Canadian Travel Insurance - the Thievery of it all

Hi.  I am your insurance
agent.  I want your money,
but I don't like paying out
for your claim.  I am
not your buddy.

Today, I watched a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation documentary about medical travel insurance in Canada for those Canadians who travel outside of Canada and who may become ill while on their holiday. 

This was a documentary produced by "Marketplace", which is a popular T.V. program in Canada, which alerts Canadians to consumer issues of note. 

I won't reiterate the entire premise of this program here. The bottom line is that if you are a Canadian and buy Canadian medical travel insurance you may get royally screwed, big time. 

A couple from British Columbia, Bill Jennings and his wife Tracy, ages 67 and 48, went on a trip to Florida in December of 2010. They bought medical travel insurance from a very large Canadian Insurance Company. While on their trip, Bill had a heart attack and needed emergency medical surgery in Florida, which was successful. After they returned to Canada they found that they had a bill for $346,000. U.S. because their insurance claim was denied. 

The program also cited another incident in which an elderly man vacationed outside of Canada and bought Canadian medical travel insurance for $2,500. He fell ill and had to have heart stent surgery performed outside of Canada and ended up with a bill for $88,000. 

The insurance company denied the insurance claims of these people because they had given misleading information on their application forms to the insurance company for this travel insurance and had not disclosed all of their medical conditions, as required. 

It was pointed out in this television program that NO ONE can figure out how to answer the medical questionnaires provided by these insurance companies except a lawyer. Even doctors who have filled out these insurance application forms for their patients haven't gotten it right. 

These forms are written in legal jargon and are designed to trip you up, so that at a later date, they can deny your medical claim. 

For instance, even a question such as "Have you received treatment for a heart condition in the past 12 months?" can include something as simple as having an EKG, which is a common medical test. If you say on this application form that you haven't received treatment for a heart condition, you lied. Yes, you did receive heart disease treatment, according to the insurance companies, because you had a test for heart issues. 

Pray for salvation
from Corporate Greed

Of course all of this nonsense is just a ploy by the insurance companies to deny your claim. 

Insurance companies are Corporations in the business of making money. They are not in the business of being your buddy. They will screw you blind. 

God save us from the Corporate insurance thieves. God save us from Corporate greed. Amen.