Shari Rudavsky

The Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS — A baby, born three months premature in a Mexican hospital Tuesday, arrived in Indiana on Thursday evening after being held at the hospital for two days.

Michaela Smith and Larry Ralph had been trying to bring their newborn son Beckham Lake Smith-Ralph to the United States since his unexpected birth, but the Mexican hospital where he was born demanded fee after fee before allowing the family to leave.

Shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday, though, Beckham's family posted on a GoFundMe page that he had arrived safely in Indiana.

"Beckham is getting the proper medical care that he deserves," his aunt Rebecca Ewert posted on the family's GoFundMe page, with a photo of Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health in Indianapolis. She added, "We will be giving the family some space as they come down from this crazy traumatic past 72 hours."

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According to WXIN-TV in Indianapolis, Smith's due date was Oct. 15. She and Ralph planned a "babymoon" in advance of their first child's arrival, with her doctor's blessing. When she started to feel ill Tuesday morning in Cancun, she went to a local private hospital, Hospiten Cancun.

At first, the bill came to $7,000 but the hospital kept adding fees, refusing to release Beckham until the bill was paid.

The latest total that the hospital demanded amounted to about $30,000, said Beckham's aunt Rebecca Ewert in a phone interview Thursday afternoon.

The family in the states jumped into action. They created the GoFundMe account and contacted the office of Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, R-Ind., for help. As of Friday morning, the family had raised more than $46,000 of their $60,000 goal.

On Thursday afternoon a Pensacola, Fla.-based medical jet finally headed south to pick up Smith and Beckham, who weighs a little more than 2 pounds, and bring them to Indianapolis. Plans called for Ralph to follow on a commercial jet and for the family to reunite in Indianapolis, Ewert said.

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Situations like these are not all that uncommon, said Katherine Aguirre, vice president of marketing for International Medical Group, an Indianapolis-based company that offers travel insurance products.

“I think people don't understand the need to purchase this type of coverage. They automatically assume their domestic insurance will cover them,” she said.

Even policies such as Medicare that may offer limited coverage outside of the United States do not help coordinate payment, which can lead the individual to have to figure out the situation, often having to comprehend complicated medical terminology and communication with hospital staff who may not speak English well.

Aguirre reached out on Beckham’s GoFundMe page and offered to help negotiate payment with the hospital and have someone from one of its medical teams review the hospital bills.

A similar situation happened last year to a Lafayette, Ind., woman who had emergency surgery for two blocked arteries while she was in Cancun for her granddaughter's wedding. Family members said the hospital threatened her husband with arrest if they did not pay the full bill. They wound up with more than $100,000 in medical bills from Amerimed Cancun Hospital.

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The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico warns American travelers on its website that Mexican hospitals generally require upfront payment. Among other steps, it recommends that patients obtain the estimated cost of proposed treatments, request an itemized bill every day and share any concerns with cost immediately. The site also recommends that Americans who fear they will not be able to resolve disputes with the hospital contact the embassy, consulate, or consular agency.

In addition, Aguirre cautions that Americans who find themselves in a hospital abroad should not hand over their passports.

"That's where they can hold you hostage," she said. "You can't leave if you don't have your passport."

Follow Shari Rudavsky on Twitter: @srudavsky