Calgary senior fighting for travel reimbursement after breast cancer diagnosis

A Calgary senior is trying to get her money back after booking a trip she won't be able to take due to a cancer diagnosis

Diane McCallum, 81, cancelled a South African vacation she had planned for March 2024 following a breast cancer diagnosis last year.

McCallum says she made a $1,500 deposit on trip cancellation insurance through TD Life Insurance on June 6, 2023, in advance of her diagnosis.  

It was more than three weeks later, on June 29, that McCallum went for her annual physical.

 "I had a slight change in my left breast and there was a firmness," said McCallum. 

She said she had also had also noticed firmness in 2022, but a mammogram came back negative.

Global Excel is the authorized claims administrator for TD Insurance.

"They're saying that it was a reasonable foreseeable condition that it was possibly cancer, so they cancel my cancellation insurance," McCallum said. 

In a letter dated Jan 26, 2024, the company said to McCallum that it had reassessed her file and would not reimburse her. 

"Our review of your claim indicates that you cancelled your trip due to a medical condition," the letter read.

"As per the physician’s referral letter dated Aug. 10, 2023, you were referred for a mammogram during your physician’s visit on June 29, 2023."

Diane McCallum, 81, cancelled a South African vacation she had planned for March 2024 following a breast cancer diagnosis.It went onto read that "the letter confirms the symptoms of your undiagnosed medical condition and required further testing as recommended by the physician. As your medical condition was not stable, it meets the exclusion for pre-existing medical condition period of 180 days prior to the trip cancellation coverage period." 

"As such, we will be unable to issue any reimbursement for the submitted expenses as your claim does not meet a covered cause for cancellation." 

CTV News reached out to both Global Excel and TD Insurance for comment.

"Due to privacy regulations, Global Excel may not discuss the details of any customer’s claim," read a statement. 

TD Insurance also could not elaborate on the claim. 

"To protect customer confidentiality, we cannot speak to the specifics of this claim," a statement read.

As for McCallum, she says she will not give up. 

"I don't think I should walk away from the claim because it's a matter of what's right – and I'm right," she said. 

"I paid $1,500 in my first-class travel card. The rest is topped up by my insurance company that I have, but I can't even get past TD Visa."

Diane McCallum, 81, cancelled a South African vacation she had planned for March 2024 following a breast cancer diagnosis.McCallum adds that she will seek legal advice if needed. 

"They're just saying they're not going to because I had a foreseeable condition of cancer, but that could be two, three years down the road. I mean, it doesn't make sense what they're saying," McCallum said.

A health law and policy associate professor at the University of Calgary says there can be confusion when it comes to travel policy.

"There are a fair number of exclusions in many of those policies, and perhaps even more frustratingly, there's inconsistency from policy to policy in terms of what they exclude and what they cover," said Lorian Hardcastle. 

"I think that your average person might interpret pre-existing conditions to mean something that you've actually been diagnosed with. You're a kidney patient, you're on dialysis… you're a heart patient, you're on medication."

Hardcastle adds that cases similar to McCallum’s can force some to wait to seek medical advice, if there is a risk of losing any sort of money when it comes to trip policies. 

"I think certainly there is a risk of people putting off getting medical care until after a trip if they hear about people's experiences, like this," said Hardcastle. 

She adds it could also force people to read every part of the insurance policy or contact an insurer to clear up exactly what is covered.