Family Billed $100k Over Newborn Son’s ER Trip

Welcoming a new baby into the family can lead to a lot of expenses, and not everything is expected. One family learned this the hard way when their newborn son took a recent trip to the ER. They would find themselves charged with a $100k bill.

A Mother Rushed Her Son To The Hospital, Only To Learn He Needed To Be Moved

One Northern California mother recently shared a story concerning her son back in October 2022. According to her, things took a turn for her newborn son when a rice cooker fell from a kitchen counter.

Speaking with KGO-TV, Antioch resident Jessica Farwell shared that her six-month-old son Brody was severely burned by the falling rice cooker. Looking back, she shared, “His skin, it just instantly bubbled up… I was just like… Is his face going to start bubbling?”

Jessica rushed her son to a nearby hospital. She shared that, at the time, “they gave him fentanyl through his nose because he was screaming.”

However, the facility didn’t have a burn unit. Ambulances also weren’t readily available to take Brody to a hospital that had one. Jessica shared, “So they were calling an ambulance, but it was the end of COVID. There wasn’t going to be an ambulance for seven hours.”

It was decided that the best course of action was to take Brody to Shriners Children’s Hospital in Sacramento. Jessica offered to drive her son there, but was told the hospital already had another plan in mind. She recounted, “They said, ‘No, sorry, you can’t — I can’t let you leave with him. I’ve already called the helicopter.’ He basically told me there was nothing I could do.”

The 15-minute helicopter ride cost nearly $90,000. However, Jessica was told that she wouldn’t receive a bill as the hospital requested the helicopter, and she had insurance.

Taking To The Skies Would Come With A Hefty Bill

Arriving at the burn unit, Brody was treated for second-degree burns and discharged the next day. That wouldn’t be the end of the story, as the family received a bill of $100,032 within a few months.

Jessica recounted, “I couldn’t believe my eyes. You look at the bills, and it’s absolutely enraging. We got hit for a $600 waiting fee; there’s a fee for it being a nighttime service. There’s just every single fee you can think of.”

Despite doctors saying the bill wouldn’t be an issue, Jessica claimed that insurance would only cover around half of the helicopter bill. Added to that, only a small portion of the ambulance bill was covered. She had to cover $57,929.80 for the helicopter and also $7,327 for the ambulance.

Jessica also shared, “I’ve called the hospital, ambulance company, my insurance numerous times. It’s been three years, and then they wouldn’t listen to me or talk to me. They just kept giving me the runaround.”

After looking for help, Jessica eventually found KGO-TV, which helped her see the entire bill waived. She shared, “They called, and said, ‘It’s done, we will never bill you again.’ They almost sounded apologetic. I hung up and told my husband. We just couldn’t believe it! It’s a miracle!”

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