Before I could be released from the hospital in Mexico, I had to pay in full. That was $10,000 I hadn't planned on spending on vacation; I put most of it on my credit card, and then because my CC company refused to up my limit another $2000, I had to find another way to pay. That involved tracking down my mother, who was on vacation herself, and asking her to fax authorization for me to use her card to the hospital.

I've submitted the insurance claim, and am preparing for bureaucratic entanglement to get my money back.