Couple detained in Cozumel until chamber bill paid

[DandyDon]

He's supposedly an Instructor but they didn't bother with DAN Dive insurance or Trip insurance. It seems that their regular medical insurance does cover them outside of the US. My daughter & I argue about Trip insurance every time they leave the country.

Couple stuck in Mexico over medical payment, 2 Works For You intervenes

CHOUTEAU, Okla. -- A couple was being held in Mexico after a medical emergency left them with a bill for several thousand dollars.

Bernadette and Dwayne Givens of Chouteau were celebrating their 24th wedding anniversary in Cozumel.

The two are avid scuba divers. Bernadette said her husband is an instructor level diver.

The trouble struck for the couple last Monday on the sixth dive of their vacation.

"He lost feeling from the waist down and he couldn't move his legs," Bernadette said.

Dwayne was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. He was rushed to the hospital.

After running tests, doctors found Dwayne had Decompression Sickness 2, meaning he had an air bubble in this spinal cord that was restricting blood flow.

"It was really scary for me at that point, because I didn't know if it was going to continue to get worse or if it was going to get better," Bernadette said.

Dwayne's condition improved after doing hours of treatments in a Hyperbaric chamber. The treatment cost the couple more than $22,000.

"They did tell us if we did not pay the bill that they could detain us until the bill is paid and that scared me," Bernadette said.

She was able to pay the emergency room bill. The $22,000 was just for the Hyperbaric chamber.

The Cozumel Hospital most recently told the couple they just need a letter of guaranteed payment from Community Care, the couple's insurance company. They also said the couple would be responsible for whatever the insurance would not cover before they could leave the country.

Bernadette said she kept getting the run around from Community Care.

"They'll say just one minute or give us a phone number that is a fax number and not an actual phone number and they know that we're in Mexico," Bernadette said. "They know it's hard to make phone calls."

Bernadette, a registered nurse, considered working at the hospital to earn money to put towards the bill.

"You're thankful that he's OK and you're like, 'Oh, the money is OK. That's not the problem. I can always work another shift when I get home,'" Bernadette said.

We reached out to Community Care and Senator Jim Inhofe and Senator James Lankford's offices.

Both of the senator's offices were very willing to get involved.

Before they could, Community Care sent over a letter to the Cozumel hospital guaranteeing payment. The Givens only owe $1,200 and they can leave the country.

Bernadette said she will never vacation without traveler's insurance ever again.

Sally Briggs, a leisure consultant with Journey House Travel in Tulsa, said there are several different policies that are offered.

She said the policies allow you to cancel your trip or cut it short for illness, death or other emergencies.

Depending on your age and where you are traveling, it can cost as little as about $100.

"You can call, 'Well I don't have this,'" Briggs said. "Well, they are there to cover you and to help you. If you have young children or elderly parents. That is where we see it used most of all, but you know accidents can happen on your trip too."

 

[ScubaD1veDiv@]

This is why I am a DAN member and insurance holder. It’s a ridiculously small price to pay for the peace of mind in knowing that in the event of a dive emergency, DAN coordinates and covers the expense for treatment/medevac and post treatment. It’s a no brainer.

I don’t blame authorities for detaining the couple. If you can afford to dive, you can afford to carry A-rated dive insurance, self pay or spend time in pauper’s prison.

 

[DandyDon]

DAN coordinates and covers the expense for treatment/medevac and post treatment.

DAN also returns your remains if you don't survive.

 

[Christi]

He's supposedly an Instructor but they didn't bother with DAN Dive insurance or Trip insurance. It seems that their regular medical insurance does cover them outside of the US. My daughter & I argue about Trip insurance every time they leave the country.

Couple stuck in Mexico over medical payment, 2 Works For You intervenes

With all due respect, they were not actually detained - the hospital told them they COULD be detained - in her own words:

"They did tell us if we did not pay the bill that they could detain us until the bill is paid and that scared me," Bernadette said."

STANDARD operating procedure to file insurance claim in another country:

"The Cozumel Hospital most recently told the couple they just need a letter of guaranteed payment from Community Care, the couple's insurance company. They also said the couple would be responsible for whatever the insurance would not cover before they could leave the country."

