A Bermudian single mother is facing a medical bill of tens of thousands of dollars for her son in the United States after Argus Insurance refused to pay for rehabilitation treatment which doctors say is essential.

Ricky Carreiro, 17, may have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair after breaking his neck when he hit rocks while diving near Chaplin Bay in July.

Under his mother Mary's insurance policy, Argus will only pay for one month's rehabilitation for Ricky at the Heathsouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Massachusetts, which ended on Saturday.

Mrs. Carreiro is now facing bills of $1,500 a day because Argus will not extend the payments, despite a request from staff at the hospital to continue paying for least another month.

Hospital staff say the extra month's rehabilitation will give Ricky a better chance of looking after himself in the future and could prevent him developing serious illness.

Since Sunday, Mrs Carreiro has also had to start paying for hotel accommodation and does not know how she will afford the bills.

She told The Royal Gazette last night: "I can't afford this as a single parent. Would the insurance people like this to happen to their son or grandson? Where's the mercy?

"I don't understand how they can do it. This is not a backache. My son has broken his spinal chord and has no movement from the chest down.

"He can't walk and we don't know if he will recover. The doctors say he needs to be in rehabilitation for at least another month.

"I'm not trying to burn the insurance company, I'm just trying to get them to understand what I am going through.

"I feel angry, betrayed, upset and hurt. I wouldn't want anyone to go through this."

She said the hospital had been extremely understanding and had not asked for payment yet because it was hoping Argus would come up with the money.

Nancy Richards, Ricky's nurse case manager at Heathsouth, confirmed yesterday that the CedarBridge Academy student needs more rehabilitation and failure to get the treatment could lessen his chances of becoming more independent.

"He requires medical and rehabilitation services for another four weeks ideally," she told The Royal Gazette.

"There are several long-range potential issues that could arise (if he doesn't get it) and I said that to the insurance company.

"If a patient is brought to his fullest potential he has the potential to be independent, at a wheelchair level.

"Without it, you run a risk. In Bermuda you don't have spinal care injury expertise. We know all the ramifications, and if a patient is short-changed, the chances are that they might cope fine, but if they were to develop say a bed sore or ulcer, it probably could be a huge surgical problem in the future and a chronic problem for the rest of his life.

"This is very frustrating from our point of view. In the US, the normal rehabilitation period is 60 days and if the patient hasn't met their goal in 60 days, we request an extension of benefits, which is what we did for Ricky.

"We usually get an extension of benefits. (The insurance company said) 'we've met our 31 day obligation and we're not going beyond that'.

"It's really a shame. If it was my son and I was told that, I would be very upset."

She said Ricky's family also needed more time to learn how to cope with looking after him in the years ahead.

Argus chief executive Gerald Simons said yesterday: "We don't discuss individual cases, but the general rehabilitation is designed to cover short-term rehabilitation. That's what people pay for.

"It was never intended to cover longer periods of rehabilitation for things such as stroke or spinal injury and there is clearly a gap in coverage in Bermuda.

"I am not aware of any other local insurance company which provides long-term rehabilitation benefits.

"For longer term care, family resources, Lady Cubitt Compassionate Association, the government and employers have been known to step in and cover this aspect of care.

"Our role is to determine the benefits and pay according to the policy. The issue of what is an appropriate programme and those sorts of things, that's out of our hands.

"Insurance policies are not unlimited. There are gaps in benefits available in Bermuda and its a community issue and it is the sort of issue that is best addressed in the long term by the proposed Health Authority."

Anyone who can help the family should contact Ricky's uncle Mike Lema on 232 5276, or cell 237 5566.