I made a successful personal accident claim against my child insurance policy

4 years ago, I wrote an article explaining the different types of insurance policies that I bought for my baby. It includes a Personal Accident policy that provides coverage against any bodily injury resulting directly from an accident. I have always thought that it is financially prudent to get such a policy as children, especially toddlers, are prone to the occasional knocks and falls. The inevitable finally befallen my daughter last month as she suffered a dislocated/pulled elbow during play. We sought treatment at a hospital and made a successful personal accident claim against her child insurance policy.

Personal Accident Policy

As aforementioned, a Personal Accident policy covers “injuries to the body” resulting directly from an accident and specific infectious diseases such as Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD). Payouts can come in the form of accidental death, dismemberment and medical expenses benefits. Before the advent of Covid-19, HFMD has commonly struck fear into the parents of young children because of how contagious it can be within a school setting. That is why I feel that parents need to purchase personal accident policy if they have the budget to do so.

My financial advisor compared a few Personal Accident policies in the market and recommended the best of the lot – Manulife ReadyProtect Accelerate. It provides medical reimbursement for accidents incurred in Singapore and overseas as well as expenses for Traditional Chinese Medicine, mobility aids and ambulance fees.

We also added the Child Care Benefit Accelerate Supplementary Benefit. Amongst other benefits such as an enhanced accidental medical reimbursement and payor waiver benefit, there are also education assurance fund and child disability support allowance benefits.

For a sum insured of $100K, the premium costs about $300+ a year.

The Accident and Medical Treatment

While horseplaying around the house, a family member pulled Olympia up while she “played dead”. The sudden exertion caused a “pop” sound on her hand and Olympia immediately let out a loud wail. We iced her wrist as we thought that was the part which was dislocated. In between hysterical sobs, my daughter chose not to go to the hospital immediately. Assessing that her injury wasn’t life threatening, I brought her to Accident & Emergency department at KKH only the next morning.

When we finally saw the doctor, he assessed her condition and diagnosed it as a case of a pulled elbow! This was utterly surprising as our entire household thought she had pulled her wrist instead! He also advised that it would have been far more prudent to bring her to the hospital immediately. This incident exposed how out of depth I am when it comes to medical knowledge. -_- To be fair, my wife insisted on bringing her to the hospital immediately.

With a little rub and pull, the doctor managed to pop her elbow back into its rightful place. Amazingly, Olympia epitomized a child’s amazing powers of recovery and proceeded to high-five the doctor with her injured elbow as she left the consultation room. Having seen how she cried during treatment, my heart ached and I decided to lift her spirits with an ice cream treat. Not surprisingly, she could hold the ice cream cone with both hands.

As shown in Diagram 3, I also asked for a discharge memo form the attending doctor so that I can make a claim against Olympia’s personal accident insurance.

The Claim Process

My insurance agent was a great help as he prepared all the necessary paperwork. Having to squeeze in a trip to the hospital on a busy work day, I really appreciated that I had 1 less task to worry about. I merely gave my financial advisor the details of the accident as well as the supporting documents. Not too long after, I received the good news that my claim had been approved by Manulife as shown in Diagram 4.

The claim payout was also deposited into my PayNow account immediately. The entire claim process against her PA insurance policy was so swift and convenient that it exceeded all my expectations. This incident turned out to have a good ending as my daughter now learnt an important lesson to be more careful during play.

This positive experience vindicates my belief that protective insurance plays a critical role in a comprehensive financial plan. I am glad that I have included Personal Accident Insurance Plan in one of my child’s insurance policies.

This article is published on 12 Feb 2023.

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