canadians don't want to pay for US healthcare

[swamp]

www.newyorkupstate.com/northern-ny/2019/04/why-did-a-canadian-family-drive-a-dead-body-across-upstate-ny-border.html?fbclid=IwAR1mUxprVQHfFp5pkNO7aP7Ay1Wb37OXvHehl2rAzl0HCMCc7El2LJ5vnvI

[Lizard Queen]

I heard the story on the radio the other day.  I completely sympathize with them.

[weltschmerz]

"Vice reports that medical costs in the States are known to be a matter of concern for Canadians traveling south. Stories of Canadians being bankrupted after breaking bones, getting in car accidents or even delivering babies while visiting the U.S. are well known north of the border, and travelers insurance hasn’t always been enough protection from American health care costs. "

This is true. There have been countless horror stories of Canadians having travelers insurance, and the insurance refusing to pony up.
That's the raison d'etre of insurance companies....deny, deny, deny.

[finnime]

I understand and empathize, but cannot get over the thought of driving with a corpse for 2 days from Florida to Canada. That's a lot of highway miles to share space with a body.

[weltschmerz]

Apr 4, 2019 15:56:30 GMT -5 finnime said:

I understand and empathize, but cannot get over the thought of driving with a corpse for 2 days from Florida to Canada. That's a lot of highway miles to share space with a body.

Bodies are harmless, unless they're zombies.

[justme]

Many Americans travel without travel insurance too. Hell, until my cruise this last Dec I had been on 9 cruises out of the country and countless trips up to Canada all without travel insurance (except for maybe minimal cover my credit cards provide). I only lucked out that I busted my ankle during a ship-sponsored game so they didn't charge me - probably would have been $2k!!! 

Surprised that the woman that was denied was denied for another pre-existing condition instead of the pregnancy. In the US I haven't seen a travel insurance policy yet that covers pregnancy...not that I've looked for one, just when looking for my own I always see pregnancy excluded. 

[weltschmerz]

Canadian woman gives birth in US, gets $1 million hospital bill


Huculak told Canada’s CTV News that she had bought Blue Cross insurance before her trip and she had been cleared for travel by her doctor. However, she says Blue Cross is refusing to pay any of her hospital costs, claiming the woman had a pre-existing condition.

www.msnbc.com/msnbc/canadian-woman-gives-birth-america-gets-1m-hospital-bill

[Deleted]

Apr 4, 2019 15:36:08 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

This is true. There have been countless horror stories of Canadians having travelers insurance, and the insurance refusing to pony up.
That's the raison d'etre of insurance companies....deny, deny, deny.

In the case of the elderly couple I'd be surprised if they bought it at all.  It's getting expensive for me at age 66 and that's with Medicare paying first. (Medicare doesn't pay outside of the US but my supplement pays a lifetime mex of $50K for care outside of the US.)

And I don't blame them, either, for driving the body back home.  Repatriating a body legally typically requires embalming, a lot of paperwork and a very expensive plane flight if you don't cremate them, and some countries prohibit cremation. 

Apr 4, 2019 16:08:08 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Huculak told Canada’s CTV News that she had bought Blue Cross insurance before her trip and she had been cleared for travel by her doctor. However, she says Blue Cross is refusing to pay any of her hospital costs, claiming the woman had a pre-existing condition.

Which she DID. That's a terrible outcome but why should the insurer pay the claim if the policy excluded pre-existing conditions? Note that many policies will waive that exclusion if you buy your insurance within a few days of booking your trip.

[billisonboard]

Apr 4, 2019 15:56:30 GMT -5 finnime said:

I understand and empathize, but cannot get over the thought of driving with a corpse for 2 days from Florida to Canada. That's a lot of highway miles to share space with a body.

My grandparents were traveling from their home in Spokane, WA to my brother's wedding in Boise, ID. They usually flew, but took the bus that time so that grandfather could ride through the small valley in central Idaho in which he had been born 83 years earlier. The bus stopped at a little gas station/store/cafe in the middle of nowhere, about 35 miles past the valley. Grandmother went in to get some coffee and returned to find that Grandfather had died. The owner of the place, not someone that any family member had ever met prior, drove my grandmother and the body into Boise, about a 4 hour drive.

