A woman went viral after sharing that a hospital billed her more than $50,000 for the birth of her baby. The staggering cost on her part inspired her to post a video on TikTok.
California woman gives birth and hospital charges her $50,000
Shannon Mayor, who lives in California, became pregnant in the fall of 2020, according to Insider. She told the outlet that after finding out she was pregnant, she began looking for the “best insurance” she could find.
Shannon explained how the market-based U.S. healthcare system is difficult to decipher. She recalled stressing about having to switch to her husband’s insurance shortly before her baby was born.
“Insurance is complicated. It’s not easy to figure out in this country, and you can be f*cked if you don’t, you know, really think ahead,” she observed.
Shannon delivered her baby at a nearby hospital, where she said she received excellent care from the medical staff. Then she discovered the true cost of that care.
Last week, Shannon received a bill for her hospital stay. Her insurance plan paid $50,816.02 for her delivery. Thanks to her insurance, she owed only $250.
The staggering cost of her part inspired her to post a video on TikTok, which garnered more than 8 million views.
She said most people don’t have $50,000 to spare to have a baby, noting that it was “like a down payment on a house somewhere.”
“I was grateful to have insurance. A lot of people aren’t as fortunate in this country to have as good insurance as I do, and without it, it would have cost a lot more to probably have my baby. Not many people have access to that kind of insurance, so I felt a lot of gratitude in that moment,” she detailed.
Some people pointed to the disparity between the expensive, privatized U.S. health care markets and the much less expensive, socialized medical services across Europe and Canada.
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