‘We can live our lives again without worrying’: Ontario man relieved after insurance company agrees to pay $620,000 hospital bill

Here's how Pat Foran helped an Ontario man get his $620,000 Florida hospital bill paid off after his travel insurance denied coverage.

An Ontario man who received a $620,000 medical bill from a Florida hospital is now relieved that his insurance company has reversed its decision and decided to pay the bill.

“I can’t believe it. It’s such a relief and takes away so many worries. I’ll be able to sleep at night now,” said Richard Bishop, of Tecumseh, Ont., near Windsor.

Last March Bishop suffered cardiac arrest in a Florida airport ended up with a hospital bill of more than $620,000. CTV News Toronto first spoke with Bishop about the bill in July.

Seventy-four-year-old Bishop was flying back from Florida last March, when he suffered cardiac arrest at the Orlando airport and collapsed. It took 14 minutes of CPR to revive him.

“I’m recovering. I had 10 broken ribs but I’m recovering, I’m good,” Bishop said at the time.

Bishop had travel medical insurance and thought his medical bills would be covered. He was given an $80,000 defibrillator while in hospital.

But following an investigation by Greenshield, his insurance company, his claim was denied.

He was told he wasn’t covered due to having pre-existing conditions related to his heart.

“After you get an $80,000 defibrillator, they say ‘Oh, we’re not paying’” Bishop said.

At the time Bishop had travel insurance with Greenshield, and the company told CTV News it could not provide details due to privacy concerns.

‘It was never properly explained to him’: Travel insurance expert

We interviewed Martin Firestone, the president of Travel Secure Inc. about the importance of travel insurance, and he agreed to help the Bishops appeal their case.

“Our defence to get this claim paid was that it was never properly explained to him,” Firestone said.

Firestone felt Bishop did check to make sure they had proper coverage before going to Florida, by calling their insurance company and asking them about their coverage.

“They called prior to leaving and were told that this retirement plan coverage they had is the best there is. When that comment was made, I said, ‘Stop right there,’” Firestone said.

With Firestone’s help, the case was appealed and Greenshield agreed to settle the hospital bill for a reduced amount of almost $365,000.

Firestone said when settling hospital bills in the U.S., you can often negotiate a lower amount which was done in this case.

“I just think everything lined up properly with your program, and my letter, and the fact this was a battle they decided they didn’t want to fight,” Firestone said.

Bishop says resolution is a ‘major relief’

When CTV news reached out to Greenshield, JP Girard, Executive Vice President, Head of GreenShield Insurance said in a statement, “As a non-profit health and benefits company, GreenShield is committed to our social mission of advancing better health for all. As such, the care of our members is our first priority.”

“Given this individual claim contains private personal health information, we cannot provide specific details. All claim decisions involve multiple levels of review with both internal claim examiners and external medical experts. We understand how overwhelming and stressful medical emergencies can be, particularly when they occur far from home.”

“Upon receiving the requisite medical documentation, we were pleased this resulted in a positive outcome for the Bishop family – and wish them all the best as they continue to recover from this difficult health experience.”

Bishop said he was thankful to CTV News for airing his story, and for Firestone stepping in to help.

“This is a major relief, and it turned out really good that they did pay,” Bishop said.

If you plan to travel outside of Canada you need proper travel insurance, but you also must ask questions if you’ve had health problems or changes in your medication as no one wants to get a stuck with a massive medical bill.