A British couple unexpectedly gave birth to a baby in the United States, and the bill they received after they returned was astonishing…

This article is reprinted from the WeChat public account: Those Things in the UK

It is said that the medical system is very different between the UK and the US.

Issy and Archie, a couple living in the UK, could never have imagined that having a baby in the US would cost so much…

(Issie and Archie)

Issy and Archie are not only husband and wife, but also working partners. The two formed a folk band “Ferris & Sylvester” to tour around the world.

Last summer, they got a job to perform for four days in the American city of Nashville, Tennessee.

This is an opportunity and a challenge for them. Because Issy was pregnant with their first child at the time, and she was already 33 weeks pregnant.

Fortunately, however, Issy’s midwife and GP confirmed that she was safe to travel and fly.

“I was 25 and had never been sick before, so it was the perfect opportunity,” Issey said. “The advice I got was that I was in good health, so there was really no reason not to do it.”

(The couple is performing)

To be sure, the couple bought an insurance policy from Zurich Insurance Group, which covered all possible complications during Issy’s pregnancy and would compensate her as long as she went to the hospital.

Zurich Insurance Group is a world-leading insurance company with a history of 150 years, with more than 75 million users in 200 countries around the world. Such a big company wouldn’t cheat people, right?

After being fully prepared (at least that’s what they thought), the couple set foot on American soil with confidence.

But just two days later, an accident happened…

Issy suffered from preeclampsia, a very dangerous disease that can cause a mother’s organs to fail during pregnancy. In order to save both adults and children, Issy had to go into premature labor seven weeks before her due date.

Archie recalled the critical situation: “The consultant came in and told us: ‘Listen, this is very serious – you can’t go anywhere, you have to have the baby in the United States.'”

This family is lucky. Despite all the twists and turns, their child Lucky was still born safely. After the birth, Lucky spent nearly three weeks in the intensive care unit.

Meanwhile, over the course of three weeks, Issy and Archie held a wedding in a local park to ease the trauma and emotional turmoil.

(Photo of a family of three)

Finally, three weeks later, both mother and baby were in good physical condition and could fly home.

But when the three returned home to Somerset, they realized that the ordeal was far from over.Medical bills from the United States are arriving like snowflakes.

Archie said: “We were thinking, great, we’re finally home, we’re both alive. But we still had a premature baby to look after and we started getting bills from America.”

“We started to dread going to the postbox to get mail because the bills were piling up and eventually we realized how much we owed –Over $200,000！”

(Little Lucky who was born prematurely)

Some people may still remember the insurance the couple bought before setting off. In fact, after receiving the bill, they contacted the insurance company as soon as possible, but they were rejected by the insurance company.

Archie explained that what the insurance companies were saying was pretty much: If the baby didn’t survive, they would get compensation, but now that the baby survives, they don’t get compensation. After all, it was the couple who took out the insurance in the first place, and the baby’s name was not on the policy.

Regarding this statement, the couple just felt that it was outrageous, but they had no solution. They could only entrust a lawyer to argue with the insurance company.

Finally, after nine months of hard work, the insurance company changed its tune and agreed to cover the family’s medical expenses in the United States.

Archie said: “The final result makes us relieved. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. In our opinion, this matter is not that complicated, but it seems very irresponsible for them to go to such trouble.”

“We still buy insurance now because it’s the best insurance we can get,” Issy added. “You know, it’s not like, ‘Oh, I wish we had better insurance.’

We just feel that it would have been better if we had not gone to the United States. But in fact, we didn’t make any wrong decisions, we just encountered accidents that everyone is likely to encounter. “

(Photo of the couple)

Now, Issy and Archie are back on stage as a folk group.

At the same time, they have an additional layer of identity – they work with maternity charity Tommy’s to raise awareness of pre-eclampsia and premature birth in the hope that their experience will not happen to anyone else.

The couple’s experience also resonated with many netizens, and some netizens complained about the expensive medical expenses in the United States:

“Honestly, if I worked in the U.S. healthcare system, I would cry. It would definitely be very frustrating to see so many people being denied care because the system is broke, or because they can’t afford the bill.

The British National Health Service (NHS) has its own problems, but I’m thankful that it at least provides free basic medical services. “

(Image from Reddit)

“My dad traveled overseas for major dental surgeries because the treatment was cheaper and better. And as far as I know, he wasn’t the first person to do it.

What a cruel joke, people immigrate here because they think life here is great. “

(Image from Reddit)

“Don’t worry, just go back to your country and enjoy your time with your baby. There’s nothing they can do about you, and most Americans can’t afford it.”

(Image from Reddit)

Some netizens angrily criticized the insurance company as just evading responsibility:

“Zurich Insurance Group refused to honor the policy obligations and bear the related costs because the baby’s name was not on the policy.

They actually have such a ridiculous exemption clause. How can one insure an entity that doesn’t even exist? Go ahead and play Zurich Insurance! “

(Image from Reddit)

“Something similar happened to a colleague of mine. They went to the US, bought insurance, the husband got sick, and when he came back, the insurance company only paid what they thought was a ‘reasonable’ fee – a portion of the bill, and not the full claim amount. (He was very ill and was hospitalized for several weeks)

The hospital kept contacting them demanding payment, the couple kept contacting the insurance company, which claimed they had closed the case, and that was it.

In the end, the hospital did not receive full payment and my friend simply ignored the hospital’s calls and letters until they gave up. “

(Image from Reddit)

ref：

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2r7d4gzz1o

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