Florida Hospitals Are Set to Absorb More Than $5.5 Million in Medical Costs
Orlando Health and Florida Hospital announced on Wednesday they will not charge victims of the Pulse nightclub massacre for the treatment they received, choosing instead to write off more than $5.5 million. Â
Originally reported by the Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Health President and CEO David Strong said, “The pulse shooting was a horrendous tragedy for the victims, their families and our entire community. During this very trying time, many organizations, individuals and charities have reached out to Orlando Health to show their support. This is simply our way of paying that kindness forward.â€
Orlando Health will send bills to the insurance companies of those who had insurance but will write off whatever is not covered. Florida Health has announced they won’t send any bills at all – not to the insurance companies and not to the patients. Many of the vicitims were treated at Orlando Health’s Orlando Regional Medical Center, which is just a few blocks down the street from Pulse.
While there are no guarantees on what medical care many of these victims will need in the future, the announcement came as a “huge relief†to many of those still receiving medical care, such as Mario Lopez, a 34-year old uninsured Miami resident who was at the nightclub and was facing a possible $20,000 bill.Â
“I was so worried because I can’t afford any of that,” Lopez told the Sentinel. “I just went out for a fun night with friends. No one expected this to happen. My life was turned upside down, and then I had to worry about how I was going to pay back the hospital.”
“It was incredible to see how our community came together in the wake of the senseless Pulse shooting. We hope this gesture can add to the heart and goodwill that defines Orlando,†Daryl Tol, president and chief executive of Florida Hospital and Adventist Health System’s Central Florida Region, said in a statement.
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Image by Walter via Flickr and a CC license