Because Republicans believe socialized medicine is bad, a Florida couple who had a complicated birth with their child is facing a $550,000 bill from AdventHealth healthcare system for a 56-day stay for the baby in the hospital neonatal intensive care unit, NPR reports.

Being ever so helpful, the hospital’s billing department offered to split the payment into twelve interest-free monthly installments of $45,843.  And guess what?  That’s AFTER getting the basic payment from her insurance provider.

The invoice sent to the family–the baby survived a breach birth in the back seat of an SUV as Dad drove Mom to the hospital–reflects costs of $660,553, with the patient responsible for 550,124.  The monthly installment appears to be an automated option put on invoices over a specified amount.

“He was still connected to me with the umbilical cord when they rolled the two of us together into the hospital,” Bisi Bennett says. “They cut the cord, and the last thing I heard was, ‘He has a pulse,’ before they wheeled me away.”

Bisi Bennett, baby Dorian’s mother, has health insurance through her employer, who changed the company’s health insurance provider at the start of 2021, just after Bisi had given birth.  As a dependent, Dorian is also covered under the company’s plan.  The excessive amount on the invoice resulted from a problem allocating the outstanding amount between the two insurance companies.

Recognizing the end-of-year insurance company change was the center of the problem, Bisi took action herself, trudging through the paperwork, walking numerous insurance company employees through the confusing timeline.  She ultimately got the $550,000 down to $300.  (Not three hundred thousand dollars.  Just three hundred dollars.)