Manulife strikes again !

Tequila wrote:
It seems it is not only Manulife...

Yes, it's not only Manulife. Voiding the policy because of wrong answers is a standard in this "business". Wrong answers don't have to be related to a particular disease that occurred during the trip. Unethical, yes. They make their own rules.

Tequila wrote:

I woudl go to your doctor with the form and ask him to fill it out and initial it, according to your medical records. So what if he charges you $100 to do it. That way if they try this stunt, you would surely beat them in court.

The very fact you have the form filled out by your GP would probably make them think twice about attempting to screw you.

Yes, they would think twice. But they won't be too scared because they have lawyers on a payroll, fulltime, whether you sue them or not, so the litigation isn't awfully high expense for them. With doctor filling the forms the chances of mistake will be lower, but there is no guarantee, and I would check and re-check the doctor's writing. The patient in that story didn't notice "OR" in the phrase "have been taking OR prescribed more than 6 meds", and so could the doctor, or doctor could make mistake when counting the meds.

An M.D. an underwriter for an MD has a LAWYER in every pocket, every drawer. I do not know if it is that way in Canada, but "forcing" lawyers to run all aspects of our lives leads to the US health care crisis. It isn't OBAMACARE, it is LAWYER FODDER causing the fundamental problem. It's like demanding only seasoned and vetted burglars can operate home security systems and companies.

It seems it is not only Manulife.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/travel-insurance-doesn-t-pay-for-these-bank-customers-1.2651318

I woudl go to your doctor with the form and ask him to fill it out and initial it, according to your medical records. So what if he charges you $100 to do it. That way if they try this stunt, you would surely beat them in court.

The very fact you have the form filled out by your GP would probably make them think twice about attempting to screw you.

I've been watching the stories on local news here in BC. I guess it doesn't matter what country you live in, insurance is insurance.

I have driven non stop to get out of the USA to avoid hospital lay-overs

To get Canadian Healthcare? Ask Liam Neeson about his deceased DW . . . $2,000.00 per hour is chump change when a life is at stake.

We should not forget that most of the snowbirds are seniors. They may not be as sharp as some of the Mexico travelers!! I wonder how we would handle answering those questions at the age of say 81??? Did you know that if your Dr. recommends your taking baby aspirin that is considered a medication? So your answer to: "Have you taken any new medications". should be yes. If your Dr. asked you to have a chest x ray when you had a severe cough that is considered investigative! But the real problem is that if you broke your leg what difference does it make if you take baby aspirin? The questionnaire should be written in plain English so anyone can fill it out properly. Time for some legislation.

Moisheh

Tony Lee has hit one nail dead on. How can a hospital justify that kind of bill? Here is an example; my wife went into one of three hospitals in Demming New Mexico. Her ear was swollen and the swelling moving down her neck. In twenty minutes she was outside the door and we paid cash, 300 dollars. It was not busy, understandably, we were the only ones there. Well the bill was not ready yet and would be quite awhile, so the lady said we will send you the change. That works and off we went. Two days later they phoned and the bill was ready, 950 some dollars. Well, maybe we should use our insurance. So we did.

When we arrived home, a bill from the hospital to the tune of 1100.00 and some dollars was waiting. RBC said that they would handle it, not to worry.

The treatment, one injection for infection (possibly due to an allergy caused by earring pin) and a written prescription. Total time in and out; 20 minutes.

Perhaps Canadian insurers are being ripped off by hospitals in the States and the travelling insured is collateral damage? Imagine if the hospital advised my wife stay overnight? and the doctor did not come back till 3 pm the next day?

Tequila wrote:
maybe they should sue the hospital for false diagnosis, since the Canadian hospital found the real problem so easily.

That was my thought.

I really feel for these people. Something like this can ruin your life. Were it me I would take a good look at a Law Suit. If nothing else it might convince them the to void the bill.

I can see the insurance company's point too; They would have refused to insure them at all if they had answered the questions correctly. The policy is a legal document, in fact a contract. You can't just say "I didn't realise" or "I thought" or "I didn't know". You have to take the time, often more than a day, to thoroughly read and understand the contract.

Hope it works out for you.

maybe they should sue the hospital for false diagnosis, since the Canadian hospital found the real problem so easily.

The real problem in this story is how any hospital can justify that sort of bill.