US COVID-19 survivor gets whopping USD 1.1 million hospital bill; man was admitted for 62 days at medical facility in Washington

Washington: A 70-year-old man in the US, who nearly died from the coronavirus, received another shock after he was given a whopping USD 1.1 million (over Rs 8.14 crore) bill for his medical expenses, according to a media report. Michael Flor was so sick from COVID-19 that his wife and kids called him to say good-bye. But he managed to pull through while being treated at Swedish Medical Center in Issaquah, the Seattle Times reported. “I opened it and said ‘holy [bleep]!’ “ Flor says. [caption id=“attachment_8465221” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Representational image. Image by Masum Ali from Pixabay.[/caption] The total tab for his bout with the coronavirus: USD 1.1 million. Michael Flor battled with coronavirus for 62 days at Swedish Issaquah, making him the longest coronavirus patient at the hospital. Flor has a Medicare Advantage insurance policy that normally covers all charges after the roughly USD 6,000 deductible, the paper reported. Special financial regulations enacted by Congress for COVID-19 patients, however, might keep Flor from paying one red cent, the Seattle Times said. Flor said he was surprised by his own reaction to beating the coronavirus. “I feel guilty about surviving,” he said. “There’s a sense of, ‘why me?’ Why did I deserve all this? Looking at the incredible cost of it all definitely adds to that survivor’s guilt.”