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US woman and newborn "trapped" in HK due to medical bill

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  1. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by hullexile:
    Was your wife a HK resident? On what basis was she staying in HK?
    My guess is a Mainlander wife because any other nationality she would be a dependent.

    No problems with my daughter, we booked into a private hospital (as that's all the law allows but I would have gone private anyway), got the paperwork and deposit sorted, got class A prenatal, time came, paid our bill on checkout, got the birth cert, etc. Yes, it was pricey but something like this, money doesn't come into it.
    Last edited by ray98; 16-05-2015 at 12:34 AM.

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  3. #13

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    The headline is misleading ... I was pissed when Is saw the headline, as it implied that the hospital authority had relented on the charges ...

    The hospital bill is expected to be covered by insurance from the air ticket and donations from well-wishers.
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  4. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by merchantms:
    the hospital is refusing to issue a birth certificate and let her take the child home until she pays up the balance (HKD 155,000 at last count).
    Seems the hospital learned something from the mainland mothers invasion some years ago, which frequently left without paying their bills.
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  5. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by shri:
    U.S. mom gives birth in transit, gets stranded - CNN.com

    Have seen a LOT of BS on Facebook groups about this .. mostly from naive well wishing expats who feel HK has some god given duty to provide medical care for everyone for free.

    I agree with what jgl says .. what in gods name were they thinking when they put the woman on a flight, without proper insurance ... and add to that becoming obvious that the family does not have funds which in general people in HK who were embarking on transoceanic trips would consider accessible savings or easy to put on a credit card or two (HKD 150K)...

    I seriously think there are far better local causes to be giving money to than paying for this woman's medical bills. Sounds harsh .. but this is just too much..
    Precisely. Why should I donate to someone who didn't bother to plan properly and ended up in that situation.

    Or is that too harsh an indictment? I could feel for her on a certain level, but it does not excuse her action.
    Last edited by Cho-man; 16-05-2015 at 12:49 PM.
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  6. #16

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    I feel bad. No question about that. No parent should have to go through this sort of shit when they have their kid.

    BUT, my problem is with the crowd that feels that the HK hospitals have done wrong .. "lets create outrage against them red-chinese communistic-capitalists and crowdbeg for funds".

    Seriously do wonder how this would have been handled in the UK or US, but cannot be arsed to research.

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  7. #17

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    Original Post Deleted
    Or the US consulate should offer to underwrite the charges and get her back home - then slowly claw back the cost from her over time. I mean it ain't that much, about one month's rent for Clifford Hart I would guess (or more cynically, half the cost of a Hellfire missile)
    Last edited by ray98; 16-05-2015 at 12:59 PM.

  8. #18

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    She is lucky that this didn't happen in China. No money, no delivery.

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  9. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by shri:
    I feel bad. No question about that. No parent should have to go through this sort of shit when they have their kid.

    BUT, my problem is with the crowd that feels that the HK hospitals have done wrong .. "lets create outrage against them red-chinese communistic-capitalists and crowdbeg for funds".

    Seriously do wonder how this would have been handled in the UK or US, but cannot be arsed to research.
    Read your post and it reminded me of a similar case in NYC a while ago with a British couple. Much drama in the Daily Mail at the time as their family were asking for donations etc so quite similar to this. All got resolved by insurance in the end.

    New York hospital lets British couple off hook for '$200,000 bill' after early birth | US news | The Guardian

    UK couple stranded in New York after baby arrived 11 weeks early face potential £130,000 medical bill - UK - News - The Independent
    TheBrit, Claire ex-ax and wtbhotia like this.

  10. #20

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    Original Post Deleted
    No such thing as a free lunch. Someone will pay and it's very likely it will be future patients at the hospital.