You Should Be Ashamed Of Yourselves

Its taken a lot for me to come here and complain about a service, generally speaking, I try my hardest to deal with any issues related to service without spreading it to the general public, but this story will show the blatant hesitation to pay my claim, and to be honest its quite disgusting.

For the past 18 odd months I have an issue with my Blood Pressure, this came out of nowhere really and progressively got worse, it has caused severe cluster headaches and has resulted me being either in ICU, Highcare or Casualty well over 30 times. I am a 38 Year old male who has been diagnosed with Stage 3 DRUG resistant hypertension.

In the beginning of July, I happened to have a general chat with my broker to which I brought up my struggles with my BP, as it has impacted my work quite heavily. He said to me there could be a possibility to claim. Now before I go any further when I took out the policy on 1/11/2020, I was asked if I had any previous conditions which I openly said I had been diagnosed with a panic disorder in 2016, I stated my medication and was very open of what I was on at the time. During this time I NO hypertension. The response was that I had an exclusion on any claims that dealt with Mental health, which at the time, I had no issue with. In hind site I think in the current climate I think its terrible that Mental health is discarded from any policy, but anyways we proceeded.

Only this year, I submitted a claim. This year I have been in hospital well over 20 times, this is shown in the records submitted with my claim. My family have a history of High BP as my mother had a brain aneurysm in 2016, she was on chronic High BP medication. My initial claim was rejected due to the fact that i had no damage to my kidneys or heart. The other issue is the hospital I attend, the emergency room is contracted to a company called ER Consultants and the Hospital Busamed. The Casualty team were not informing my specialist of all the visits. Subsequently, my physician advised me to see an occupational the****** for a functional test, which I did at my own expense, he also provided a letter of motivation, which reopened the claim process. Additional documents were asked and the irony is all my specialists were paid for providing this information. My Psychiatrist confirmed that my mental health was good and I was responding to treatment.

At 38, I am on 4 Blood Pressure agents (this is out of 8, which I have already been on) I am currently suffering massive side effects from the medication and clocked my highest Blood pressure to date of 217/151.

After all this, I was informed yesterday from my broker that I now needed to see an independent physician to establish if this high blood pressure was due to stress as if it is, it would fall under the mental health exclusion. Let me make this clear, if this was the case why did I not have this condition when I have gone through the following prior to being diagnosed hypertensive. 1. I managed 200 Seater Call Centres with an insurance company called the unlimited group & from 2009 - 2012 I was National Marketing & Sales Manager for Excellerate. 2. I was married at 21 and had my parents living with me being the main bread winner, from the beginning os 2012 to the end of 2014 3. My dad, while living with me passed away in 2014, I had to the be the emotional arm of both my mother and my brother 4. My mother had a brain aneurysm and survived and required 24 hour care in my home, which put enormous pressure on my house hold including my marriage. 5. My wife had an affair in 2017 6. My father in law in 2018, under handedly took our business we had started away from me

Through all the above, I was not hypertensive. My physician has said this has to be some sort of genetic issue.

I think the way this has been handled is disgusting and Bidvest life you should be ashamed of yourselves. I want to walk my daughters down the isle one day, but instead, the risk of me being a burden to them for having a stroke or heart attack is only exaggerating the hypertension that I have.

As I have mentioned to them I have a successful media company who represent brands such as Vodacom, Unilever, and I intent to source all people that are in my position and holding Bidvest life accountable for trying every possible way of not paying out - NOTE I have never ever missed a payment.