Ca. taxpayers likely to be billed for Octuplet Mom's expenses

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

Why am I not surprised.....Unless this woman is an American Citizen I say we deport her and her herd... Time for the fertility clinic to pay up.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A big share of the financial burden of raising Nadya Suleman's 14 children could fall on the shoulders of California's taxpayers, compounding the public furor in a state already billions of dollars in the red.
Even before the 33-year-old single, unemployed mother gave birth to octuplets last month, she had been caring for her six other children with the help of $490 a month in food stamps, plus Social Security disability payments for three of the youngsters. The public aid will almost certainly be increased with the new additions to her family.

Also, the hospital where the octuplets are expected to spend seven to 12 weeks has requested reimbursement from Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, for care of the premature babies, according to the Los Angeles Times. The cost has not been disclosed.

Word of the public assistance has stoked the furor over Suleman's decision to have so many children by having embryos implanted in her womb.

"It appears that, in the case of the Suleman family, raising 14 children takes not simply a village but the combined resources of the county, state and federal governments," Los Angeles Times columnist Tim Rutten wrote in Wednesday's paper. He called Suleman's story "grotesque."

On the Internet, bloggers rained insults on Suleman, calling her an "idiot," criticizing her decision to have more children when she couldn't afford the ones she had, and suggesting she be sterilized.

"It's my opinion that a woman's right to reproduce should be limited to a number which the parents can pay for," Charles Murray wrote in a letter to the Los Angeles Daily News. "Why should my wife and I, as taxpayers, pay child support for 14 Suleman kids?"

She was also berated on talk radio, where listeners accused her of manipulating the system and being an irresponsible mother.

"From the outside you can tell that this woman was playing the system," host Bryan Suits said on the "Kennedy and Suits" show on KFI-AM. "You're damn right the state should step in and seize the kids and adopt them out."

A call to Suleman's publicist Mike Furtney was not immediately returned.

In her only media interviews, Suleman told NBC's "Today" she doesn't consider the public assistance she receives to be welfare and doesn't intend to remain on it for long.

Also, a Nadya Suleman Family Web Site has been set up to collect donations for the children. It features pictures of the mother and each octuplet and has instructions for making donations by check or credit card.

Suleman, whose six older children range in age from 2 to 7, said three of them receive disability payments. She said one is autistic, but she has not disclosed the other youngsters' disabilities, and refused to say how much they get in payments.

In California, a low-income family can receive Social Security payments of up to $793 a month for each disabled child. Three children would amount to $2,379.

The Suleman octuplets' medical costs have not been disclosed, but in 2006, the average cost for a premature baby's hospital stay in California was $164,273, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The average cost for just one cesarean birth in 2006 was $22,762 in California. Eight times that equals $1.3 million.

For a single mother, the cost of raising 14 children through age 17 ranges from $1.3 million to $2.7 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is struggling to close a $42 billion budget gap by cutting services, declined through a spokesman to comment on the taxpayer costs associated with the octuplets' delivery and care.

Suleman received disability payments for an on-the-job back injury during a riot at a state mental hospital, collecting more than $165,000 over nearly a decade before the benefits were discontinued last year.

Some of the disability money was spent on in vitro fertilizations, which was used for all 14 of her children, Suleman said. Suleman said she also worked double shifts at the mental hospital and saved up for the treatments. She estimated that all her treatments cost $100,000.

A dozen states, including California, have laws requiring insurance companies to cover infertility treatment, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But California does not require insurers to cover in vitro procedures. It's not clear what type of coverage Suleman has.

In the NBC interview, Suleman said she will go back to California State University, Fullerton in the fall to complete her master's degree in counseling, and will use student loans to support her children. She said she will rely on the school's daycare center and volunteers.

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Mike Andrew · 02-12-2009, 09:44 AM

Arrrggghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rouxroux · 02-12-2009, 09:46 AM

B!tch looks like she's trying to spawn her own voting district.

Big Ed · 02-12-2009, 01:19 PM

I think it's despicable how you guys are making this all about the money. After all, an unemployed mother of 6 should absolutely have the right to visit a fertility clinic to get implanted for 8 more kids. Makes perfect sense to me. I think Medi-Cal should also pay for the fertility clinic themselves.

serge944 · serge944's Garage

Hardly something to break a sweat about - issues like this are dwarfed by much larger wastes in other state programs/expenditures.

Hugh R · 02-12-2009, 03:28 PM

Sure, why not have the taxpayers poney up. Afterall, those of us who actually pay income taxes are going to be paying even more soon enough. We have a long history of paying for every deadbeat/loser/wetback/minority/non-English speaking/drug addict/alcoholic who is in the state.

Schumi · 02-12-2009, 03:59 PM

The real issue is the children- where will they be in 20 years? This is the root of mroe problems than we can fix.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

I'm sure all those children have a bright future to look forward to and will undoubtedly all rise to great heights in society, education and be positive contributors to society in a few years.

Zeke · 02-12-2009, 04:37 PM

3 of the older siblings get social security. The problem reaches fed level.

What a POS. I'm not sure what I'd do if I met her. Slap the cratch? Probably lose my arm. C-section or not.

Buckterrier · 02-12-2009, 04:38 PM

A beautiful woman that deserves the love of her children

Don't even get my arse started on what I think should happen to her

onewhippedpuppy · 02-12-2009, 04:42 PM

Isn't that pretty much the biggest non-suprise ever? She's not only a leach, but a stupid unstable leach. I say adopt the kids out, before she has a chance to destroy their lives.

I like how she's going back to college, and will live on "student loans". Ummm, you sort of have to, pay those back.

Aurel · Aurel's Garage

Is is too late for an abortion?

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

She is a microcosm of our governmental problems. And he solutions are the same...

fxeditor · fxeditor's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Isn't that pretty much the biggest non-suprise ever? She's not only a leach, but a stupid unstable leach. I say adopt the kids out, before she has a chance to destroy their lives.

I like how she's going back to college, and will live on "student loans". Ummm, you sort of have to, pay those back.

Hooray, I get to pay for this bi***es litter!

This situation pisses me off sooooo much! But I think you're wrong Matt, she's brilliant! How else can you explain her ability to milk public assistance for the 6 kids she already has, get's the system to somehow pay for the artificial insemination of 7 more embryos, and then has a bankrupt government fit the bill for the delivery of her 8 premature babies! She must be unbelievably good with paperwork and dealing with government bureaucracy. I still cringe thinking about all the hoops I had to jump through when I was trying to get financial aid to get through college!