A 70-year-old woman from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, said she was held at San Javier Riviera Nayarit hospital in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, for four days due to her inability to pay tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills, The Spokesman-Review reports.
Vikki Moormann said she was admitted to San Javier Riviera Nayarit May 4 due to nausea. Physicians diagnosed her with diabetic ketoacidosis, a complication associated with diabetes.
Physicians originally told Ms. Moormann's son, Ryen Moormann, his mother could leave the hospital within five days, according to the report. However, Ms. Moormann alleged armed officials barred her from leaving San Javier Riviera Nayarit on May 8 because she had not paid her bill.
The hospital required full payment of Ms. Moormann's more than $30,000 medical bill before she could be discharged, according to a May 9 Facebook video of a phone call between Mr. Moormann and a hospital representative. The representative said the decision was hospital 'procedure.'
The story quickly spread among online news outlets and gained the attention of state and U.S. legislators. The hospital allowed Ms. Moormann to leave May 12 after her son paid $5,000 toward the bill in addition to $1,000 Ms. Moormann had paid the hospital in cash, along with thousands of dollars she charged to her credit card.
Ms. Moormann and her son have yet to receive the final bill from the hospital, The Spokesman-Review reports.