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AIBU?

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Original poster

to think you don't go on holiday whilst having a high risk pregnancy and without adequate insurance

707 replies

Defenderwife · 04/10/2015 10:57

Woman gives birth after food poisoning whilst on holiday in the Dominic Republic.

She had a cervical cerclage so knew she had a high risk pregnancy.

Her insurance didn't cover her entire pregnancy.

They are now stranded with a premature baby in a foreign country with no financial help and are relying on donations and GoFundMe.

I have made a donation but inside I feel almost angry. Why on earth have they let themselves be in this situation? That poor poor child.

OP posts:
WeAllHaveWings · 04/10/2015 15:14

To knowingly travel with a high risk pregnancy, to a "developing" country, and inadequate insurance is an unbelievably stupid decision for parents-to-be to make. They aren't even a couple of naïve youngsters, they are in their mid 30's. They obviously saw attending their friends wedding as more important than the potential risks to their unborn child.

I wish little Evie and her parents all the best for the future, I hope her parents make better decisions in the future, and I wont be donating.

overthemill · 04/10/2015 15:14

From what I read I thought she was less than 29 weeks pregnant when she went into labour but baby born after 29 weeks uk timings. And because baby had to be moved the timings were hard to establish. I agree, I wouldn't have gone. And I have very expensive insurance as I have had cancer, husband a stroke and kids with dodgy asthma. But we don't skimp on it. I guess that people learn from their mistakes but the baby shouldn't suffer. Why can't the insurance company lend them the money?

LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 04/10/2015 15:17

Phantom - I can't find anything that explains when their holiday should have ended. Which makes me suspect that the end of the holiday would have been uninsured come what may.

lborgia · 04/10/2015 15:20

I'm confused. Not about them being idiots - I don't think going overseas when pretty pg is a great idea, but I've just read the whole Daily Fail article (so a hit for them) and it says she had the stitch when she first started contracting on holiday after an infection started up.

So she didn't leave the UK knowing it was a high risk pg. So she did have a "normal" pg. and therefore was on a normal policy.

Still ridiculous to go on a wedding holiday to a developing country when pg. How did she manage to have her jabs?

Anyway, that was quite a big difference to the original story on here. What a grim experience, and yes, I truly hope they hand over any remaining money. In fact I think they should have to give it back.

Ricardian · 04/10/2015 15:24

It's also a cold hard fact that even with the most gold-plated insurance in the world, which guarantees full payment of every invoice no matter how crazy for the rest of your life, the Dominican Republic is a third world country with inadequate healthcare. So even if you're insured up to the hilt, going there is taking a risk on your health, because if you required treatment, you stand a strong chance of finding out that people who hyperbolically say "the NHS is a third world medical service" have no idea of what "third world medical service means".

People are welcome to take the risk of holidaying in the third world, although why they fly to what amounts to a grim Centre Parks but with more gun crime is something of a mystery. But if they don't consider as part of that decision that if anything goes wrong the health care will be basic, scarce and expensive, then they only have themselves to blame.

cleaty · 04/10/2015 15:25

Thelushinthepub - I would have thought hospitals would be aware that you might do that and would try to stop it happening.

IfIToldYouIdHavetoKillYou · 04/10/2015 15:26

Travel insurance will cover you for pre-existing conditions if you declare them and pay extra. Often a lot extra. I have a condition which is highly unlikely to require treatment abroad but it bumps up my premiums by £100. It's a false economy to keep quiet about them because, in the event of a claim they will require access to your medical records.

On a recent holiday we took a friend of the DC with us. He was ill and hospitalised in Spain. The insurer would not pay until they had confirmed with his GP that it was not a pre-existing condition.

LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 04/10/2015 15:29

Lborgia - If you mean this DM story it doesn't say that does it? In fact, what it does say doesn't make much sense. How was she 'told' she had cervical cerclage? Isn't that the name for the stitch? You'd know you had that.

PHANTOMnamechanger · 04/10/2015 15:29

Why can't the insurance company lend them the money?

it's not the insurance company's problem or responsibility! that's like saying why don't their employers/local supermarket/ other local business just lend them the money

ThatIsNachoCheese · 04/10/2015 15:31

The wedding reception went ahead on the Saturday and raised money for the couple so from that I take it they would have been there uninsured after 29 weeks.

