How to cancel my mother's insurance policy ?

[HelpMeBills]

Admins / mods, don't know which forum to post this to, so posted in two forums. Please delete if not the right forum.

This is a nightmare.

My mother - on a visitor's visa to the United States - needed medical insurance. I signed her up with Kaiser (where I am also a member) and paid the premiums regularly for her until she left when her visa expired. This was 2 months ago.

Now, I am getting collections calls from Kaiser (we have the same last name). I told them she has left and to please cancel the policy but they won't and want to talk to her, instead. She is not reachable. She's in another country ! They also want to know my medical record information as I told them I am also a Kaiser subscriber.

How do I terminate her insurance policy and save my sanity ? The total outstanding premium bills are $2200. Also, if i refuse to pay would this affect her ability to return ? She made a HUGE mistake assuming that if she didn't pay, her policy would terminate automatically !

BTW, she speaks NO English and doesn't want to deal with them. She's in her home country now so I feel trapped and screwed.

Help !

[bjl584]

Sounds like you need to seek legal console. A lawyer could help you navigate this.

[scfr]

Have you tried contacting a consular office for your mother's country of citizenship to see if they can help?

[HelpMeBills]

Have you tried contacting a consular office for your mother's country of citizenship to see if they can help?

They are unable to help because these are not my mother's medical bills but bills for her unpaid medical insurance premiums. Since I signed her up and I am American they can't help me.

The real problem is that insurance wants my mother to cancel. She does not speak a lick of English and worse is not even here in America !

Isn't there anything I can do ?

Should I write a letter to insurance telling them to cancel her policy as she has left and show them a copy of her departure ticket ? I don't have her passport or Visa but since I paid for her ticket I have a copy of it.

I don't want to pay her insurance premiums forever and ever because she's not here to cancel it.

[disneysteve]

The company isn’t going to let anyone but the customer cancel the policy unless you have legal control like power of attorney.

I’m assuming your mother has access to a telephone. The company should have access to a translator. Does your mother have anyone there who speaks English and can initiate the call? Then they can get a translator on the line to speak to her directly.

[scfr]

They are unable to help because these are not my mother's medical bills but bills for her unpaid medical insurance premiums. Since I signed her up and I am American they can't help me.

The real problem is that insurance wants my mother to cancel. She does not speak a lick of English and worse is not even here in America !

Isn't there anything I can do ?

Should I write a letter to insurance telling them to cancel her policy as she has left and show them a copy of her departure ticket ? I don't have her passport or Visa but since I paid for her ticket I have a copy of it.

I don't want to pay her insurance premiums forever and ever because she's not here to cancel it.

I wasn't thinking of the consular office in terms of financial help, but in terms of facilitating communication between your mother and the insurance company.

[HelpMeBills]

Yes, but I am the one they are coming after.

And she's uncooperative. Shouldn't proof that she left be enough ? Would a notarized letter from her be enough ?

[disneysteve]

Yes, but I am the one they are coming after.

And she's uncooperative.

Why are they coming after you if it was her policy?

Why is she being uncooperative? It was her policy and her responsibility, even if you were the one actually making the payments. She's not going to get anywhere if she's not willing to take responsibility.

[disneysteve]

Shouldn't proof that she left be enough ?

The fact that she isn't currently in the country is irrelevant. She signed a contract for insurance. She needs to follow the contract terms regarding cancelling that contract.

You can argue all day about her not being here or not speaking English or not needing the coverage anymore but that isn't going to get you anywhere. She needs to follow the company's policy on how to cancel it.

[Dumoti]

Are the people calling you from Kaiser itself or are they with a third-party collection agency?

Generally speaking, only the first named insured can cancel a policy. If your name isn't on the policy, then you're not going to be able to cancel it. Proof that she has left the country will similarly not cancel it.

I have no idea what are the terms and conditions of the contract signed by your mother.

Debt in your mother's name won't prevent her from returning to the country. However, it will affect her ability to obtain new credit. It will also affect her credit-based insurance score. Some states do not allow insurers to use credit as a factor in rating someone for insurance. California is one of those states.

Isn't Kaiser Permanente mostly located in and around Southern California?

[HelpMeBills]

Can she send a notarized letter asking Kaiser to cancel her policy ?

[disneysteve]

Can she send a notarized letter asking Kaiser to cancel her policy ?

We can’t answer that. You need to contact the insurance company and find out what she needs to do to cancel it.

Can she even get a notarized letter in her country?

[Dumoti]

What language does she speak? If it's Spanish then you can google "como cancelar Kaiser Seguro" and find a link that will explain how it is done.

I doubt that a notarized letter will be provided, but the link seems to indicate that her Kaiser card may be required.

If it does need to be notarized, that can be done at the US Embassy.