Cruise ship medical emergency left Michigan man with unexpected monstrous bill

Vincent Wasney recalled his horrific experience of having a medical emergency on a Royal Caribbean cruise to KFF Health News.
Wasney, 31, and his fiancé Sarah Eberlein were gifted the tickets by their real estate agent after purchasing their first home in Saginaw, Michigan.
After two years of delays due to the pandemic, they set sail to the Bahamas in December 2022, marking the first time either had ever ridden in a plane or saw the ocean.
While the two were particularly excited to visit CocoCay, a private island with a water park, balloon rides, and pig swimming excursions, the last day of the trip proved to be a nightmare.
He reported felling ill the day before he had a seizure in bed, where blood came gushing out of his mouth from biting his tongue.
She was able to find a guest on board who was emergency room physician for assistance.
Shortly after, he was put into a wheelchair by the ship’s medical crew to take him down to the medical facility, where he was given anticonvulsants and fluids and monitored before being released.
He started having seizures about a decade ago and was diagnosed with epilipsey, however, he hadn’t experienced one in awhile.
He said he took medicine initially, but, after two years without another seizure, his doctors took him off the medicine to avoid liver damage.
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Later, after returning to his cabin, he had a second seizure, where he stopped breathing.
His fiancé recalled his lips being “so purple they almost looked black.” Again, she ran for help so hastily that she locked herself out of their room.
By the time the ship’s medical team got to their cabin, Wasney was breathing again but had broken blood vessels along his chest and neck, which looked like “tiger stripes.”
Wasney was in the ship’s medical center when he had a third seizure — a grand mal, which typically causes a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions.
By then, the ship was close enough to port that Wasney could be evacuated by rescue boat. He was put on a stretcher to be lowered by ropes off the side of the ship, with Eberlein climbing down a rope ladder to join him.
However, before they disembarked while waiting on the rescue boat, they were handed a bill.
The bill obtained by KFF Health News reflects that he was charged $2,500.22 for “general and enhanced observation, a blood test, anticonvulsant medicine, and a fee for services performed outside the medical facility” by the Independence of the Seas Medical Center.
As part of Royal Caribbean’s guest terms, cruise passengers “agree to pay in full” all expenses incurred on board by the end of the cruise, including those related to medical care. In addition, Royal Caribbean does not accept “land-based” health insurance plans.
Wasney, who was uninsured at the time, said he was surprised to learn that he was required to pay his medical bills before exiting the ship — despite being urgently evacuated.
“Are we being held hostage at this point?” Eberlein remembered asking. “Because, obviously, if he’s had three seizures in 10 hours, it’s an issue.”
He reported feeling groggy and struggled to recall details, which is a typical after seizures, however, he says he remembers seeing the bill.
He recalled telling a cruise employee he could not afford it, to which they reportedly responded: “How much can you pay?”
He says he drained their bank accounts, including money saved for their next house payment, as well as maxed out his credit card, but were still about $1,000 short.
Ultimately, they were allowed to leave the ship, and he later learned his card was overdrafted to cover it.
Royal Caribbean International did not respond to multiple inquiries from KFF Health News.
Once on land, in Florida, Wasney was taken by ambulance to the emergency room at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where he incurred thousands of dollars more in medical expenses.
Upon returning, the couple said they returned home with essentially no money in their bank account, several thousand dollars of medical debt, and no idea how they would cover their mortgage payment.
The couple ultimately set up an instalment payment plan to cover all the bills.
The couple was able to make their house payment with $2,690 they raised through a GoFundMe campaign he set up.