LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- A Lafayette woman has finally returned home after being stuck in a Mexican hospital demanding tens of thousands of dollars.
Dixie Stinson was in Cancun with her family celebrating her granddaughter's wedding when her heart nearly stopped.
Her husband Mo rode with her in the back of the ambulance.
"The EMT in the back said something like 'pronto,' and he turned the red light and the siren on," Mo said. "I mean, my heart went out the window."
Dixie survived two operations, and says the doctors were amazing and saved her life.
Meanwhile, Mo and other family members were fighting with hospital administrators over the cost of Dixie's care. They say the hospital demanded $111,000 – most of it up-front before a scalpel would ever touch Dixie's chest.
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The Stinsons were afraid of what would happen if they left, having read stories online about people being arrested.
"I think it makes them very inhumane," Mo said. "You know, they care more about the mighty dollar than they do about the person."
With no traveler's insurance, the family banded together to max out their credit cards and ask for help on fundraising sites. They were eventually able to leave the hospital, but still owe about $35,000.
"We have very good insurance, excellent insurance, actually, plus Medicaid, but once you cross the border it's no longer recognized," Mo said.
The Stinsons say you can learn from their story by checking how your insurance works, and if it works if you leave the country.
