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From: GP-UK [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Saul Galloway Sent: 11 April 2007 14:15 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Patients taken ill abroad > And on it goes. Europ Assistance will not even consider a claim > on their policy until the patients GP have provided a "Full print > out" of the last 3 years medical records (their underlining) and a > two page medical report by the patients own GP. Patient has signed > a consent form to release the info and has confirmed they will pay, > that's not the issue. How do you know the patient has signed consent? Sure you have a signed fax in front of you, but who signed it? In the past I have received such documents relating to patients whom the insurers tell me need urgent repatriation because they are unconscious in hospital... And even if the patient signed it, how do you discuss with the patient the implications of consent, to make it informed consent? > My problem is how can a contract between patient and insurer > reasonably state that the insurance will be invalid unless a > third party who knows nothing about any of this (the GP) performs > some work. If the contract does say that (probably it doesn't), then perhaps BBC Watchdog or similar would be interested, though it could be argued it was the patient's fault for taking out insurance without considering the implications of the small print. But I think the report is not actually indispensible - certainly I've had examples of these in the past where the patient has found their way home despite the uncompleted paperwork still being on my desk. > Very pissed off. Understandably. I think these companies rely on the fact that they can tough out their line and hope the GP will cave in for the reasons you say, since it doesn't arise often enough per GP for a campaign against to arise. I once got the response from one of these companies that they'd never had a refusal before (funny that, they'd had one from me before). But maybe a co-ordinated campaign against is needed for anything to change here. Watchdog? ABI? ?? -- Simon Child