Man demands insurer pay for life-saving treatment abroad

A refusal by a local health insurer to cover thousands of dollars in medical fees, incurred by a client whilst on a trip to the United States, is the subject of an official letter filed earlier this month.

Neville Azzopardi had suffered what he described as a “massive heart attack” whilst on holiday in the United States last December, requiring hospital treatment costing tens of thousands of dollars. However, AllCare, with whom he had taken out an insurance policy, are refusing to reimburse him for his eye-watering expenditure on medical bills.

After his heart attack, whilst still in the US, Azzopardi’s partner had contacted the insurance firm, who passed her on to its global response office in the UK. The peculiarities of the US healthcare system required the hospital be given the patient’s insurance information before any treatment would be given.

Azzopardi was released from hospital following a life-saving operation. Shortly thereafter, the global response office informed him that All Care Insurance Limited was refusing to accept liability or responsibility for the medical fees. 

After their return to Malta, they had met with the insurers, when they were told that the company had received information from Azzopardi's family doctor that rendered the travel insurance policy null. 

In the official letter, signed by lawyer Stefano Filletti, Azzopardi is claiming that the family doctor had subsequently held a meeting with the insurance company in which it emerged that the information held by the insurers was incorrect. He had even issued a medical report giving Azzopardi a clean bill of health and assuring them that had no prior medical conditions and led a healthy lifestyle. 

In spite of this, reads the letter, the firm dug in its heels and stuck to its refusal to abide by the terms of its contract and as a result was being held responsible for damages, in addition to the medical fees.