Sask. man left with huge medical bills after insurer denies coverage following stroke in Arizona

The family of a Saskatchewan man who suffered a stroke in Arizona says he racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills after his insurance company denied coverage.

The family of a Saskatchewan man who suffered a stroke in Arizona says he racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills after his insurance company denied coverage.

According to his granddaughter Rebecca Fee, Louis Lamothe had a "massive stroke" on Feb. 3 in Yuma, Arizona where he spends winters with his wife. The stroke left him paralyzed on one side, and unable to speak and swallow.

While Lamothe had taken out travel insurance, Fee said her family was devastated to learn he wouldn't be covered.

"We had no words, we just sat in the hallway and cried," Fee said, recounting the moment her family received the news at the Arizona hospital where Lamothe was being treated.

"One of his primary doctors walked past us just as we got the news and he said, 'Do you need something?' … and I said insurance just denied our claim and his jaw just hit the floor."

According to Fee, Lamothe's insurer, Blue Cross, denied coverage due to a 10-milligram increase in a cholesterol medication he takes that was not reported to the company.

"They wanted me to confirm his dosage for this cholesterol pill and of course I confirmed it right away. I found the bottle (and told Blue Cross) its 20 milligrams," Fee said.