HUMBOLDT, Sask. — Saskatchewan Blue Cross says it won't reverse its decision to deny the claim of a family facing more than $900,000 in medical bills for an unexpected child birth in Hawaii.
Instead, the insurance company says Jennifer Huculak should seek help from the national independent insurance ombudsman.
Huculak says she was six months pregnant when she left for a vacation in Hawaii with the blessing of her doctor and health insurance from Blue Cross.
She says soon after arriving her water broke and her premature baby required a two-month stay in an American neo-natal intensive care unit.
Blue Cross has denied her claim, saying a bladder infection that caused some hemorrhaging at four months constituted a pre-existing condition.
Saskatchewan Blue Cross President Arnie Arnott says Huculak was given "nine specific events" that prevented her claim from being paid and referred the media back to Huculak for further explanation.
He says that the challenges facing Huculak's family are "extraordinary and difficult," and the ombudsman would provide a third-party review of the Blue Cross decision.
