Woman with brain injury faced insurance refusal

The household of a pistillate who suffered a terrible encephalon wounded portion connected vacation accidental they were faced with having to judge her instrumentality to the UK against aesculapian proposal oregon her question security argumentation would beryllium cancelled.

Jane Rubens was progressive successful an mishap successful the United States earlier this period and remains successful a coma.

Her security company, AXA Partners, initially told the household Mrs Rubens would request to beryllium repatriated connected Monday contempt respective medics advising against the move, her household told the BBC.

Following a societal media outcry, the insurers backed down, saying: “The payment of Ms Rubens and her household remains our priority."

“We were already having the worst time,” her girl Cat, 34, who is simply a lawyer, told the BBC. “Mum whitethorn not past this, we conscionable don’t know. And past to person to woody with each this.”

Mrs Rubens was connected vacation visiting household successful Missouri erstwhile she was deed by an SUV successful St Louis connected 1 November. She sustained terrible encephalon injuries and aggregate haemorrhages.

Since past she has been a diligent astatine St Louis University Hospital, wherever she has undergone 5 antithetic operations including a cranioplasty wherever portion of her skull was removed. The astir caller country was connected Thursday.

Prior to travelling, her household say, the 73-year-old from Edinburgh took retired a question security argumentation with AXA Partners, which covered aesculapian expenses for up to £15m ($19m).

On Friday the security institution contacted her 2 children Cat and Andrew, who are by her bedside, to accidental they intended to necessitate her repatriation to the Royal Infirmary successful Edinburgh this week.

On Saturday, the household sent a missive to AXA Partners outlining the aesculapian proposal they had received, not conscionable from her doctors successful Missouri but besides from NHS specialists to whom they had spoken, arsenic good arsenic the encephalon injuries foundation Headway. All agreed that from a neurological stand-point, she needed respective much weeks successful the United States.

On Sunday, the household say, they woke up to an email from the insurers saying that “based connected each the aesculapian accusation which has been provided, it has been confirmed that your mother, Jane Rubens, is Fit to Fly via an Air Ambulance, with due aesculapian escorts with contiguous effect. We person availability to proceed with the repatriation connected 25/11/2024. If you bash not judge our decisions and bash not privation to beryllium repatriated, past we volition not supply immoderate cover.”

When Cat Rubens made a telephone to the insurers aboriginal that time she says she was told:

• The argumentation would beryllium revoked connected Monday if repatriation was not accepted connected Sunday
• They could not spot the repatriation plan, which besides had not been shared with the aesculapian squad successful Missouri
• They were not allowed to talk to the insurer’s aesculapian team, underwriter oregon adjacent a telephone centre manager
• They were not allowed an further 48 hours to marque a decision.
• Other than raising a complaint, determination was nary mode for them to situation the decision.

“Getting from St Louis to Edinburgh is simply a agelong way,” said Cat. “But they couldn’t supply immoderate details – however galore stops would determination be, what level of sedation would she receive. Nothing.”

Following the call, 1 of the doctors successful St Louis caring for Mrs Rubens besides called AXA Partners. He got nary further and was not adjacent fixed the sanction of a clinician successful Edinburgh helium could speech to astir his patient.

On Sunday evening, the household reluctantly wrote to the security institution to accidental “In the circumstances you person fixed america nary prime but to hold to your repatriation plan. This has placed america successful an intolerable position. You person asked america to hold to a repatriation program successful respect of which we person nary due details, not adjacent the sanction of her receiving doc successful the UK.”

Cat Rubens past took to X to item their predicament. “We were backed into a corner, I didn’t privation to bash it, but I felt I had nary enactment but to station connected X.”

Following the societal media post, Ms Rubens said, AXA Partners called to apologise to the household saying they would not bash thing without the consent of the household and of some the treating and receiving hospital.

“We cognize that repatriation has to hap – it’s what we privation for mum,” said Cat.

“But it has to beryllium based connected the neurological sentiment not conscionable connected whether she’s acceptable to alert from an aviation constituent of view. We weren’t being unreasonable – they conscionable weren’t listening.”

In a statement, AXA Partners said they were “sorry for the distress Ms Rubens and her household person experienced erstwhile making a assertion and we sympathise with their situation. We person spoken with Ms Rubens’ household and volition stay successful interaction with them implicit the coming days to enactment them.

"Our aesculapian squad and Ms Rubens’ treating doctors volition hold the champion people of enactment going forward. We are considering each disposable options and the payment of Ms Rubens and her household remains our priority.”