Not trying to victim blame but do not go to America.
this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2026
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They're Brits
Ah yes, the United States -- Don't get sick or you will have to fight tooth and nail to get your insurance company to pay for necessary medical care. This is a story heard over and over again stateside. If the U.S. was truly the best place in the world to live, this would simply not happen. As a person who has worked in healthcare in the U.S. for over 15 years, I feel this in my bones. I am glad you could get legal help and have the right outcome based on what you paid for. I would love nothing more than to see everyone who comes to the U.S. receive medical care appropriately -- Nobody asks to get sick :(
After a nine month legal battle, Zurich has reversed its decision and told the BBC it was sorry for the stress caused.
Yeah, very sorry I'm sure. Oopsie, we accidentally fought a nine month legal battle to avoid paying out the exact thing the insurance is for
"We've now strengthened and clarified our wording and guidance so other families travelling abroad at this stage of a pregnancy do not have to go through this experience."
TLDR: the beat couple is fucked
I'm curious, what happens if you just don't pay? What if you just go back home and never come back?
Honestly if you never go back, not much. It wouldn't even impact your credit rating, and your country likely doesn't have the means to enforce it. I could imagine you get harassed by us debt collection agencies but they can't do anything about it either. If you're never returning to the US, it's fine.
You could likely even still holiday in the USA. It won't impact your visa as it's not a criminal offence either.
I'm not a lawyer, and could be totally wrong, but I asked my dad who is also not a lawyer.
After 7 years without any payment, most debt including medical debt and standard loans are discharged. The non-payment is key. Even sending a cent will restart the obligation to that debt
They are bringing back debtor's prisons in some states, those debts they sell as unrecoverable are bought by shady companies, as in Utah, that sue for them in the big city, and if the defendant doesn't show up they get a default judgement and then get the judge to hold them in contempt, and jail them. If they pay they get out right away. After they get out of jail the holder of the debt can just file for another action and contempt you again, as I understand it.
And they aren't the only state either I hear, they were one of the first to end run around the prohibition, I think case law, on debtor's prisons, over 10 years back.
They can sue, and then try to seize your assets, at least inside the country. Most hospitals don't, but some do. Garnish your paychecks too. Not sure how that would work in another country.
That poor child will now have to suffer dual citizenship in the US. That kid's tax stuff will be a PITA when it starts working.
As long as they spend at least 330 days per 12 month period in non-US countries, they can deduct 130K/y via FEIE, and it adjusts with inflation.
Hope they don't get a job that keeps them in international waters tho.
I have a friend who had a c section birth that otherwise had no complications (other than requiring a c section. They were in the hospital 4 days iirc, way less than a week. Insurance was billed for 98,000. They had a 10k out of pocket max, thankfully
So.. that baby is basically came to USA without approval? Should it be detained in the concentration camp or something?
Doesn't that baby have birthright citizenship, being born in the US?
No, it's white.
"Hey, man, we told the kid not to be born, that we couldn't afford it, but he wouldn't listen, and went and borned himself anyhow, without any permission. So that's on him. You have to sue him.
But you can't, because he's a BABY! And you can't sue a baby! BOOM! CHECKMATE, BITCH!"
That'll work in any court in the nation. Don't even need a lawyer, save your money.
That sucks... Born in the US....
Paying taxes to the US forever!
Just checked, it appears you can renounce it :
the State Department no longer proactively attempts to prove such intent, and issues a Certificate of Loss of Nationality (CLN) only when an individual "affirmatively asserts" their relinquishment of citizenship.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relinquishment_of_United_States_nationality
Bruce Springsteen has entered the chat. And that song is not celebratory
The US: why is our birth rate so low? Also the US: ...
Interestingly it is still higher than a lot of European countries which have affordable healthcare
isnt advisable by studies for pregnant woman to not travel outside thier country to avoid situations like these.
