The Zika threat is so severe that some of the world’s best athletes have backed out of the Olympic Games in Rio. The virus can have devastating effects on an unborn child. So when an expectant couple from Oak Park decided it would be best for them to cancel their scheduled Caribbean vacation, they said it was an easy choice.
“Looking at all the side effects, birth defects, it wasn't a risk we were willing to take,” said Lyndsey Anton.
In January, the Antons were planning to spend a so-called “babymoon” at the Sandals resort in Ochi, Jamaica. However, the Zika virus was beginning to make headlines around that time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also warned pregnant women not to travel to areas with Zika-infected mosquitoes.
“A week before we were supposed to leave, I saw my doctor and she advised us not to go and we were totally OK with it since we’d been trying for two years to have a baby. We didn’t want to put her at risk,” Lyndsey said.
The Antons had purchased travel insurance through Trip Mate for their $3,700 vacation.
“As far as what we read and what we were told, it was pretty clear, that it was cancel for any reason,” Mike Anton said.
But when the Antons tried recovering their money, their claim was denied by the insurance company, which stated the couple’s decision to cancel their trip was a “choice."
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“I feel like we were duped,” Lyndsey said. “It’s travel insurance. That’s why you buy it.”
According to Trip Mate’s cancellation policy, general exclusions to their policy include pregnancy. The Illinois Department of Insurance said travel policies typically do not include coverage for cancelling a trip even if the traveler is at a heightened risk for a disease outbreak.
NBC 5 Responds reached out to Sandals. The resort company said it has no control over the decisions of its third-party travel insurance vendor, Trip Mate. However, Sandals offered to reimburse the Antons $3,500 for the land portion of their trip.
Meanwhile, Lyndsey and Mike welcomed baby Lily nearly three months ago. The new parents said Lily’s smiles are priceless.
“No amount of money could be worth even risking the fact that this baby could have some type of health issue,” Lyndsey said. “I'm still so grateful that we chose to stay home and not even take a chance with it,” Lyndsey said.
The Illinois Department of Insurance said travel insurance companies need to apply to make changes to their policies. So far, none have tried to make changes related to Zika.