[weltschmerz]

Apr 4, 2019 16:10:05 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Apr 4, 2019 15:36:08 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

This is true. There have been countless horror stories of Canadians having travelers insurance, and the insurance refusing to pony up.
That's the raison d'etre of insurance companies....deny, deny, deny.

In the case of the elderly couple I'd be surprised if they bought it at all.  It's getting expensive for me at age 66 and that's with Medicare paying first. (Medicare doesn't pay outside of the US but my supplement pays a lifetime mex of $50K for care outside of the US.)

And I don't blame them, either, for driving the body back home.  Repatriating a body legally typically requires embalming, a lot of paperwork and a very expensive plane flight if you don't cremate them, and some countries prohibit cremation. 

Apr 4, 2019 16:08:08 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Huculak told Canada’s CTV News that she had bought Blue Cross insurance before her trip and she had been cleared for travel by her doctor. However, she says Blue Cross is refusing to pay any of her hospital costs, claiming the woman had a pre-existing condition.

Which she DID. That's a terrible outcome but why should the insurer pay the claim if the policy excluded pre-existing conditions? Note that many policies will waive that exclusion if you buy your insurance within a few days of booking your trip.

“Jennifer looked this lady in the eye and said, ‘So I’m covered?’ And this lady looked at her and said, ‘Yes, you’re covered. Have a good holiday.’ And the holiday turned into a staycation,” Kimmel told TODAY Parents.

www.today.com/parents/canadian-mom-who-gives-birth-hawaii-gets-near-1-million-1D80302220

She was visibly pregnant when she was told she was covered.

[weltschmerz]

It wasn't the pregnancy which was the pre-existing condition. It was a bladder infection that had cleared up and she showed the insurance company a letter from her doctor, attesting to a clean bill of health.

I guess if you've ever had any kind of infection, ever, you shouldn't get travelers insurance. Just stay home.

[Deleted]

I'd like to know the full story.  Insurance is strictly regulated in the US and I'd think that either the Hawaii Insurance Department or an equally-vigilant provincial Insurance Commission would nail the company to the wall if they unjustly denied a claim.  Second, most plaintiff's attorneys I know would be salivating at the lucrative Bad Faith Settlement case that they could file, complete with photogenic young mother and baby, if they believed there were a legitimate chance of winning. (I'm assuming that the couple could file in a US court because that's where the hospital was based and the baby was born, but I'm not a lawyer.)

Sorry to hijack this thread but I really am interested in the story behind the denial- plenty of us do buy travel insurance to cover illness or injury outside of the scope if our US-based policies and it would be good to know how to protect ourselves.

[NoNamePerson]

I guess he said "I think I'm having a heart  attack" and they say can you wait till we get back to Canada before we get you to a doctor?

Seniors might give thought to coming to US from Canada with family. But good way to off them and blame it on high health care cost here.

A new new take on Weekend at Bernies.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I think if I was 24 weeks pregnant, looking to travel and buying travel insurance, I would specifically ask about pregnancy and travel.

Just because you look someone in the eye doesn’t necessarily mean that they know you are pregnant.  It doesn’t excuse the insurance company though.

[Tennesseer]

Apr 4, 2019 17:38:59 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

I guess he said "I think I'm having a hear attach" and they say can you wait till we get back to Canada before we get you to a doctor?

Seniors might give thought to coming to US from Canada with family. But good way to off them and blame it on high health care cost here.

A new new take on Weekend at Bernies.

Little Miss Sunshine too. Grandpa died on a road trip.

[Ava]

It's not just Canadians.

I don't want to pay for U.S. healthcare, either. 

It's totally out of control.

[NoNamePerson]

Apr 4, 2019 18:22:12 GMT -5 Ava said:

It's not just Canadians.

I don't want to pay for U.S. healthcare, either. 

It's totally out of control.

Go on a road trip when you get sick! No problem if they will just drive you around till you croak! Ok evil twin on keyboard so I am sending her to the attic right now.  

