Overseas hospital bill

Expensive

Can anyone help?

I have ended up with a hospital bill from canada that my insurance won't pay.
Does anyone know how likely it is that a Canadian hospital will chase this? Many have said just ignore it in the mean time.

Also some of the charges are shocking, drugs billed at 200 dollars that I know cost about 5 etc, could I negotiate on it?

Also someone told me that as I booked my airfares etc on credit card it might cover it, I really doubt this and can't see why it would, but thought someone more knowledgeable might know?

I'm new here so not even sure if this is the right board but all help is appreciated. Or any directions as to who I should ask about enforcing this bill etc?

Thanks

mad_rich

Why aren't the travel insurers paying?

In North America, it is customary to haggle over medical bills as if you are in a Marrakech souk, so you might get some mileage there. Some people would tell you to ignore it, but that's not the right response. (You received medical care, you should pay for it. And it might come back to bite you if you don't.)

Some credit cards/ bank accounts do come with bundled insurance or even legal cover. Which card was it?

Expensive

I agree it's not the right response. And whilst it would be nice not to pay and I know the nhs gets stung by millions a year, I don't agree with it. I would ideally like to ignore until I can afford it. Probably a year to 18months away.

Actually no I would like to not pay and make a charitable donation to the hospital instead for the same amount so it can be used properly and not for over inflated prices.

It's a MasterCard through marks.

How would you suggest I haggle?

Thanks so much for the advice

mad_rich

It doesn't look like the M&S card will be of help, sorry.

Expensive wrote: »

How would you suggest I haggle?

I've never done it, I guess there are forums out there with suggestions, but I might be tempted to get in touch with the, explain you have no cash and no assets, and offer 25% of the bill in full and final settlement and see if they accept it.* How much is the bill for?

Interestingly, I've just got back from the US where I've been helping a friend who was involved in a serious accident on holiday. He was very well insured, but still received a $50,000 bill from the private helicopter firm which transferred him to hospital, along with stern warnings that they would pursue him if the insurers failed to pay the full amount. The advice we got was just to forward all correspondence to the insurer, and that they would pay a fraction of this!

_
*Disclaimer. This is most certainly not financial advice. You should ask someone who knows better than me!

Expensive

Thank you!

The total is just over 9000 dollars so about 5000 pounds roughly.
Haggling is a good idea, for instance there is a 3000 dollar bed charge that is for 24 hours but I only used it for 8.

I thought if I calculated up both the true cost, and the cost for a Canadian and then compared that to the cost for me, it might be a good way to haggle?

Expensive

I think the US persevere more than canada for payment. Canadian doctors said they probably wouldn't chase for such a 'small' amount.

mad_rich

Funny. That $3000/ night is precisely what my friend was quoted. I have no idea what his insurers will end up paying, but I suspect it will be nowhere near that.

I'd certainly recommend looking on a specialised forum for advice.

A quick Google brought this up.

http://billadvocates.com/save-money/slash-medical-bills-7-ways-haggle/

Although it focuses on the US and not Canada, and is probably geared to US residents with insurance, it's a good starting point.

Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

agrinnall

We still don't know why the insurance won't pay, is this something that they regard as 'self inflicted'?

jumperabv3

agrinnall wrote: »

We still don't know why the insurance won't pay, is this something that they regard as 'self inflicted'?

Yes, I'm also wondering why your travel insurance company won't deal with the case? Who is your travel insurance company by the way? Might be good to know to stay away from such a company.

paddyrg

Yes, please do tell who the insurer is and what reason they're giving - it'll help others make informed choices.

agrinnall

jumperabv3 wrote: »

Yes, I'm also wondering why your travel insurance company won't deal with the case? Who is your travel insurance company by the way? Might be good to know to stay away from such a company.

Or, alternatively, if they have rejected the claim for a good reason then perhaps people might thing it's worth considering them as not paying out spurious claims may keep premiums down.