Irshadgul News report,
A Saskatchewan man facing a massive pile of medical bills after a stroke in Arizona now has to cover his costs after his insurer reversed its previous decision to deny his claim.
In an email to CTV News, Rebecca Fee said Saskatchewan Blue Cross has now agreed to cover her grandfather Louis Lamothe’s hospital bills and the cost of his medical flight home to Regina — costs that ran into the hundreds of thousands. .
Lamothe suffered a stroke in early February in Yuma, AZ. Where he spends winters with his wife.
Fee said Saskatchewan Blue Cross did not say why it was reversing its decision, but said the family was relieved to receive the news.
“They are covering the medical flight and hospital bills, no hotel, food or travel expenses, but we are extremely relieved,” Fee said.
Fee said Blue Cross wanted Lamotte to sign the paperwork herself but she is still unable to do so, so now the family is handling the paperwork.
Fee said, “We’ll need to find the power-of-attorney paperwork and we’ll do another full day of correspondence, but every second is worth it.”
According to Fee, there are 54 pages from the insurance company for the family to review and return, but Fee said they have it in writing that once the paperwork is complete they are confident the claim will be approved. Will be done.
Fei said his grandfather’s condition is stable but he still has a feeding tube inserted and is completely paralyzed on his left side.
He is being cared for at Regina General Hospital, where he was transferred after his family managed to scrape together $56,000 to cover the cost of a medical transport flight.
Fei said his grandfather’s condition is stable but he still has a feeding tube inserted and is completely paralyzed on his left side.
She said that her grandfather said a few words and is now eating ice chips but still can’t put full sentences together.
Fee started a GoFundMe page to help the family cover the staggering medical debt.
The family has informed donors that it now intends to use the money to cover flights and travel expenses for Lamotte’s wife, as well as possible modifications to the couple’s home or mobility equipment that may be needed. .
“Anything to make them both more comfortable, (we also) offered to refund the money if anyone wanted it,” Fei said.