Brum Mum hit with £75k hospital bill after premature birth in USA

[DGRossetti]

www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/bartley-green-mum-hit-75k-19484536

A mum has racked up a £75,000 medical bill after prematurely giving birth in America - two days before she was due to fly home to Birmingham.

Amy Collins, from Birmingham, needed an emergency caesarean to deliver tiny William Collins in Texas on December 11.

He was born at 24 weeks and weighed just 1lb 9ozs and needed specialist care in hospital where he remains.

Amy, 30, had been due to fly back to Birmingham on December 13.

But with no insurance she has been left with a medical bill of £75,000 for the delivery and care of her son - with the charges set to rocket further.

(contd)

As much as I sympathise I can't understand how someone can travel during pregnancy and not be adequately insured. You never expect to give birth so early but surely you are aware you could have problems at any time in pregnancy. America is known for its huge healthcare costs.

Terrible, but abs needed insurance to travel there is no one that doesn’t know that. Particularly the USA

She should have had insurance.

@Newstart20

As much as I sympathise I can't understand how someone can travel during pregnancy and not be adequately insured. You never expect to give birth so early but surely you are aware you could have problems at any time in pregnancy. America is known for its huge healthcare costs.

I suspect insurance wouldn't cover pregnancy anyway ?

Stupid and irresponsible to travel without insurance. Especially to the US. It’s part of the cost of the trip.

She wouldn’t have expected to go into labour but she could have broken her leg or been hit by a bus and be equally in the shit.

How stupid is she?

My friend gave birth prematurely in the USA... daughter had to stay in SCBU awhile (or the equivalent out there)

She was covered.

@DGRossetti I don't know but I assume some policy must cover it? If not then I wouldn't travel.

Insurance can absolutely cover pregnancy and any existing medical conditions, often for just a few pounds more on the premium.

Much cheaper than £75k bill they've now got.

Sounds like she was living out there from the article but planned to come back to the UK to give birth so maybe couldn’t get insurance

But if you read it - her husband is American. he should have had insurance for his wife. It is not as if she was on holiday? She must have some kind of residency?

She could have paid for insurance.

I have very little sympathy for her. Yes it must be awful having to go through that in another country however she should have had insurance.

Reminds me of the couple a few years ago who amasses a fortune in go fund me donations when the woman gave birth in New York I think but that was quite close to being a scam. They said they weren't covered by insurance but were and the money quietly disappeared.

I can't make that much sense of the article but it seems like she lives in America with her American husband and occasionally comes home/was coming home just to use the NHS for the birth? Which is a bit shady in itself really. She should've had adequate travel insurance or been covered on her husbands.

Whatever her circumstances, she should have had insurance cover. It's moronic to be in the US without it. Especially when pregnant.

Unfortunately tough, she/her partner should have had the relevant insurance in place

I’ve travelled when I was pregnant 3 times I believe around Europe with an insurance that was covering me usa. It cost me £25 for a year and it included any pregnancy related emergency

Sorry but I don’t feel sorry for her.

She’s married to an American.

“ Amy has been married to Texan engineer Greg Collins for the last year and is also mum to seven-year-old daughter Ava, from a previous relationship.

She had been living off and on in America after she met Greg online three years ago when an online romance blossomed.”

Why is she and the baby not covered under his insurance?

I had very little sympathy for her for not having travel insurance before, I have zero sympathy at all now I’ve read she is married to an American and living on/off in America with him.

She should know the American healthcare system, and he 100% will, there’s no excuse not to be appropriately covered in their situation.

Seem that her intention to use the NHS went tits up.
Why hasn’t her American husband got insurance to cover them?

She’s an idiot. Now she can pay for being an idiot.

Why doesn't his insurance cover her?

OP you’re not the Brum mum looking for cash are you?
You’d have to be an idiot not to have insurance.

As much as I sympathise I can't understand how someone can travel during pregnancy and not be adequately insured
This. And especially if travelling to the US.

He should have put her on his health insurance. It’s insane to be in the US under any circumstances without health insurance.

@Wolfiefan

OP you’re not the Brum mum looking for cash are you? You’d have to be an idiot not to have insurance.

No - just thought it might be an interesting story for discussion here - popped up in my FB.