Parents demand refund from Willow Midwife Center as it prepares to close

MESA, AZ — An Arizona couple is fighting for a $2,500 refund from Willow Midwife Center for Birth and Wellness after they say they overpaid medical bills for maternity care.

The Mesa-based birth center company is weeks away from closure, and the owners have filed for personal bankruptcy after a series of lawsuits related to patient care.

William and Shayla Walker entrusted the Willow Midwife Center for prenatal care and the birth of their baby girl, Ainsley.

“I did a bunch of research of what I wanted my birth to look like,” Shayla said. “I want to be an environment that felt comfortable.”

The couple said they had paid $4,900, in accordance with the center’s estimated out-of-pocket costs, about a month before Shayla’s due date. However, the couple had additional medical expenses when Ainsley was delivered in the hospital and stayed in the neonatal intensive care unit.

“Inevitably, there was a lot of claims that came in,” William said.

As a result, the Walkers said their insurance covered more of the midwife bills than expected.

Using their explanation of benefits, the couple calculated Willow received an overpayment of $2,500.

“So we started calling their billing team,” William said.

After repeated requests for a refund, William said the center responded on April 2 by email, saying the company was unable to issue direct refunds.

Willow’s email stated, “As part of the practice’s closure, the owners have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. As a result, all financial matters, including outstanding balances and refund requests, are now being handled through the formal bankruptcy process.”

A lawyer for Willow Midwife Center told ABC15, “The company is fully complying with all applicable rules, statutes, and procedures governing the federal bankruptcy court process.”

Consumer attorney John Skiba, who is not involved in this case, makes a distinction between an owner’s personal bankruptcy and a corporate bankruptcy case.

He said that if the company has not filed for bankruptcy, patients can continue seeking a refund by sending a formal demand letter, contacting the state attorney general for assistance, or filing a case in small claims court.

“You got to have some patience on this because the systems in place can be effective, but they’re not often very quick,” Skiba said.

As each day gets closer to the birth center’s closing, the couple’s hopes of getting a refund diminish. They said this is unnecessary financial stress at what should be one of the happiest times of their lives.

“I feel like the lack of transparency has been really frustrating,” Shayla said.

This story was reported on-air by ABC15 Senior Investigator Melissa Blasius and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.