Couple Finds Themselves $80,000 in Medical Debt After Giving Birth to Twins

By Consumers for Quality Care, on July 27, 2022

A Chicago family incurred $80,000 in medical debt when they found out their health insurance did not cover many of the expenses that resulted from the premature birth of their twin sons, according to Kaiser Health News.

Ten years ago, Marcus and Allyson Ward gave birth to their sons, Milo and Theo, who were born 10 weeks premature and diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

While the Wards had health insurance, they learned that many of their claims were denied, particularly for their sons’ therapy sessions, which their insurance company deemed medically unnecessary.

The Wards are victims of a broken health care system that does little to protect consumers, even those with health insurance, from financial strain caused by a major medical event. The Wards are also among the one in eight Americans who have medical debt caused by pregnancy and childbirth.

CQC urges lawmakers and insurers to find solutions to make sure that insurance providers are actually acting like insurers and work together to prevent consumers from going into medical debt after a major medical event, including during pregnancy and childbirth.