Thanks Jasdip. That was a very interesting article. We are Canadians and have travelled to Florida for the last twenty years or so. Only once did we have a claim and after a lot of time most of the bill was paid.

However, this past summer DH had a stroke and his travel insurance premium has doubled. We are thankful that he can get coverage, and can only hope that it will look after him if he has trouble.

Yes it was on the news last night that the insurance companies will go to the extreme to get out of paying. One fellow had an irritable bowel 40 years earlier and no complaints since. His claim was disallowed because he he didn't make a note of it.

Americans have to insure against these ridiculously inflated US costs too. The 'insurance negotiated' rate for a hospital service may be as little as 20% of the 'charge'. Our Medicare pays 80% of that 20% and our supplementary Medicare insurer pays the rest. We, of course, pay thousands to buy Medicare Part B and the supplementary. (And we have to run a spreadsheet every autumn to find the most appropriate supplementary at the best price.) It's nuts!

We always buy extra insurance when travelling to the US even for a day visit. We buy it online through BCAA (CAA), its reasonable and easy. One of our sons was in Japan a couple of years ago teaching skiing, he had to have his appendix out and the BCAA policy reimbursed us everything ($9000) without any problems.

So if I read the article correctly, one person from this article got their entire bill forgiven from the hospital. While I don't know that I agree that the entire bill should be forgiven (because there's a lot this article doesn't say) it is true that bills can get lowered by simply negotiating with the hospital. Before my daughter got married, her husband had to have medical treatment and the total bill came to around $1,000. They managed to negotiate a much lower price by about 50 percent of the original bill. If I remember right, he agreed to pay a certain amount each month for something like six months. Had he not paid it on time, the original amount would be turned over to a collections agency. At the time, he was fresh out of school and had just started a new job and did not yet have insurance. So, it does work to negotiate especially when you do not have insurance. I just feel sorry for those that have costly things happen.

jasdip - it is getting that I am afraid to leave Ontario. (I live in Toronto.) We have an annual multi-trip out of country/provincial medical/trip cancellation policy that is not cheap - and renews every Sept. I am well aware that each province pays differently - and we are under 65 - not by a lot though - just off. A change in medication - even if you are run over by a bus, can result in the company not paying. It makes absolutely no sense. We also have extra life insurance through the company noted in the Marketplace expose - funny, I never watch Marketplace and neither do many of the people we know, but I guess everyone was flipping chanels and everyone saw it. It is very true - I have seen their medical form since they send it every year trying to sell us more insurance - my doctor wouldn't be able to fill it out. And if you call, as the program pointed out, you do not speak with a licensed insurance rep - you get someone who has absolutely no idea what would happen if you died of something totally unrelated to something they think you "lied" about. One section asks if you have experienced - even once - basic things - a migraine, a UTI etc. So what, you were run over because you might have had a headache? Hard to lie when you didn't even know about something. Same with the travel plan - what do you do, call them and report if you have to take Sinus meds for 6 days? Or you are given painkillers due to a root canal? I know someone who was told when she purchased private insurance that birth control pills were a pre-existing condition so would not be covered. Then there is me - I have been called - AGAIN - as a potential juror for a FIRST DEGREE (wonderful) murder trial. The insurance company tried to tell me last time that jury duty was a pre-existing condition - that one I won. But I am appalled that I might be called for a 6 - 8 week trial - my dog would have to be boarded - and I wouldn't receive any $$$ for the first 10 days of sitting plus the 5 days while they pick the jury. Even taking public transportation alone would cost about $105.00 - before the cost of boarding our older dog - or sending him to daycare. There is something wrong with our system. And I almost bought a cheap ticket to NY on the day the jury notice arrived - 10 minutes before - but the AC website crashed. Just as well, because the insurer allows 14 days from date of the summons to cover the cost of a ticket - it took 18 days for it to get here. The person did believe me - but he told me that claims would have given me a very hard time. Last time I was given only 5 days' notice and they wouldn't let me out of it and I had a plane ticket. My husband is also on the rotation - yet so many people have never been called - and others have been excused for the most frivolous of reasons - while others with very legitimate reasons have to serve. At least pay me my costs. Once the $40 a day kicks in in week 3, that would have to be taken into income. Can't win! I would hate to be an honest banker on trial - or someone with money. Last time I wore a suit and was accused of being a lawyer - unfortunately I am not so had to stay as well as a "sneak in a suit". Many people were there in Joe Boxer PJs and slippers. When my husband served the person responsible for filling Ontario juries wrote an article for the paper reading that jury panels do not have a proper demographic because too many people get out of it leaving only those with a similar mind set. On the news there was an interview with the public defender for a murder trial - jury selection started this week. He said that the best jurors are construction or trade workers because they are much more independent thinkers? What was he smoking? Some provinces pay everyone the equivalent of UIC from day one -that we need. This will cost us our vacation.