An 88-year-old woman from India, visiting Canada on a six-month super visa, was hospitalized with severe breathing complications and faced a staggering hospital bill of $96,000 ( ₹57 lakh), despite having an insurance policy.

Alice John arrived in Brampton, Ontario, in January 2024 to spend time with her son, Joseph Christy, who was overjoyed to have her visit. However, what was meant to be a joyful family reunion took a distressing turn when she required urgent medical care, reported CTV News.

“She started having symptoms of cough, shortness of breath and fever,” said her son Christy. Alice’s breathing issues began while she was in Hamilton visiting her daughter. She was admitted to Hamilton General Hospital.

During her three-week hospitalisation, Alice had to be placed on ventilator support.

The family had secured a basic super visa travel insurance policy from Manulife, offering coverage of up to $100,000. However, following John’s treatment, their claim was denied, with the insurer citing a pre-existing condition as the reason for rejection.

“You are not eligible for coverage under this policy if you have ever been diagnosed with congestive heart failure,” the family was told.

Christy said this came as a complete shock. “The term congestive heart failure was never in any of her prescriptions going back three years.”

With the claim rejected, the family was informed that they would be responsible for covering the full cost of John’s hospitalization—a staggering $96,311.

“We felt really disappointed and we felt let down,” Christy said.

The family had chosen a basic insurance policy that did not require a medical questionnaire. Typically, inquiries about pre-existing conditions are made only after a person seeks medical treatment.

The family insisted that they were unaware of any heart condition in John’s medical history and believed that an oversight had occurred.

Although the claim was initially denied, Manulife chose to reassess the case after being contacted by CTV News for a statement. Following the review, they decided to approve the claim, relieving Alice and her family of the ₹57 lakh financial burden.

“Sometimes, unique situations come up where the interpretation of the medical file doesn’t align with the contract. We’ve taken a closer look and, given the circumstances, will pay the claim,” a spokesperson for Manulife said. “We’ve notified the relevant parties and are now initiating the payment process.”