In 2001, I have just completed the paper work with my friend's mom CPF monies and had asked her about her other insurances. She had politely declined saying she had other friends in other insurance companies. This has come back to haunt me earlier in early 2012.
My friend informed me one day during one of the meet ups that his mom has contracted breast cancer. Damn! She had been like a mother to me, my friend like a brother. The news was difficult to swallow.
Insurance? I asked. My friend told me not sure. Not sure? She said she had a plans with 2 other insurance companies, not sure? What do you mean, I asked my friend.
He told me they cannot contact one of the agents from one company and the other has migrated. So they were unsure about the insurance.
They have been talking about what to do next? Private hospitalisation is not going to be cheap, but the government hospital said her operation is in 3 months. 3 months?! I asked him what stage of cancer his mom was at. He said stage 3. Stage 3 and wait 3 months! Ridiculous!
They have then decided that they will get his mom to do the operation in a private hospital and come back to the public hospital for chemo and all. I also told my friend to get her mom to dig out all the policies so that I can see them.
Went over to his place, looked at the policies and my heart sank. The policies have been so long that the pages are sticking to on another. It makes that sickening sound when you try to pull the 2 pages away.
There was also reciept payments for premiums and found many that is damn long ago. Then I saw one particular letter that looked new. It turned out that she had a shield plan and premium had been paid in 2011. That was the only one which had payment receipt that was up to date. No rider to cover the cash portion of the hospitalisation and the plan has not been upgraded to the private one. Well at least some part of the hospitalisation was covered. No other plans was in force.
I went home in a daze, sat down and with tears welling up in my eyes, i wrote a text message to my friend and apologised. I have taken for granted that people will do a good job. I have protected my own feelings about being scorned and not persevere and ask more about her insurances. If only I had persisted, if only I had insist for her just to show me then. If only... sigh... why do we only ask ourselves these questions when something has happened? Why does people have to go through the dilemma of which hospital to go when something of this magnitude has occurred? Why do people not look at what may happen and plan for the worse instead of taking the risk that its not going to happen to them?
As I sat there feeling guilty, my thoughts went back to the day I walked out of my friends place in 2001.
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