The mother, who works in insurance, nevertheless had health coverage and had given birth in a hospital normally covered by her health insurance.
A baby with a hefty bill. A Florida resident received bad news in her mailbox after giving birth on November 12, 2020, reports US radio NPR. The Orlando City Hospital claimed more than $ 500,000 in costs for the care of her premature son, while she had health insurance.
“I was angry when I got the bill,” the mother tells CBS Mornings. “I felt like I had done everything in my power to prevent them from sending me this huge bill,” says Bisi Bennett.
One evening in November 2020, Bisi Bennett gave birth to her first child at seven months pregnant in her car, as she was on her way with her husband to a hospital in Orlando, Florida. But the newborn baby remains silent at first. “I didn’t even know if he was born alive, so I was in tears,” says the mother.
Little Dorian, who arrived several weeks in advance, is therefore taken care of by an ambulance and then stays in intensive care for two months before being able to return home.
An administrative error
A little later, a bad surprise for the parents. The hospital sends them a bill for $ 550,124 and 76 cents, or nearly half a million euros. In the United States, there is no universal health coverage and the costs may be borne by patients.
The mother, who works in insurance, however had health coverage and had taken care to choose a hospital that was part of her health insurance network for her childbirth.
But problem, in January 2021, while her son was still in intensive care, the employer of Bisi Bennett changed health protection. Instead of being taken care of separately by the two insurances at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, the mother finds herself invoiced for all the care received by her son. A simple administrative error, but one that costs parents dearly.
“I called the hospital several times to let them know. ‘You put the two bills together, but you have to split them in half,” “she exclaims.
The bill dropped to $ 300
Despite his appeals, the bill is sent back to Bini Bennett, who is offered a monthly payment for the cost of health insurance.
“Which is ridiculous, I can’t afford to pay $ 46,000 a month!” She laughs today. “I was afraid of being the subject of a recovery,” she admits.
Eventually, the Orlando Hospital revised the bill, after being contacted by reporters from Kaiser Health News in October. The bill of over $ 500,000 eventually drops to $ 300.
Assurance says Bisi Bennett’s case has enabled her “to identify and address these types of issues in their goals of improving billing processes and communicating with their future patients.”
“I hope that by telling this story, they will take a more general view of health services. Health is not just about treating someone, it also has to do with how you treat the person afterwards. that she left the hospital, “insists little Dorian’s mother.
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