An Indian man on holiday in Australia has suffered a massive financial to his finances after being hospitalised for a brain stroke in Melbourne.
Sixty-year-old Amreek Singh was visiting his daughter and her family in St Albans 15 km north-west of Melbourne when he experienced paralysis of his face and arms.
Rupinder Kaur told SBS Punjabi that her father was due to go back to India when this tragedy struck.
“He had to be taken to the Sunshine Hospital owing to his deteriorating health condition,” she said. “They kept him in intensive care unit for 5 days followed by his treatment at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.”
“Our medical bills have exceeded $150,000. Initially, we thought we’re safe on the financial front as we had travel and medical insurance from an Indian insurance company. But to our surprise, they refused to cover our medical costs.
Rupinder says that the insurance company cited ‘pre-existing conditions’ as the reason for their rejection of the claim.
“The doctors treating my father have clearly mentioned in the papers that the stroke wasn't caused by any pre-existing blood pressure or diabetes conditions. But still, our claim got rejected," she says.
“One of the issues was that my mother, who was next to my father on that critical day, had a miscommunication given her poor understanding of English. She told doctors that she was taking BP treatment but that ended up going in my father's record.
“We clarified this miscommunication to the insurance company but they’d this ‘excuse’ to make a refusal."
“Every week they asked for a new form to be signed and sent back to them. It’s like never-ending paperwork for the last three months before the final rejection. It seems like they’re trying to frustrate the whole process.
“Insurance companies back home are big frauds. They only know how to take money from people but when it comes to giving paybacks they’ll vanish by giving all sorts of excuses.”
The Singh family now needs to pay over $130,000 to Sunshine hospital and around $30,000 to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
“We don't know how we will do that. We have been receiving calls and letters from debt collection agencies," says Rupinder.
“Our life is already full of stress, depression, and sadness given my father will never be the same as before and on top of it, this ruthless insurance increasing our stress levels even more.
“I still regret that why I didn't have insurance from an Australian company. But no point thinking about what we could have done to avoid all this... The damage has already been done. We’re too stressed... Let's see what the future holds for us now.”
Prabhdeep Bhalla has been working in the insurance sector for the last seven years. She strongly advises people travelling to Australia to have a health cover.
Prabhdeep Bhalla is working in the insurance sector from last seven years. Source: SBS
“You shouldn’t take it lightly. It could be one of the most important decisions of your life,” she says.
“The insurance becomes even more important when the visitors are in old age. They tend to be more prone to having health issues.
“It is always advisable to have travel insurance or any health insurance with a company that looks after you when you need it the most.”
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SBS Punjabi
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MS Bhalla says that people buying visitor insurance policies from India often struggle to receive their financial claims or any other payouts.
“I know families who had some ugly experiences after they purchased insurance policies from some Indian travel agents.
“If you compare it with Australia, the policies from India are often complex and they also tend to be capped in terms of maximum costs that could be covered.
“There are a wide variety of policies starting from basic to premium in nature. Buying a cheap policy can save you money in shorter terms…. But in case of a tragedy, the financial loss could be unbearable.
“An additional benefit with Australian company is that you can suspend it and continue once you return from India. In this way, you can finish your compulsory one year or any other period to make claims for pre-existing health conditions."
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Visiting Indian families' struggle to claim health insurance
At least six families have told SBS Punjabi how the insurance companies from India rejected their payout claims based on various reasons including the preexisting health complications.
All these visitors claim to be legitimate heart-attack victims who had to face physical and financial challenges for life.
“This is often the case. Most of the heart attack victims fall into this category. At the time of buying a policy, you must do a proper disclosure about your previous or existing health conditions,” says Ms Bhalla.
“Check all the terms and conditions very carefully. If you don’t understand ask again. It is important that you understand its consequences.”
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