who pays
The patient sends the report with the trip cancellation claim form, tickets, invoices, and refund notices to CanAssistance, which processes travel claims for Manitoba Blue Cross, through its secure upload or by mail. The claim must be submitted within 90 days of the loss. Any charge for completing the report is the responsibility of the person claiming the benefit, so bill the patient.