How to make sure health-care bill in a foreign country is paid?
My mother traveled from India to the Czech republic on holiday. There, she required emergency healthcare. The hospital staff was friendly and efficient; the health issues were quickly resolved.
Now, the problem arose with payment. Her travel health insurance purchased in India, requires her to pay the bill at the hospital. She needs to fill out a form and send it to the insurer to get reimbursed for the costs she incurred. However, the hospital staff would not hear of any payment and instead took a photocopy of her passport and health insurance document.
The health insurance company has not yet received any claims from the Czech hospital (although it has only been a few weeks and I understand that sometimes this takes time)
My mother travels quite often to (other countries in) Europe to meet family and we don't want her to have visa or travel issues due to an unpaid bill. What can she do to make sure the health-care bill is paid?
Best Answer
They most likely processed this incorrectly at the hospital. The hospital has to give her an invoice before she left, which is typically a very slow process. I'd recommend she should contact the hospital billing department to get the bill and get it paid.
I wouldn't worry about visa/travel issues because of some unpaid bill, it doesn't work this way in Czech Republic.
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