A Minnesota man is looking at a $47,000 bill for receiving medical attention on a cruise ship for what appears to be the flu.
Mike Cameron and his girlfriend took a Norwegian Cruise Line trip in January and are now looking at a mountain of medical expenses.
"We were celebrating the fact that she beat lung cancer," Cameron said. But the celebration was short-lived as Mike got the flu on board, requiring three days of medical treatment. "I had a couple IVs in me, and they had placed a catheter in me, which I'm not sure is necessary for the flu, but that's what they did."
He received a $47,000 bill when disembarking and has been unable to get his traveler’s insurance to cover part of that.
Colleen Aaberg, owner of Aaberg Travel Design in Eden Prairie, Minn., says a travel expert can help you order the proper travel insurance policy.
"In the evolution of health insurance plans, your major medical plans really don't include international travel, most of them, when you have a high deductible plan," Aaberg said. "So you need some kind of travel insurance to help with that. You never want to find out after it's too late, the true cost that not having travel protection would cost your family."
Norwegian said in a statement: “We are committed to providing quality medical services and each of our ships is equipped with a state-of-the-art onboard medical center, staffed with highly qualified physicians and nurses, to provide care for both guests and crew while at sea. We follow guidelines for our medical facilities provided by CLIA in conjunction with the American College of Emergency Physicians. On January 9, 2025, Mr. Cameron was admitted to the onboard medical center and received appropriate treatment for his condition, followed by 62 hours of critical care. While we are unable to disclose the details or severity of the guest’s medical condition due to laws and regulations governing personal privacy, we can confirm that the necessary medical procedures and resulting expenses have been reviewed by our internal team. As medical insurance is not accepted on board, we strongly encouraged the guest to file a claim with their health insurance provider post-cruise. As the guest did purchase travel insurance for their vacation, we have recommended they follow up on their claim with the insurance provider, after they have filed the claim with their health insurance provider.”
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