[Deleted]

Apr 4, 2019 17:44:39 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

I think if I was 24 weeks pregnant, looking to travel and buying travel insurance, I would specifically ask about pregnancy and travel.

Just because you look someone in the eye doesn’t necessarily mean that they know you are pregnant.  It doesn’t excuse the insurance company though.

No, you READ the contract and make sure it either includes or doesn't exclude.  Sales people can lie or just be incompetent.  Why does everyone never read their contract, that is every single one of these stories.  

Asking the sale person to point out the paragraph on that your covered is fine, but then read it.  

[chapeau]

Apr 4, 2019 18:04:43 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Apr 4, 2019 17:38:59 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

I guess he said "I think I'm having a hear attach" and they say can you wait till we get back to Canada before we get you to a doctor?

Seniors might give thought to coming to US from Canada with family. But good way to off them and blame it on high health care cost here.

A new new take on Weekend at Bernies.

Little Miss Sunshine too. Grandpa died on a road trip.

National Lampoon's Vacation. They great aunt died and they wrapped her in plastic and tied her to the roof rack. Then left her body on a relative's patio in a rain storm.

[Tennesseer]

Apr 4, 2019 19:43:18 GMT -5 chapeau said:

Apr 4, 2019 18:04:43 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Little Miss Sunshine too. Grandpa died on a road trip.

National Lampoon's Vacation. They great aunt died and they wrapped her in plastic and tied her to the roof rack. Then left her body on a relative's patio in a rain storm.

Funny scenes. Imogene Coca was a great comedienne.

[weltschmerz]

Apr 4, 2019 17:44:39 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

I think if I was 24 weeks pregnant, looking to travel and buying travel insurance, I would specifically ask about pregnancy and travel.

Just because you look someone in the eye doesn’t necessarily mean that they know you are pregnant.  It doesn’t excuse the insurance company though.

It wasn't the pregnancy. It was a previous bladder infection, which had cleared up. Her doctor gave her a clean bill of health attesting to that..

[chapeau]

Apr 4, 2019 20:00:55 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Apr 4, 2019 17:44:39 GMT -5 The Walk of the Penguin Mich said:

I think if I was 24 weeks pregnant, looking to travel and buying travel insurance, I would specifically ask about pregnancy and travel.

Just because you look someone in the eye doesn’t necessarily mean that they know you are pregnant.  It doesn’t excuse the insurance company though.

It wasn't the pregnancy. It was a previous bladder infection, which had cleared up. Her doctor gave her a clean bill of health attesting to that..

When I was 24 weeks pregnant I was invited to a wedding an 8-hour drive from my home. Talked it over with my ob and decided not to go. I hadn’t had so much as a cold during my pregnancy. And the wedding was a friend who was an ob, so in case of emergency I’d have had a number of doctors available. Still chose not to go. No way on earth I’d fly to Hawaii at that point in my pregnancy. Some airlines won’t let you fly much past that, if I remember right.

[travelnut11]

Apr 4, 2019 20:24:36 GMT -5 chapeau said:

Apr 4, 2019 20:00:55 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

It wasn't the pregnancy. It was a previous bladder infection, which had cleared up. Her doctor gave her a clean bill of health attesting to that..

When I was 24 weeks pregnant I was invited to a wedding an 8-hour drive from my home. Talked it over with my ob and decided not to go. I hadn’t had so much as a cold during my pregnancy. And the wedding was a friend who was an ob, so in case of emergency I’d have had a number of doctors available. Still chose not to go. No way on earth I’d fly to Hawaii at that point in my pregnancy. Some airlines won’t let you fly much past that, if I remember right.

You can fly much later than 24 weeks. Some airlines have no limit, some need a doctor's note at a certain point like 36 weeks. I flew to my mom's funeral at 33/34 weeks and it was miserably uncomfortable. Got the doc's clearance, wore support hose, carried my medical records and all was fine.

