Monday, March 31, 2014

WHL commissioner talks Bozon and expenses

TIM BOZON
Ron Robison, the commissioner of the WHL, said in an interview on Monday that
the league is “working to provide as much support and assistance as we can to the Bozon family.”
Tim Bozon, a forward with the Kootenay Ice, spent a month in Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, where he battled Neisseria meningitis. Bozon was released from hospital on Friday and was in Cranbrook, B.C., home to the Ice, on Saturday night to take part in a ceremonial faceoff prior to a WHL playoff game.
The Bozon family now is faced with extensive medical and rehabilitation costs.
Robison told The Afternoon Edition on CBC Radio in Saskatchewan that the league is “waiting for a final statement” from RUH. “We’ve been getting statements on an ongoing basis.”
Asked how large a figure he is expecting to see when all the bills are in, Robison replied: “We expect it will be significant. . . . We’re working to assess and to determine exactly what the extent of the bill will be and once we do that we will take the appropriate steps to ensure that we assist the family to the fullest extent.”
When it was suggested that the final tab could run to between $100,000 and $250,000, Robison responded: “We expect it to exceed the limits of the (insurance) policy by at least $100,000. The costs will be significant.”
It is believed that the insurance policy on Bozon covered $125,000.
That policy, Robison said, “covers any medical expenses that are outside our current insurance policy with Hockey Canada, which covers hockey-related injuries and any other unforeseen medical expenses.
“In this particular case, there’s limits to that particular policy. But we are in discussions with the insurer, Hockey Canada, as well, in that this did occur while Tim was playing with the Kootenay Ice.
“The out-of-country medical insurance will definitely be paid out. In addition to that, we are hoping that we can secure some additional insurance funding through our primary insurer, Hockey Canada, as well as potentially the health plans while Tim was playing in Canada.”
Robison also said that, in his opinion, “in this particular case, we all assume some responsibility (for the costs). Ultimately, in any medical situation, the family or the individual is responsible. In this particular case, the question is: This occurred during the course of the hockey season and should the hockey associations and so forth have responsibilities?
“We are not at this stage looking at this as a Bozon obligation . . . we’re looking to find ways in which we can help the family offset these costs.”
Tim Bozon and his parents, Helene and Philippe, are in Montreal for a few days. Tim has signed a three-year contract with the Canadiens, who picked him in the third round of the 2012 NHL draft. The Canadiens’ medical staff will look him over, and he needs to get some dental work done to repair damage done in one of his last games.
After that, they will head for the family home in France and Tim will begin rehabilitation work. Robison said the French health system will be asked to get involved.
“The medical system, it’s a public haelth system in France, is certainly going to be requested to participate in this as well,” Robison said. “That is something that we’re going to be determining in the coming weeks.
“In the meantime, our focus is to address the costs while in Canada. Certainly, we are going to support the Bozon family to the full extent . . . we’re working to provide as much support and assistance as we can to the Bozon family.”
The complete interview, with Craig Lederhouse of CBC Saskatchewan, is right here.


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