88-year-old Indian woman visiting family in Canada gets ₹82 lakh medical bill, insurance firm to foot bill

An elderly woman’s trip to Canada to see her family turned into a nightmare when an insurance provider denied her claim for a medical bill of ₹82 lakh!

Alice John (88) was visiting her family in Brampton on a super visa, which permits parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents to stay for up to two years at a time for 10 years.

Visiting her daughter in Brampton, she developed a cough, shortness of breath and fever, as per local media.

She was hospitalised at the Hamilton General Hospital after her symptoms worsened. Her health deteriorated over time, and she was also put on a ventilator. 

The family had purchased a basic super visa travel insurance plan with coverage up to $1,00,000 from Manulife, a Canadian multinational insurance company.

However, after Alice was treated, it was determined she had a pre-existing condition and her claim was denied. The denial of the claim came as a shock to the family as the medical bill reached up to $96,311 (approx. ₹82.5 lakh).

While the insurance company denied the claim as they dubbed the illness as pre-existing, the family said they were unaware of any previous heart issues.

Finally, to the relief of the family, a spokesperson told the news outlet, “Sometimes, unique situations come up where the interpretation of the medical file doesn’t align with the contract. We’ve taken a closer look and, given the circumstances, will pay the claim. We’ve notified the relevant parties and are now initiating the payment process.”

After initially denying the claim, Manulife has now agreed to pay the medical bills in full.