I just don't know how I feel about this, yes they seem to have made some questionable choices but they're still stuck in this hideous situation which you wouldn't wish on anyone. I guess we would all do what we can to raise the money to save out child in this situation, regardless of how the situation came about.

LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 04/10/2015 15:32

That's interesting Nacho. So they full intended to be there uninsured.

My sympathy for the couple (though not the baby) is stretched rather by that fact.

definiteissues · 04/10/2015 15:33

Daily fail (sorry) gives timeline.

On sept 27th they went to hospital while "11 days into 2 week trip"
On sept 28th Evie was born.

So they definitely didn't have cover for whole holiday if that timeline is right

lborgia · 04/10/2015 15:34

Don't you think within the context it should read "she was told she had to have.." I think it was just written by someone who doesn't know the procedure and thinks cervical cerclage is an infection/problem.

I only scanned it, and then read almost exactly the same spielon the gofundme page.. where I still think she got the stitich after she arrived, and after she was diagnosed with the infection (where the implication is that it's a localised infection, not food poisoning as assumed by the OP).

Not too bothered, it just struck my quite clearly that this was mostly based on 2nd hand info, as it were..

Stanky · 04/10/2015 15:35

I can't find any of the baby Dax pages now. Did they disappear? I think that this baby will be ok, they've raised thousands.

PHANTOMnamechanger · 04/10/2015 15:35

libraries that article is just badly worded I think

She was then told she had cervical cerclage and would have to go to Hospiten Santo Domingo - two hours away - for an emergency caesarean

replace 'then told she had' with 'then told that because she'd had' ie they were referring her elsewhere for emergency c-section because of the cervical stitch

LibrariesGaveUsP0wer · 04/10/2015 15:39

Yes, I read it Phantoms way. As she had one she had to transfer.

Either way, they fully intended to be there uninsured. Stupid.

lborgia · 04/10/2015 15:40

PHANTOM isn't it bizarre that we have to decipher what a newspaper means.... ? Anyway, I guess it's all moot given that they decided to wing it with the health insurance.

Presumably they have now moved back to the private hospital where the 50k they've raised so far will cover them for a couple of weeks at aleast...

Anniegetyourgun · 04/10/2015 15:50

I don't think insurance companies are allowed to lend money, are they? Unless they're covered by the Financial Services Act they can't provide financial services, or something like that.

SuburbanRhonda · 04/10/2015 15:54

Just read the Go Fund Me page.

Can't believe how the mum has said she "despises" the private hospital because they insisted she pay for the private treatment. How on earth do they think a private hospital normally does business?

ohmyeyebettymartin · 04/10/2015 15:55

Lborgia I do hope they're now back at the private hospital.

I have little sympathy for people who take such stupid risks but it would be a hard heart indeed that didn't feel for a woman in this situation. You are so vulnerable wheb you've just given birth. I won't be donating but I sincerely hope that Evie does well, grows strong and healthy and lives to a ripe old age.

LittleRedSparke · 04/10/2015 15:57

and here we go,....

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3258692/Premature-British-baby-fights-life-Caribbean-hospital-mother-s-insurers-say-policy-invalid-TIME-DIFFERENCE-means-gave-birth-29-week-limit.html

"MIGHT NOT" not, definitely will not

I agree with the 'she shouldnt have traveled with a high risk pg' personally,

the gofundme is nearly at £50k - what did Dax's parents end up with?

milkmilklemonade12 · 04/10/2015 15:58

annie I'm pretty sure they can't lend you the money. Rather than the bill, I think it's more about living expenses while they're there until it's safe to travel with their DD. The hospital would probably let them leave after getting their details etc and they'd pay the bill from the UK I'd have thought. They surely can't just keep them for the next 6 years or that would be imprisonment? I'm unsure though.

Just goes to show how fortunate we are to have the NHS, and how arrogant this couple have been to expect the same treatment to be given, gratis, wherever they go.

ohmyeyebettymartin · 04/10/2015 15:59

suburban yy. I dare say all the other mothers at the public hospital would love to take their preemies to the private hospital too Sad

I think I'll stop following this now. I wish Evie good luck. What with the large numbers of refugees in dire need of help in my country right now, I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed not to mention overprivileged. The world can be very unfair.

NoArmaniNoPunani · 04/10/2015 15:59

Stanky: some info on Dax here

Stanky · 04/10/2015 16:07

Thanks. :)