Ontario man thought he was covered by travel insurance after being hospitalized in Mexico. Then he got a letter saying he owed $147k

Ontario man Bahoz Ali thought he’d done everything right when he traveling to Mexico with his girlfriend in 2024, but is now struggling with a massive $147,502 medical bill.

As reported by CP24, “months before” his April 2024 trip, Ali purchased Manulife’s Global Youth All-Inclusive travel policy, confirming, “We did pay for travel insurance as per usual.” This would have quickly felt like a prudent choice, because two days after arriving at the Cancun resort, Ali began feeling unwell.

This rapidly escalated, with Ali proceeding to suffer a series of seizures that left him hospitalized and in a coma. He received hospital care in Mexico for eight days and was then flown back to Canada by air ambulance. He received further medical care there, recovered, and all his bills were paid.

Despite having travel insurance, Ontario man hit with $147K bill after being hospitalized in Mexico https://t.co/keiP5waYUd

— CP24 (@CP24) June 11, 2026

Ali would have assumed that was the end of the matter: he had travel insurance and his hospital bill had been paid. A year later, he received a letter informing him that, actually, his claim had been denied and he now owed a staggering $147,502 to Global Excel Management.

So, what happened? An investigation revealed that a week before he traveled, Ali said he was worried he had the flu and had visited a walk-in clinic to ask whether he was safe to travel. As he explained: “I went to see a medical physician, and they confirmed it was a run-of-the-mill sickness and I should be perfectly fine to go on the trip.”

“An excuse not to pay”

Unbeknownst to him, this brief check-up voided his insurance, which requires policyholders to be “stable for 90 days” before travel. CP24 reached out to Manulife, which explained:

“Manulife can confirm that medical records indicate that prior to travel, Mr. Ali was experiencing symptoms and had sought medical care related to a pre‑existing condition. Under the policy, this condition fell within the three-month stability period prior to departure. Since the condition was known at the time of travel based on the prior medical care, this affected how coverage was applied.”

Ali and his family have unsuccessfully appealed twice. Martin Firestone, president of travel insurance company Travel Secure, describes Ali’s situation as “really sad”, pointing out that doctors confirm that his medical episode in Mexico had “nothing to do” with any of the symptoms he reported to the walk-in clinic. But Manulife isn’t budging, saying:

“This situation underscores the importance of understanding travel insurance coverage, as policies contain specific terms, conditions, and exclusions. Manulife encourages travellers to carefully review their policy and share relevant medical information in advance, including if there are any changes since the time of purchase. Our insurance support teams are also available to answer questions to help policy holders have a clear understanding of their coverage.”

Ali’s father, Rahim, thanks his friends, family, and community for their assistance, but feels every Canadian should know that if they get travel insurance, they may not be as covered as they assume: “All Canadians, when they go to travel, I don’t feel they are safe because when they need them, they may find an excuse not to pay.”