Cancún hospital allegedly withholds Indiana family's premature baby over $37k bill

An Indiana family claims a hospital in Cancún, Mexico, refused to release their premature baby until a $37,000 medical bill was paid, according to family members' GoFundMe page. 

Larry Ralph and expecting mother Michaela Smith were vacationing in Cancún when Ms. Smith gave birth to her son 12 weeks early on July 18. For the first day of their son's care, Mr. Ralph and Ms. Smith paid the hospital more than $9,000 and another $4,000 in "fees," according to Fox 59. The bill totaled $37,000 at the time of publication, and "keeps rising the past 35 hours," the family said.

The hospital would not release the baby to an air ambulance back to the U.S. until the amount was met, the family claims. Family members paid an air ambulance $30,000 to transport the baby and his parents to a Florida hospital; however, the contacted hospitals would not accept Ms. Smith's Indiana Medicaid plan, the family claims.

The couple's family arranged for AirMed to transport the baby and his parents to Indianapolis-based Riley Children's Hospital. As of Thursday afternoon, the child and his family were released from the hospital and flying to Pensacola, Fla., to clear customs, according to an update on the family's GoFundMe page. The baby and family will then fly to Indiana.

Indiana Republican Rep. Trey Hollingsworth said, "Indiana's 9th Congressional District office has been working with the family throughout the day seeking a solution to get this newborn home, to the United States, for necessary medical care," the report states.

The air ambulance, which cost the family $30,000 upfront, was scheduled for departure to Cancún early Thursday morning. At the time of publication, the family raised $31,173 of its $60,000 goal on GoFundMe. 

Editor's note: This article was updated July 20, 2017, at 2:44 p.m. 

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