Couple left with $200k bill after baby born in US
9 hours agoJen SmithSouth West health correspondent
BBCA couple were told they faced a $200,000 (£146,500) medical bill when their baby was born prematurely in the US, despite them having travel insurance which covered her pregnancy.
Musicians Issy Ferris, from Cornwall, and Archie Sylvester, from Somerset, who perform as folk duo Ferris & Sylvester, were on tour in Nashville when Issy became unwell with pre-eclampsia.
Their baby was born in an American hospital seven weeks early, but the couple said Zurich Insurance Group refused to uphold the policy and cover their costs because the baby was not named in the document.
After a nine month legal battle, Zurich has reversed its decision and told the BBC it was sorry for the stress caused.
Ferris & Sylvester, who live in Frome, had been on a summer tour with their band that included a four-day stint in Nashville.
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.
Ferris&Sylvester“I was 25. I’d never been ill in my life. It was a big opportunity,” Ferris explained.
“The advice was, you’re perfectly healthy so there’s not really a reason not to do it”.
Sylvester said the couple “made 100% sure Issy was insured to be pregnant, and any complications involving pregnancy whilst we were abroad were covered”.
“At least to our understanding – we would never have gone otherwise”, he said.
But the couple said they could never have predicted what would happen after two days in Nashville when Issy developed pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening complication that can affect women in the second half of pregnancy.
“In my case, severe pre-eclampsia can lead to organ failure so it was a really serious situation” said Ferris.
The problems meant the couple’s baby boy, Lucky, had to be delivered seven weeks before his due date.
“The consultant came in and said, look this is really serious – you’re not going anywhere. Your baby is going to be born in America,” said Sylvester.
Lucky was delivered safely but spent nearly three weeks in intensive care.
In the trauma and emotion of that time, Sylvester proposed and the couple were married in a Nashville park.
Ferris&SylvesterEventually, mum and baby were deemed well enough to fly home but the couple’s happiness was marred by news from the insurance company.
Sylvester explained: “Essentially what they said is that we would have been covered had the baby not survived. But the fact was that the baby survived.”
“We weren’t going to be covered for that, because we didn’t put his name on the insurance policy.”
Once home in Somerset, their ordeal continued as medical bills started to arrive.
“We thought OK, we’re all home, we’re all alive,” Sylvester said. “But we still have a premature baby, a very small baby that we’re taking care of, and we’re starting to receive bills in the post from America.”
“We dreaded going to the post box because eventually the bills racked up, and we realized the extent of the money that we owed – which was over $200,000”.
Ferris&SylvesterIt took nine months of correspondence and the help of a lawyer before the insurer reversed its decision and said it would cover the family’s medical bills and US expenses.
“It was such a relief,” said Sylvester. “But it didn’t mean that it didn’t happen. It seemed irresponsible they were pushing so hard on something that seemed so black and white to us”.
Ferris added: “We still take out the same insurance, because it is the best. You know, it’s not something that’s like, oh, I wish I’d got out better insurance.”
“Of course we wish we hadn’t gone to Nashville, but we didn’t follow bad advice.”
She added: “I don’t think we’ve ever sort of lost the feeling that there isn’t a wolf at the door”.
Ferris&SylvesterA spokesperson for Zurich Insurance Group told the BBC: “We’re deeply sorry for the stress this caused Mr and Mrs Sylvester and baby Lucky during what was already a traumatic experience of pre-eclampsia and a premature birth.
“While Issy’s claim was fully covered, questions were initially raised around Lucky’s costs because the original policy didn’t clearly address births after 32 weeks.
“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.”
Steve Edwards, head of external affairs and campaigns at the consumer group Which? said the couple’s case was not unusual.
“There are many people that are going on holiday expecting their travel insurance to cover them and then finding, in a very traumatic way, that, they’re not covered”.
“It’s something we’ve heard a lot and it’s one of the reasons we decided to submit a super complaint on the home and travel insurance industry to the regulator – the Financial Conduct Authority.”
Issy and Archie are now back performing as Ferris & Sylvester, and are working with pregnancy charity Tommy’s to raise awareness of pre-eclampsia and premature birth.
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