It Will Never Happen to Me...

We all know the story. If you look after your health, it will look after you. Most of us don’t ever think we will ever get sick or be involved in an accident. If you’re anything like I used to be, you’re probably thinking, “It’ll never happen to me.”

“Famous last words,” as my father used to say. He also used to say “better safe than sorry”, and my favorite cliché; “if you’re an Owner/Operator, you must invest in a comprehensive Downtime, WSIB Alternative, and Emergency Travel Medical coverage.”

Ok, the last one I made up, but I’m sure if my Dad had been an Owner/Operator, you bet he would have said something like that.

As I sit here putting together an article, I came across an old article I wrote many years ago. I don't remember the exact year I wrote the article but I remember the month and year of my life-changing experience.

It was July 1997, and our vacation to North Carolina had only just begun. We were visiting family and friends and had planned a full week of golfing, fishing, water-skiing, and a bit of rest/relaxation. I remember feeling a sharp pain in my chest and thought it was just a pulled muscle but noticed it getting worse, and by the afternoon, the pain was getting more constant and I found I was a bit short of breath. 

My sister-in-law Dawn, who was a nurse at a local hospital, half-jokingly suggested that we had better head down to the hospital and get it checked out. “I’ve seen the way you eat…I bet you inhaled a small piece of steak into your lung or something,” she said.

 Reluctantly, I put our fishing trip for the day on hold and agreed to go to the hospital for a quick x-ray. When we arrived at the Emergency, I was surprised how they rushed us in ahead of all the others who were waiting. I figured I was getting preferential treatment because of Dawn's connections. They had asked about my family history, and when I explained that my father died from a heart attack at age 43, they weren’t messing around.

After several tests, the x-ray results came back clear. So much for Dawn’s theory. I started to get dressed. It was time to get back to the house, grab my rod, and hit the lake to catch the big one. 

My big one came when the Doctor entered the room. The blood tests they were waiting for showed extremely high troponins levels, which he thought might have been a result of a heart attack! Not only was I NOT heading off to the lake, but I was also quickly admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, where I spent 3 of the longest nights of my life.

I was shocked. This couldn’t be happening to me. I was only 34 years old at the time, had recently said I do to my lovely bride and we were working on starting a family. A heart issue was the last thing on my mind as I only thought that heart attacks happened to older heavier-set guys that smoked and generally didn’t look after themselves.   

I then started thinking about the worst. As I lay flat on my back looking up at all those monitors, I have to admit, it's scared the crap out of me.

After three days of constant worry and fear, I received some very good news. It may not have been a heart attack after all, but they still couldn’t determine what caused the elevated blood levels and pain. The final diagnosis was that something had caused me to over-exert my heart muscle, (likely stress) and the Dr.'s suggested that I meet with a specialist when I returned to Canada. 

What a relief!

With a handful of prescriptions and only a hospital release form for my insurance company, I was discharged and on my way home. The final bill came to over $12,000 US, or $4000 a night! I couldn’t imagine having to pay that much money myself. At that very moment, I was thankful that I had purchased the type of product that I still sell to O/O’s and Drivers today.

My medical issue was almost 25 years ago now. A lot has certainly changed, and costs have gone up substantially since then, but one thing is for sure. My position is and will always be that anyone (regardless of age) who travels across the border needs to ensure that they purchase a comprehensive Emergency Travel Medical Coverage, just in case something like this….does happen to you!

Follow Up Comments

The Canadian Government recently posted a great article to help consumers understand what to look for when selecting a travel insurance policy. http://travel.gc.ca/travelling/documents/travel-insurance

A few key points include:

“If you plan to go abroad—even on a day trip to the United States—you should purchase the best supplementary travel insurance you can afford.”

It goes on to say that we need to “carefully research your needs and verify the conditions, limitations, and requirements of your insurance policy before you leave Canada.

A much-overlooked exclusion includes: “covers pre-existing medical conditions. Get an agreement in writing that you are covered, or you could find your claim “null and void” under a pre-existing condition clause”.

Many travel plans will not cover pre-existing conditions unless they have been stable for at least 90-180 days. This simply means that if there has been a change in your health, including changes to your medication (up or down) that your claim could be denied if it’s related in any way to that condition.   

With the number of times an O/O or Driver crosses the border, plans that have this type of limitation are not recommended. Let’s face it, if the product you purchase (regardless of how cheap they are) doesn’t do what you need it to do at the time of an emergency….how much have you really saved? Spending a few more dollars each month for a comprehensive solution will ensure you have the coverage you need when you need it.