Jack Shickel lived 35 days. His medical bill was $3.4 million [View all]
Jack Shickel was born with stunning silver hair and hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Even though he was surrounded by wires and tubes, the nurses at UVA Children's Hospital would whisper to Jessica and her husband, Isaac, that they had a truly "cute" baby.
But his congenital disorder meant the left side of his heart never fully developed. Each year in the U.S., over a thousand babies are born with the syndrome.
After two surgeries, Jack's heart could not pump enough blood on its own. He made it 35 days.
Weeks after his death, when the Shickels were trying to muddle through life without him in Harrisonburg, Va., they called the hospital billing department about two confusing bills. They were then told the full cost of his care was $3.4 million.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/09/22/1121612539/baby-high-medical-bills-nicu-heartbreak
High hospital bills continue to plague parents of dying newborns.
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