New mom was given almost a 'million dollar' bill after delivery and it says a lot about US healthcare

Healthcare costs in the U.S. have caught worldwide attention lately. People across the globe have expressed their shock over overpriced medical supplies in the country in viral videos. For instance, a strip of paracetamol tablets, a commonly used painkiller, only costs a few cents in the UK, whereas it would cost a person about $5 in the U.S, as per PharmaOffer. Imagine how the basic expenditures would snowball during a critical health complication or emergency treatment. New mom Janice Hernandez, who goes by @janiceheartss on TikTok, shared her bizarre hospital bill after giving birth to offer a glimpse into the healthcare system. 

“I just got the bill for my daughter’s NICU stay. Do you guys wanna know how much it is?” she begins the video. The 25-year-old parent from Nevada was shocked to find out that the hospital had charged her “almost a million dollars” after staying in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) with her baby for two months. Zooming into her medical bill, Janice revealed that the expenses totaled at "738,360 freakin' dollars.” In disbelief, Janice decided to check the itemized bill, which details every item the hospital had charged her for, and she was not pleased. “I swear there are things that they didn’t do. And I swear there are things that they are overcharging for,” the mother said. 

Janice’s daughter was born with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), a rare genetic disorder, and was admitted to the NICU for treatment, as reported by BuzzFeed. The genetic disorder is characterized by poor muscle tone, developmental delays and constant hunger, and childhood obesity, per NCBI. Elaborating on her questionable experience at the hospital, the creator said she was billed $25 for a small tube of Aquaphor even though it seemed like a kind gesture from the staff. “$25 for a tiny tube of Aquaphor that I thought the nurse was just giving me to be cute and give it for free. No ma’am!” Janice quipped, adding, “They made sure to charge every single little thing.” In the caption, Janice jokingly asked, “Anyone actually pay their medical debt or...?” 

Receiving over 11.1 million views and 537,000 likes, the new mother’s dilemma resonated with many other people. One person (@take.the.chance) critiqued, “America is another level of delulu, girl, I'm so sorry you guys go through this.” “What! I live in New Zealand and have had 2 babies, one of whom had a NICU stay, which cost me zero dollars, and that's with no insurance. America is insane!!” said another (@staceywhelan40). Janice later talked to BuzzFeed to insinuate how the hospital may have intentionally inflated her bills. 

She and her daughter were transferred to different rooms and sections of the unit five times, with each transfer costing her $4,337. "If I had known they would cost that much, I would've gotten on the bed myself and had them roll me over! It was us walking with the baby and one transporter,” she admitted. At a point, Janice suspected that her daughter was being kept in the NICU without reason. Janice was discharged after an operation with a feeding tube placed inside her stomach. She figured the doctors could have “offered” the treatment earlier without making her wait two months. 

You can follow @janiceheartss on TikTok for more videos.