French man who fell ill abroad faces €137,000 bill to return home

A French man who had a heart attack while on holiday in the Caribbean is facing a €137,000 bill to return home after his family’s request for a medical flight back to France was refused.

The 70-year-old retired electrician from Charente (Nouvelle-Aquitaine), Michel Changeur, was on holiday in the Dominican Republic with his wife Marie-France, when he had a heart attack on November 17, a day after the couple’s arrival.

Mr Changeur’s wife told Charente Libre that her husband began feeling pain in his back and chest on the evening of November 17, and was examined by a doctor, who recommended that he have an ECG (an electrocardiogram, which assesses the heart’s electrical activity).

He was taken to the IMG Hospital in Punta Cana. It was here that Mrs Changeur was first asked to pay a bill of €10,000. She attempted to pay with a credit card, but only €1,000 was debited. 

Later, Mr Changeur’s further test results had come back, and “all indicators were on red [bad]”, said the couple’s lawyer, Sonia Aimard. The hospital recommended that Mr Chargeur be transported to intensive care, at a cost of €8,000. Mrs Changeur could only pay €2,000 towards this.

The medical team then said Mr Changeur needed to be taken to a hospital in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, so he could have a stent inserted. Mrs Changeur was presented with a bill for USD 40,000 (around €34,000). 

She could not pay, but Mr Changeur had the operation anyway – although this had been delayed by around 15 hours at this point, the family’s lawyer claims. This led to Mr Changeur suffering “significant necrosis” that “seriously affected” his heart.

Insurance company Mondial Assistance agreed to cover the cost of a medical flight, but only as far as Pointe-à-Pitre in Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. However, for the rest of the way back to the couple’s home in mainland France, the insurance company is only offering to cover the cost of a normal, commercial flight.

The family has refused this offer, with Mr Changeur’s wife claiming that her husband requires a medical flight due to the “life-threatening risks” that he still faces, including complications from arrhythmia and oedema (irregular heart rhythm and swelling). A commercial flight would not be able to manage this.

Already, Air France has refused to take Mr Changeur on board given his extreme health needs, reported Charente Libre.

The estimate for a medical flight has come to €137,000, which the couple cannot afford. As a result, they remain stuck in the Caribbean. The family has now taken Mondial Assistance to court to sue for the cost of the flight.

Ms Aimard confirmed to Charente Libre that Mr Changeur is still in intensive care and would require a medical flight to return home now. “[But] Mondial Assistance told us that if we want a medical flight, we have to pay for it,” she said.

“Psychologically, this has been incredibly hard for the family,” she said.