[weltschmerz]

Apr 4, 2019 20:47:21 GMT -5 travelnut11 said:

Apr 4, 2019 20:24:36 GMT -5 chapeau said:

When I was 24 weeks pregnant I was invited to a wedding an 8-hour drive from my home. Talked it over with my ob and decided not to go. I hadn’t had so much as a cold during my pregnancy. And the wedding was a friend who was an ob, so in case of emergency I’d have had a number of doctors available. Still chose not to go. No way on earth I’d fly to Hawaii at that point in my pregnancy. Some airlines won’t let you fly much past that, if I remember right.

You can fly much later than 24 weeks. Some airlines have no limit, some need a doctor's note at a certain point like 36 weeks. I flew to my mom's funeral at 33/34 weeks and it was miserably uncomfortable. Got the doc's clearance, wore support hose, carried my medical records and all was fine.

24 weeks is a little more than halfway into your pregnancy.  I'd fly. I worked until 36 weeks, on a heavy psychiatric ward.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Apr 4, 2019 20:52:29 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Apr 4, 2019 20:47:21 GMT -5 travelnut11 said:

You can fly much later than 24 weeks. Some airlines have no limit, some need a doctor's note at a certain point like 36 weeks. I flew to my mom's funeral at 33/34 weeks and it was miserably uncomfortable. Got the doc's clearance, wore support hose, carried my medical records and all was fine.

24 weeks is a little more than halfway into your pregnancy.  I'd fly. I worked until 36 weeks, on a heavy psychiatric ward.

That’s not the point.  If something happens you are near medical care.  It is the flying over a large body of water where it becomes an issue.  Even flying within the US, in an emergency the pilot can get the plane down in less than an hour.  

[Tiny]

Consider that it took a bit more than 2 weeks to clear all the paper work and have my cousin's body transported from Texas to Illinois when he died suddenly while on vacation... Knowing what I now know -- I think if a loved one died out of state, I too, might be very tempted to just pop them in the car and drive them home, than have to got thru all the red tape of doing it the "right way".

So, I'm kind of sympathetic to the people in the OP's article.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Apr 4, 2019 21:36:22 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Consider that it took a bit more than 2 weeks to clear all the paper work and have my cousin's body transported from Texas to Illinois when he died suddenly while on vacation... Knowing what I now know -- I think if a loved one died out of state, I too, might be very tempted to just pop them in the car and drive them home, than have to got thru all the red tape of doing it the "right way".

So, I'm kind of sympathetic to the people in the OP's article.

When my mom died, she wanted to be buried in Indiana, but lived in NY.  We had her cremated locally, stuck her ashes in the back seat and drove her there.

[busymom]

When I was pregnant with DS, the insurance DH had though his company was awful.  It was a big-name company, but they told me if I left our home state, and delivered early, they would NOT cover the birth.  I skipped the family reunion that year, which was only one state away.  Insurance companies can be total a$$holes.  

[giramomma]

Apr 4, 2019 23:11:23 GMT -5 busymom said:

When I was pregnant with DS, the insurance DH had though his company was awful.  It was a big-name company, but they told me if I left our home state, and delivered early, they would NOT cover the birth.  I skipped the family reunion that year, which was only one state away.  Insurance companies can be total a$$holes.  

Eh.

My insurance started the same thing about 7 years ago. My insurance was great...I paid nothing for the birth of my first two kids, like $500 for #3, and more for #4, only because I was on a HDHP.

I didn't really consider it an asshole-ish move that my insurance said: Starting at 36 weeks, and out of network birth will not be covered. That's still considered preterm. In my case, if I gave birth that early, I would have been worried something would have been wrong since all my kids like to stay in me more than 40 weeks to cook. (The only exception was #3, who came only two days after her due date. Due to ART, my due dates were accurate.)

In a situation where there could be something "wrong" happening with birth, I'd prefer to be in my network, with my drs, and close to my patient records. I can't imagine navigating a birth completely stressed out.

[giramomma]

That woman that went into labor at 24 weeks was lucky. I had a coworker that delivered a 22 or 23 week baby.  I've forgotten which now. My coworker had burned through a million in costs within a couple of months of the birth. Kid ended up staying in NICU for 8+months, and care for that kiddo ran in the millions.