Allyson Ward, a nurse practitioner, spoke at a Senate hearing Thursday on how the premature birth of her twin boys, weighing 3 pounds each, saddled her and her husband with a crushing load of debt.
“The reality of the situation and the related anxiety began when we received a bill that totaled upwards of $25,000 within the babies’ first month of life,” she said, adding that one of the infants remained in the hospital for six months. “We had health insurance coverage through my employer, but ... we were still responsible for a significant portion of their medical care.”
