A 70-year-old American man who nearly died of Covid-19 has been billed a heart-stopping $1.1 million for his hospital expenses, the Seattle Times reported Saturday.
Michael Flor was admitted to a hospital in the northwestern city on March 4 and stayed for 62 days But he recovered and was discharged on May 5 to the cheers of hospital staff of nursing staff — only to receive a 181-page bill totalling $1,122,501.04, he told the newspaper.
Flor spent 42 days in the intensive care unit at Swedish Medical Center in Issaquah, Washington, which cost $9,736 per day, for a grand total of $408,912. After being intubated, he had to be on a ventilator for 29 days, which came to $82,215.
The bill features over 3,000 itemized charges and doesn’t even include the two weeks he spent in recovery at a rehab facility.
The good news is that Flor has health insurance, including Medicare, and won’t have to pay for most or any of the bill.
“I feel guilty about surviving,” Flor told the newspaper. “There’s a sense of ‘Why me? Why did I deserve all this?’ Looking at the incredible cost of it all definitely adds to that survivor’s guilt.”
While Flor is grateful to be alive, he acknowledged the burden of his medical costs could fall on taxpayers and other insurance customers.
“It was a million bucks to save my life, and of course I’d say that’s money well-spent,” he added. “But I also know I might be the only one saying that.”
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