Minnesota man landed with $47K bill as Caribbean cruise dream turns into nightmare
A Minnesota man who fell ill with influenza during a Caribbean cruise was later landed with a medical bill totaling over $47,000.
Mike Cameron and girlfriend Tami Masterman — both of Braham, Minnesota — won a weeklong Norwegian Cruise Line trip that left Miami on Jan. 5, a trip that took on celebratory significance after Tami successfully had a cancerous mass removed from her lungs in October 2024.
But according to a GoFundMe set up by Cameron's daughter, Krystal, things took a turn for the worse when Cameron fell ill and needed to visit the medical facility on the giant, 4,000-passenger Norwegian Encore cruise liner.
Cameron's condition worsened, with his oxygen levels dropping significantly, requiring a trip to the ship's ICU. The couple was told Cameron was diagnosed with Influenza A and "possible pneumonia."
The couple claims that during his stay, Cameron had a catheter placed "incorrectly," and also had x-rays taken with IV medications provided.
Cameron ended up spending four days in the medical ward, even though after the first night's stay, he claims he felt well enough to quarantine in his room. He asked to be released each day but medical staff allegedly refused and wouldn't remove his IV or catheter.
The couple were reassured by Norwegian Cruise Line's medical secretary that they are "covered for $20,000" after purchasing traveler's insurance. However, Cameron received a medical bill on the final day of the cruise for a total of $47,638.79.
"Norwegian Cruise Line took it upon themselves to max out both of their credit cards that were on file, totaling around $26,000," the fundraiser post adds.
Cameron's daughter says neither their traveler's insurance nor their personal health insurance will cover the medical treatments. The couple's traveler's insurance wants their personal insurance to pay first, but the insurance company apparently says it's "abroad" and not within its network.
A GoFundMe was launched to help the couple out with the shock bill and ongoing medical expenses. As of Thursday afternoon, it has raised nearly $3,000 of its $10,000 goal.
FOX 9 reports Norwegian Cruise Lines told Masterman that its pricing is "closely comparable to other cruise lines and is what we believe to be fair and reasonable."
Bring Me The News reached out to Norwegian Cruise Lines on Thursday for further comment, but have yet to hear back.
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