Aussie grandmother, 69, is stranded in America with a $180,000 medical bill after having emergency surgery for a brain lesion – and her insurer is ‘refusing to help her pay’
- Jan Bell, 69, is stranded in America with her son and a $180,000 medical bill
- She was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery on a brain lesion in May
- Doctors said her medical history and COVID-19 made it too risky for her to fly
- Ms Bell said her travel insurance Cover More has refused to help her pay
An Australian grandmother has been stranded in America with a $180,000 medical bill after her insurer refused to pay for her emergency surgery.
Jan Bell, 69, was supposed to return to Adelaide May 15 after spending three months visiting her son and grandchildren in Michigan.
But days before she was meant to fly out she was rushed to hospital with a brain lesion.
After undergoing emergency surgery, where she had had 37 staples inserted into her head, she was told it was too risky to fly back to Australia.
She has now been left stranded in the US, requiring further chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
‘I just don’t know where to turn to, to be quite honest,’ she told 9NEWS.
Australian grandmother Jan Bell (pictured), 69, is stranded in Michigan in the United States with a $180,000 medical bill after undergoing emergency surgery on a brain lesion in May
Ms Bell (pictured) was told her medical history and COVID-19 made it too risky for her to fly
The grandmother discovered a lump on the side of her head and underwent emergency surgery on May 9.
Ms Bell, who survived breast cancer in 2015, was then told by her doctors that it was too risky to fly home due to her medical history and COVID-19.
She became stranded alongside her son Cameron and her medical costs are only continuing to skyrocket.
‘I just want peace of mind, to know that I will be okay and that I can return to my family and friends at home as well,’ Ms Bell said.
The 69-year-old has overstayed the period of her visa in the United States but has no idea when she will be able to fly home.
Ms Bell now needs to undergo further medical treatments despite her travel insurance company refusing to contribute towards the cost.
Her son said Ms Bell’s insurer, Cover More, would not help cover the bill.
‘Now that the rubber’s hit the road, it feels like they’ve left us high and dry. They have pretty much flat out refused to cover anything at this stage,’ Cameron said.
Cover More said in a statement that it was unable to share details of individual customer cases.
The company said any assertions it was refusing to cover Ms Bell’s medical expenses were not accurate.
Ms Bell (pictured) said her travel insurance company Cover More has refused to help her pay