I agree that the bottom line is the irresponsibility on this woman's part and not just having too many kids.

Can you imagine what the cost must be for the birth and subsequent stays in the NICU?

I thought I had read in a few articles that she is living off her student loans and grants.

Really, I hadn't heard that. From the article Jen posted, it says:

and that article also mentioned she payed for the IVF through a "legal settlement after a work accident."

I don't know if this is up there but just a thought....I remember 20 years ago, I worked at Johns Hopkins Respiratory Unit right around the time that Dr. Carson separated the Binder Twins. Some time after that, I spoke with a friend of mine in the accounts payables department and she showed me the bill for their treatment....which was approximately 5 full boxes (Xerox paper boxes to give you an idea)...West Germany (as it was still separated at the time) picked up the tab.

So, yes one can only wonder.

WTF is a "psychiatric technician"? I've only heard of psychiatrists.

Google is your friend: http://www.jobprofiles.org/heapsytech.htm

Thanks.

It doesn't look like it pays much. The article says they report to nurses, which means they're probably lower than nurses on the pay scale.

Different hospitals I've worked at called them different things.. mental health workers, child care workers (in child and adolescent psych), mental health techs, mental health aides.. they are basically the nurses aides of the psych unit. Most of them I've worked with had their BS in Psychology and were working toward their Masters. Some became chemical addiction counselors.

ETA: actually, that posted job description is not what I was thinking of, really. They weren't allowed to touch meds at all, only the RNs could do that. I've never seen a Psychiatric Technician in action.

In 2004, for SIX days of NICU, we had a $45,000 bill AFTER our crappy insurance. SIX days. Imagine eight weeks x 8 kids.

$45k?! Are you serious?!

That could wreck a family.

I am very serious.

She won't pay a penny of it either, I'm sure. She'll declare bankruptcy and Kaiser will get the shaft. (Not that Kaiser getting the shaft would bother me in the least!:p)

I am with you on Kaiser! :)

^^^ Me too. Won't be crying in my beer for Kaiser on that one.

I'm pretty sure she must have been at Kaiser as a Medi-Cal patient, with six kids, no job, no spouse, and no assets. Which I guess will make it tricky to take any kind of cash payment for her story from tabloids because as soon as she has assets, she'll be expected to help pay that ginormous bill.

I suppose that's why you get *gag* "advisors" to help you with these important business decisions.

My guess would be that the hospital has gotten so much publicity from all of this that they threw her a freebie. Does that happen?