A Dream Family Reunion, a Dog Bite and the Importance of Cover in the USA

A Family Reunion, Years in the Making

For Cheryl and Bruce, the trip was about one thing above all else: family. After not having seen their daughter and grandsons in 12 years, their long-awaited reunion was emotional, heartfelt, and filled with moments they had been imagining for years.

“Our trip was very exciting; it was very wonderful to catch up with our daughter and grandsons. We hadn’t seen them for 12 years,” says Cheryl.

Cheryl says that reuniting with her daughter's family was deeply emotional, with hugs, tears and excitement filling the home as they arrived. But things changed rapidly, when an unexpected event took the family by surprise.

An Unexpected Emergency  

Within moments of arriving at their daughter’s home in North Carolina, the family dog, unsettled by the intensity of the reunion, bit Bruce on the hand. At first, the bite seemed manageable, with the Cheryl and Bruce’s daughter, a nurse, immediately cleaning and dressing the wound. But within 24 hours, the situation escalated dramatically.

“Within 24 hours it had gone haywire. His hand had swelled up, and you could see it [the inflammation] travelling up his arm,” explains Cheryl.

After a visit to urgent care Bruce’s blood pressure dropped and the infection worsened. He was then transferred by ambulance to hospital for overnight treatment and intravenous antibiotics. Doctors later diagnosed Bruce with cellulitis and were particularly concerned about sepsis; a potentially life-threatening complication. 

Bruce pictured in hospital, recieving treatment for his dog bite infection [left] and [right] his hand, pictured hours after the dog bite

“Bruce being seventy, we thought, oh, that’s not a good thing. Sepsis, as you know, is very dangerous.”

Once at the hospital, the focus was on stopping Bruce’s infection quickly. Cheryl recalls that staff drew marks on his arm to track how far the infection had spread and “pumped him full of antibiotics” to try to get it under control. 

Although he began to improve by the next day, the ordeal clearly took a toll. 

“He recovered within a day or two, but was very tired for most of the trip,” Cheryl says. “He was still very washed out… quite tired and that lasted quite a few days.”

Instead of settling into a peaceful family holiday, the pair found themselves managing the stress and logistics of a medical emergency in a foreign country.

The Shock of US Medical Costs   

Like many Australians, Cheryl and her husband were unprepared for just how immediate and expensive medical care in the United States could be. While they were pleased with the quality of Bruce’s treatment, the associated costs arrived almost as quickly as the care.

“They [hospital staff] come straight into your room and they want their money before you leave the room. They tell you it’s going to be like $3,000-$4,000 for a bit of care. We didn’t anticipate that a dog bite would end up costing so much in US dollars either,” Cheryl says.

For travellers from Australia, where the healthcare experience is very different, the process felt confronting and unfamiliar. And while the couple were grateful for the high quality of care Bruce received, the experience reinforced how quickly overseas medical bills can add up.

“It was expensive, yes, but we were so thankful that we took insurance, absolutely, very thankful.”

How 1Cover Came Through  

As Cheryl and Bruce had paid their bills upfront, they then had to claim their costs back through 1Cover, which Cherl credits as being very straightforward.

“When we did contact 1Cover and Bruce got a caseworker, she was very clear in what else she needed and how we were able to obtain it… she was awesome.”

Thankfully, Bruce’s medical costs were covered in full, which came a huge relief to the couple.

“1Cover covered everything in my opinion at a fair price… I will be taking 1Cover again. Once they were supplied with all the relevant paperwork, they settled the claim super quick and efficiently.”

Lastly, Cheryl notes that taking out travel insurance, particularly when travelling to the United States where treatment can be extremely expensive, is simply not negotiable.

“You do not know what’s going to happen from day to day… you’re in a foreign country. I think you’d be insane not to take travel insurance.”