It's advisable not to travel to, over, or near the United States regardless of pregnancy status
It really depends on various factors like how far into the pregnancy she is (travel when you're 2 months in is vastly different to travel when you're 8 months in), how urgent the need to travel is (traveling to go to an anime convention is vasly less urgent than traveling to lay your mom to rest), how far you're traveling (a weekend saunter to the next town over is different than traveling half way around the globe (which it sounds like she did)), whether the doctor overseeing your care says its okay, and other stuff.
"I don't think we've ever sort of lost the feeling that there isn't a wolf at the door".
This captures the current American experience perfectly.
I wanted to see if there is a video clip but couldn't find. A scene in Orville when they go to Alara's home planet and Gordon Malloy is in awe of her home planet while piloting their shuttle and just goes something like, "I am trash, my whole family is trash."
That is us (US), now, and for way too long. Nobody should ever come here until we fix ourselves.
But, send aid when it is necessary. Which was probably last year at the current pace. We don't even have accurate weather forecasts anymore. FEMA doesn't exist anymore and States (using the EU as an example, States are Countries here, both in size and somewhat in governance) are on their own for survival, and budgets have been murdered by the Federal government to begin with. Which is delightful that everyone has to pay income tax to the Federal government (EU example again) without choice, and not their state (Country), and there is no way to suspend that payment without penalty or imprisonment. The US system, for some reason is: Person->US->State. So the US can cut off state funding to make them behave. Maybe a civil war holdover introduced in the early 1900s, but dumb as a bag of spoiled potatoes.
I've started working on some projects that I hope terminate in localized weather tracking among other things, but with also being laid off recently and the US tech industry trying to downgrade engineer pay and hiring being in a weird void because humans have no value, it's a...weird time. I'll complete the project, in a home or homeless, just annoying having to try and survive for like, the I lost count amount of times in this shitfuck of a country.
In the past, when I tried to claim unemployment one time, I was denied because I was in college. In what universe does that make any sense. This time, thankfully, that one system works, but it is structured so terribly that one is way below survival status. Current unemployment rates can't even cover a current mortgage payment. (There is nuance there based on current cost, I'm not trying to distort it artificially for drama, to be clear.) Figure that out. That is before utilities or food, not even talking about something like fun.
NEVER TRAVEL HERE. DO NOT BUY OUR GOODS. We deserve the pain we set up for ourselves. Punish us like a dom in some weird sex fetish video would. I got beans to eat. Beets too! (It is not...quite that bad yet, but I am prepping as such and respect happy survival diet so hard.)
Just one person's perspective, don't bias thoughts upon it. Sorry that couple had that bill. I have a plethora of stories that can hit their $200k in minutes in just the last 2 years. Shit, probably in the last 6 or 7 months, actually.
Edit, and sorry, not trying to be dramatic to again be clear, I might have some errors too. Not trying to hyperbole. We are just such a fucking dumb place doing so many fucking dumb things for no fucking reason when we could easily be profitable (CAPITALISM!) AND also let humans live AND keep the planet habitable. It makes no damn sense what is going on when everyone winning would be simultaneously profitable for the "rich" and nobody dies.
ALL THESE WORLDS ARE YOURS EXCEPT AMERICA. ATTEMPT NO LANDING THERE.
Sorry, I could not resist. How ironic that the original American movie quote said Europe (okay, the moon Europa) and now it's basically reversed. (Kubrick, Space Odyssey 2001)
Aren't you supposed to avoid air travel during the later stages of pregnancy?
Ferris, who was 33 weeks pregnant with their first child, had been given the all clear for the trip and flight by her midwife and GP.
She was 7 weeks early, that's easily a good month before she is "recommended not to fly".
Huh...I didn't know you could cut it that close. I figured it was more like "don't fly during the 3rd trimester."
Shows what I know.
I think “during the third trimester” is essentially folk wisdom because who wants to push their luck?
The shitty American medical system being what it is I gotta blame the travel insurance. If their insurance was supposed to cover it and didn’t, that’s an insurance problem.
The American medical system charged their case with that astronomical amount in the first place.
And the insurance did end up paying, but nine months later after what is referred to as a legal battle. So presumably these folks had to go into their own pockets for it. Typical bullshit.
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