With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
How Much Are Those Octuplets Going to Cost You? Yes, You.
Octo Mom talked to ABC7 in 2006 about getting IVF treatment in Beverly Hills
()
Octo Mom talked to ABC7 in 2006 about getting IVF treatment in Beverly Hills
Nadya Suleman, better known these days as "Octo Mom" has $50k in student loan debt, is unemployed, and now has 14 kids under the age of 8. One question that keeps coming up in the public and the press is how this 33-year-old single mom from Whittier plans on paying for her newborn octuplets and their six older siblings when she's got no income of her own and has driven her own parents into bankruptcy. Suleman is already receiving money from the government, explains the LA Times:
Even before she gave birth to the octuplets Jan. 26, Suleman was receiving $490 in monthly food stamps, and three of her children were receiving federal supplemental security income because they are disabled.
The Times crunches some numbers, and determines that if her "disabled children received the maximum payment, she would get nearly $2,900 a month in state and federal assistance, including the food stamps." On top of that, her octuplets probably qualify for Medi-Cal, and the most recent available figures "show that Southern California hospitals received an average of $1,198 per day, per patient." Of course, delicate newborns needing special care cost more:
Support for LAist comes from
The babies, who are 16 days old, have already racked up a conservative $153,344 in Medi-Cal costs, not including their delivery. Kaiser [Permanente Medical Center in Bellflower] doctors have said they will remain hospitalized for seven to 12 weeks. If they stay for seven weeks, the cost would be $469,616. If they stay 12 weeks, the cost would be $805,056.
But that's not the only help Suleman is getting from our fiscally troubled state.
An on-the-job injury almost 10 years ago kept her from going back to work. "Between 2000 and 2008, she received $169,353 in temporary disability payments, a workers' compensation spokeswoman said." Lucky for Suleman, her file "indicates that a doctor hired by the state to evaluate her believes she is now eligible for permanent disability." For anyone wondering how Suleman ponied up the cash to seek fertility treatment (and undergo 6 pregnancies) from Dr. Michael Kamrava's Beverly Hills West Coast IVF Clinic, this may well be the answer.
Although Suleman is a Cal State Fullerton grad student, she may have missed a few Gov't/Econ classes. She told The Today Show's Ann Curry: "I'm not living off any taxpayer money. If I am, if it's food stamps, it's a temporary resource. And I was so reluctant. I very much so look forward to the day when I am not getting any kind of help with food stamps, which I believe will end when I graduate in about a year or year and a half."
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
What do stairs have to do with California’s housing crisis? More than you might think, says this Culver City councilmember. -
Doctors say administrator directives allow immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and compromise medical care. -
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings. -
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. -
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases. -
Distrito Catorce’s Guillermo Piñon says the team no longer reflects his community. A new mural will honor local leaders instead.
Best of LAist