Michael Flor, a resident of Seattle, was hospitalised after getting infected with the coronavirus on March 4. He spent 62 days in a hospital and luckily recovered from the disease.
But he was in for a shock when he received the hospital bill of nearly $1.1 million (₹8 crore). The gigantic bill resembled a book with 181 pages.
At one point during his hospitalisation Flor came so close to death that a nurse had to call his wife and children to bid him good bye. Surprisingly, Flor survived and people around started calling him a ‘miracle child’.
Apparently, also the longest hospitalised Covid patient, Flor was discharged from the hospital on May 5.
After having spent 42 days in an isolation chamber and 29 days on ventilator, Flor knew that he would have to pay a huge bill. His first reaction on seeing the bill at his home was that of guilt.
I feel guilty about surviving. 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.
According to reports, Flor is covered by the government health insurance program for the elderly, and might not have to pay even a penny. But he feels guilty for taxpayers’ money.
