Congrats on Your Baby — Now Pay This Extra $8,000

By Jennifer Porter Gore, Word In Black

Amber Wallin’s viral posts about her “WTHelly” hospital bill sparked plenty of debate about surprise out-of-pocket medical expenses. 

When Los Angeles-based actor and content creator Amber Wallin posted about her surprise hospital bill on Instagram and TikTok, she wasn’t exaggerating when she called it a “WTHelly” moment.

Wallin, who has nearly 2 million followers on the two social media platforms, had just welcomed a new baby with her husband. But last week, she found herself staring at a medical bill for $4,412.72 — despite having insurance. The due date for the bill to be paid in full: July 7.

That’s stressful enough, but a few days later, the amount she owed had nearly doubled. 

Wallin’s experience with unexpectedly high out-of-pocket medical costs isn’t unusual, and a surprise bill isn’t only a problem for those who’ve just given birth. Rising deductibles, coinsurance, and coverage limitations all combine to leave underinsured people paying thousands out of pocket. And these costs end up eating into household income, especially for Black Americans impacted by the racial wealth gap. 

“POV: You Just Had a Baby in America”

Wallin shared on social media that she initially intended to set up a payment plan for the original bill — $1,000 per month — to pay it off quickly. However, when she logged into the healthcare provider’s portal, she now owed $8,333.73.

“The bill that you saw the other day was just for my stay. So, now they’ve added the bill for the child’s stay, the newborn. It costs money for the newborn to stay in the hospital,” Wallin said in her IG post. The title of the post says it all: “POV: You Just Had a Baby in America.”

Learn more how what it means to have a newborn and the Unaffordable Out-of-Pocket Health Care Costs.

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