Why a prescription puffer cost an Ontario man a $10k insurance claim

It each came down to a puffer.

When Ray Hamill had acold symptoms, his doc prescribed 1 to the 77-year-old renovation contractor and motorcycle enthusiast.

Months later, aft Hamill was injured successful a motorcycle mishap adjacent Las Vegas successful 2023, portion connected a abrogation with friends, that puffer gave his Canadian question security institution a crushed to contradict his $10,660 measure from Valley Hospital.

And it did.

“What a muddle,” Hamill told Global News successful the backyard of his London, Ont. bungalow.

“This didn’t person to happen,” helium said.

Hamill has been successful back-and-forth speech with TD Travel Insurance and Global Excel, which describes itself arsenic a “full-service outgo containment, claims absorption and aesculapian assistance company”.

“Talk astir lawsuit avoidance techniques, it was the top runaround I’ve been successful in my life,” Hamill said, describing his acquisition with the security part of TD and Global Excel.

Hamill buys yearly question security done TD and has done truthful for decades, helium said. He assured Global News helium is forthright astir his aesculapian conditions, including precocious humor pressure, and has antecedently informed the insurer that helium takes 2 medicine medications.

But erstwhile helium had a acold months earlier the Las Vegas motorcycle travel successful October of past year, helium received a medicine puffer from his doc and utilized it briefly. He said helium ne'er thought the puffer could interfere with a aboriginal security claim.

“I ne'er thought of that,” helium said, adding the cough went away.

But months aft Hamill’s motorcycle accident, which required stitches to his close shin, the puffer became the crushed the security institution would contradict the claim.

“If you person a alteration successful your medicine oregon a alteration successful your information betwixt the time you bought your argumentation and your departure day from your state of residence, you indispensable disclose it,” said Michael Camacho, past president of the Travel Health Insurance Association, commonly known arsenic THIA.

It represents question insurers, brokers, underwriters, re-insurers, exigency assistance companies, aerial ambulance companies and allied services successful the question security field. TD Insurance is simply a subordinate of the relation but did not supply on-camera remark to Global News.

In a statement, TD Insurance wrote that it is “committed to supporting its customers and putting the lawsuit archetypal successful each determination we make. We person worked with the idiosyncratic to resoluteness the claim,” it read.

“We promote customers who person immoderate questions astir their argumentation to interaction us,” the TD connection concluded.

The question security manufacture cautions customers that a nonaccomplishment to disclose immoderate medicine oregon medicine medicine — whether it’s a puffer for acold symptoms to antibiotic ointment for nail oregon ft fungus — could beryllium problematic.

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“However tiny it mightiness look to beryllium you’ve got to telephone the security institution oregon your security advisor and fto him oregon her cognize that determination has been a change,” Camacho said successful an interview.

“The (insurance) rates are based connected disclosure of information, Camacho added.

Hamill’s lawsuit — successful which it took months to get a denial — besides meant the infirmary measure rang up higher than necessary. The infirmary initially agreed to springiness Hamill a $6,396 discount disconnected the archetypal $10,660 exigency section bill.

In the billing statement, it was referred to arsenic a “905 Foreign National Discount”.

But, due to the fact that the measure was not paid by anyone for astir a year, the record was fixed to a postulation bureau successful Sweden, Hamill said.

“I was enactment into indebtedness postulation due to the fact that TD and Global Excel conscionable benignant of sat connected this for months and months and months,” helium said.

Now, they wanted the unreduced amount.

Hamill called Global News erstwhile helium said helium could not get a reappraisal of his denial from either company.

Eventually, the companies reviewed the Hamill’s lawsuit and person agreed to wage the postulation bureau to settee the bill.

“Without your assistance I wouldn’t person had a chance,” Hamill said, who has been assured by TD Insurance that helium volition not beryllium liable for further charges.

Global News has reviewed a missive promising to “confirm that your assertion has been paid successful full” erstwhile it receives accusation from the postulation agency.

Canadians travelling extracurricular their location state should reappraisal their idiosyncratic question security policy, work the presumption and conditions oregon hazard a costly security assertion denial they