What to Know
A mom’s $4 million hospital bill for her quadruplets’ neonatal intensive care (NICU) stay is reigniting debate over the staggering cost of health care in the U.S.
In a recent TikTok video, Columbus-area mom Hanna Castle shared the itemized charges tied to her four babies’ NICU stays after giving birth in 2021. Each infant required weeks of intensive care, with hospitalizations ranging from 64 to 147 days.
In total, the bills surpassed $4 million—all of which was ultimately (& thankfully!) covered by Ohio Medicaid.
The cost of NICU care highlights a broken system.
Castle delivered her quadruplets Atlas, Dominic, Magnolia, and Morgan at just past 28 weeks, and the babies spent time at two different NICUs over the course of their care.
Once she learned she was expecting four babies, the then–24-year-old and her husband braced for the financial fallout, because anyone living in the U.S. who experiences a health crisis knows you basically have to win the lottery to afford medical bills.
Castle decided to quit her job midway through pregnancy so the family could qualify for Medicaid. “I loved my job,” she told Good Morning America, but said the decision was necessary. Her mother also moved in to help during the first year.
Premature infants often spend weeks or even months in the NICU, relying on ventilators, feeding tubes, and constant monitoring. Unfortunately, these medical interventions come with unfathomable costs.
Families share their own mind-boggling NICU bills
Commenters on Castle’s original TikTok shared their own experiences in the comment section. And others chimed in to share their own similar experiences or described how their experiences differed in other countries.
“So glad someone did this!,” one person wrote. “The nurses would joke 1/2 million dollar babies and I would laugh and then I got the bill……. No joke 1/2 million.”
“I have twins in the NICU right now. They both had to be flown in separate helicopters to the NICU. 144000 per flight,” another said.
“I’m a NICU nurse and sometimes i just *forget* to charge for things… lol,” said another (not all heroes wear capes).
This isn’t some one-in-a-million fluke — families face versions of this every single day.
Nearly 1 in 10 infants (9.8%) were admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit in 2023, an increase of 13% from 2016, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In 2023, the Health Care Cost Institute compiled the following statistics:
- In 2021, about 1 in 5 newborn hospital stays included some time in the NICU—an 8% jump compared to 2017.
- The average NICU stay cost about $71,000, but the price range was huge. Some stays cost as little as $4,500, while others were as high as $162,000.
- The average NICU stay lasted 14 days, though some babies stayed only about 3 days, while others stayed more than a month.
While it’s beyond infuriating that so many families face realities just like this, it’s great that Castle used her platform to bring attention to the criminal healthcare system in the U.S.
“I don’t think you can ever truly financially prepare,” Castle said.
