A British couple whose unexpected premature delivery of their child in a New York hospital racked up a $200,000 bill has been assured by the hospital they won't be on the hook for payment.
Katie Amos, 30, with her fiancé Lee Johnston, 29, were taking a short holiday trip to Manhattan when Amos suddenly went into labor 11 weeks before her due date.
Rushed to Lenox Hill hospital on Dec. 28, Amos delivered a son, Dax, who weighed just 3 pounds and who has since been in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.
Doctors say the baby will probably require treatment there until March, when he can be released to return home to Britain with his parents.
Amos and Johnston say their insurance cannot cover the costs incurred by the extended care, but the hospital has released a statement promising to work with the insurance company to cover all bills.
"Lenox Hill Hospital continues to work with the insurance carrier regarding payment approvals for all services rendered by the hospital, anesthesia and physician services from their insurance carrier," a spokesman said.
The hospital said it would "ensure that there will be no financial impact to the family."
The couple did not have travel insurance -- which normally covers pregnancy-related medical care while traveling -- but had been given clearance by their doctor to fly to New York for a 4-day Christmas holiday.
Amos went into labor while touring the city's Central Park and was rushed to the hospital.
Friends and family had started a Facebook page hoping to raise funds to cover the couple's living costs during Dax's hospital stay, before the hospital's decision to cover all expenses.
Richard Crow, a close friend of the couple who helped set up the Facebook page, said, "I spoke last night with (Katie and Lee) and they told me the medical bills are being taken care of.
"They are hugely relieved, absolutely," Crow said. "They're just overwhelmed by all the support."
Responding to some criticism that donors on Facebook thought they were contributing to the medical costs rather than living expenses, Crow said the fundraising appeal was "never intended to raise money for the medical bills."
It was just to cover the costs of being able to stay somewhere close to the hospital, he said.
"I have offered on the Facebook page to refund anyone who feels they were misled but I have had no messages so far," he said. "The criticism has only come from people who haven't actually donated."
Johnston, a personal trainer, and Amos, a fitness instructor, are from Lincolnshire and are currently residing in accommodations offered by the Ronald McDonald House Charities near the New York hospital to be close to Dax.
"The Ronald McDonald charity has been amazing, everyone has been really kind," Crow said. "We never realized this charity was there and any excess money that isn't used will go to that charity."