Sounds like it was her insurance company that was the problem and all ended well:

"Bernadette said she kept getting the run around from Community Care."

"We reached out to Community Care and Senator Jim Inhofe and Senator James Lankford's offices.

Both of the senator's offices were very willing to get involved.

Before they could, Community Care sent over a letter to the Cozumel hospital guaranteeing payment. The Givens only owe $1,200 and they can leave the country."

And THIS divers is why DAN is worth every penny regardless of what other insurance you have and regardless of how "advanced" of a diver you are! If they had also had DAN coverage, DAN would have picked up that extra $1200 and they would have been covered had their primary care flaked out on them. Don't Dive Nekkid!

Wishing Dwayne a full recovery so that he may blow bubbles again!

 

[Altamira]

I am always amazed that there are divers who are willing to spend a lot of money going on a dive trip, but are not willing to spend a few extra dollars on DAN insurance, even as a secondary payer. Hopefully they will look at their $1200 bill and realize how many years of DAN insurance they could have had for the same amount of money without being given the run around.

 

[npole]

Many OP's I dive with want an active medical insurance (DAN or anything), medical certificate and of course your diving certification or you won't dive. Having a medical insurance as mandatory (and not at OP discretion), could be a good thing.

 

[morecowbells]

I could understand a new diver not understanding the need or gravity of obtaining dive insurance, but having an experienced diver eschewing a policy was careless. I am glad they are recovering and on the mend. The article didn't specify how many treatments were needed, but $23,000 sounds like the gringo rate. Can you imagine the outrage if our hospitals in the US made the same pay or be detained demands of non-US citizens?

 

[Lorenzoid]

I am always amazed that there are divers who are willing to spend a lot of money going on a dive trip, but are not willing to spend a few extra dollars on DAN insurance, even as a secondary payer. Hopefully they will look at their $1200 bill and realize how many years of DAN insurance they could have had for the same amount of money without being given the run around.

I could understand a new diver not understanding the need or gravity of obtaining dive insurance, but having an experienced diver eschewing a policy was careless.

As I understand it, the diver's US health insurance was sufficient to pay for all but $1,200 of a $22,000 bill. If that's correct, then it's reasonable to me that the diver may have chosen not to buy separate DAN, DiveAssure, etc., accident insurance. My annual deductible for my wife and me is $7,500--that's how much comes out of our pocket every year. A $1,200 accident would not be a great shock to our health care budget. If a diver goes 10 years or more without an incident, that would be a lot of money in DAN premiums to cover a mere $1,200.

MY US health insurance does NOT cover me as generously outside the US as this diver's insurance, so I DO buy DAN coverage. And I like that DAN will not give us "the run around" for a chamber treatment the way this diver felt his health insurance company initially did. But my point is that I can see how it would be reasonable for someone with really good US health insurance that covers dive accidents to weigh the considerations and decide to forgo additional insurance.

 

[Dsix36]

It is not just emergency room and chamber rides to think about in terms of dive insurance. Think about the cost of a low level ambulatory evacuation. This is in the tens of thousands of dollars and DAN covers that too if needed. When I was bent in St. Croix, DAN was ready to evac me back to Florida whenever I wanted. DAN covers so much more than typical health insurance that it really seems a no brainer unless you are either stupid rich or just stupid.

 

[Skittl1321]

I could understand a new diver not understanding the need or gravity of obtaining dive insurance, but having an experienced diver eschewing a policy was careless. I am glad they are recovering and on the mend. The article didn't specify how many treatments were needed, but $23,000 sounds like the gringo rate. Can you imagine the outrage if our hospitals in the US made the same pay or be detained demands of non-US citizens?

Have you never spent time in a US hospital? I'd suspect time in a hyperbaric chamber costs more than that...
Most Medical Treatments Cost Less in Mexico. ( iihave no idea why my voice recognition is doing all caps for that.)
Can you be detained for a debt? I don't know, but certainly you are on the hook for it. (this couple was never actually detained, so who knows the detail on whether they would be)