MINNEAPOLIS — Jennie Schwochert looks forward to a trip with her friends every year.
"I've gone on vacation internationally every year since I was 18 years old. And never had a problem," Schwochert said.
Never had a problem until this winter's trip to Mexico, when she started having symptoms of a possible blood clot.
"I called my doctor here and described my symptoms, and he said it wasn't safe for me to fly," she said.
So her friends Peggie Opp and Cheri Schieck took Jennie to a private Hospital in Cancun. But they wouldn't treat her right away.
"They wanted $10,000 in order to admit her," Opp said. "
"I was shocked that they wouldn't treat her. Without any money, I couldn't believe it. And how they were in such a hurry to get rid of her if we couldn't get the money," Schieck said. "Every time we went there it was more money, more money, more money."
Jennie's internal bleeding was treated after her friends reached Jennie's sister to help pay the nearly $60 thousand dollar bill up front.
"This is crippling for me financially. It's more than I make in a year. But at least I had family that could step up and provide that money at the time. I think there are quite a few people that don't, clearly," Schwochert said.
Jennie's sharing her story after hearing about Artem Moskovkin, the Minnesota veteran who died in Cancun this month.
A private hospital refused to treat his internal injuries because he couldn't pay thousands up front.
"You know, every time I watched the story, it made me cry," Schwochert said.
Jennie advice is to buy travel insurance that makes upfront payments in medical emergencies.
And it's just sad that money is determining factor over who's going to get the care and maybe make it home, and who's not," Schwochert said.
The U.S. State Department website gives warnings about areas where travelers have had billing problems with hospitals. The site also lists insurance providers for overseas coverage.