A severely brain-damaged woman’s family were told by insurers she must fly back to the UK or lose her coverage despite expert medical advice, her daughter has claimed.
Jane Rubens, 73, is in a coma in the US after she was hit by a vehicle in St Louis, Missouri, on 1 November and has had multiple brain surgeries this month.
Her daughter, Cat Rubens, claimed insurance firm AXA Partners had said her mother would need to return home this week or lose her policy, which covers up to £15m of emergency medical care.
The company – which Cat said gave them less than 24 hours to agree to repatriation – has since apologised for any distress, but the dispute forced her to divide attention.
“I would have rather been by her bedside, speaking to her, reading to her, that kind of thing, and just holding her hand, to be honest,” she said.
“She’s opened her eyes a few times over the last few days and if she is able to regain bits of consciousness, I want her to know that I’m right by her side.”
In a post on social media, Cat described what happened to her mum, whose surgery has included a craniectomy to remove a piece of her skull.
Cat said the family was advised by multiple neurology experts it would not be in her mother’s long-term interests to fly back to the UK at this “acute stage of her injury”.
A neurosurgeon said it would be best to fly her after the craniectomy has been reversed, which is three to six months down the line, Cat said.
Originally from Edinburgh, Cat said the family want her to return home to the Scottish capital, but only when it is in her medical interests.
“The key issue for me is not about whether she is technically fit to fly from A to B in one piece right now,” Cat, who now lives in London, said.
“From an aviation medicine perspective, it’s about whether this is the right time for her to be flown long-haul across the globe when she has a traumatic brain injury.”
Cat said a representative from the firm phoned her to apologise and confirmed she will not be moved this week, but she doesn’t know the long-term plan.
This is “already the worst time of my life”, she added, as she worries if her mum is “going to survive this injury at all”.
AXA Partners said their medical team and the doctors treating Jane will decide on the best course of action.
Read more from Sky News:
World’s oldest man dies aged 112
Elton John can’t finish new album
Follow our channel and never miss an update
“We are sorry for the distress Ms Rubens and her family have experienced when making a claim and we sympathise with their situation,” a spokesperson said.
“We have spoken with Ms Rubens’s family and will remain in contact with them over the coming days to support them.
“Our medical team and Ms Rubens’ treating doctors will agree the best course of action going forward.
“We are considering all available options and the welfare of Ms Rubens and her family remains our priority.”
