Mom of triplets reveals her $2 million NICU bill in viral TikTok

When Kate Sulovski learned she was expecting surprise triplets, she turned to social media to find a community. On TikTok and Instagram, she quickly connected with other moms and started building connections.

“I was able to connect with other moms of multiples who provided me advice and supported me throughout my journey,” she told People magazine.

TikTok was also where she went to share part of the story after her triplets arrived. Two of the babies had required stays in the NICU, and when one of her followers asked about the cost for their arrival, Sulovski broke it down for her followers in a now-viral video.

“$1.7 million is what the hospital billed us for myself and my triplets’ stay,” she said. “That $1.7 million was only for the duration of our stay in the hospital. So my 7-day duration, as well as my boys who were in the NICU — one for 20 days and one for 23 days. That doesn’t include any of my prenatal care, any of my high-risk specialty visits, nothing. That is strictly for our hospital stays.”

She added, “One of our boys was roughly mid-$600,000. Our other two boys were roughly $500,000 and I was roughly $100,000.”

Those who live in the U.S. and have experienced the horrific state of for-profit healthcare probably aren’t even surprised. But Sulovski said she’s gotten “quite a mixture” of responses to her video.

“There were a handful of other moms, whether they had a single baby with a NICU stay or multiples like myself, that were like, ‘Yup, that sounds about right,'” she said.

Other viewers, especially those outside the U.S., where healthcare is treated like a human right and covered by universal benefits, were shocked.

“Viewers from a lot of other countries were like ‘This is wild. This is what health care looks like over there?'” Sulovski said.

At the end of the day, Sulovski is just happy that she has three healthy boys — and good health insurance.

“It was a situation where you feel very thankful,” she said. “I have these three kids and they’re healthy and they’re here. I’ve got to keep pushing and do what I can and do my best for them. Keeping in this positive mindset is something I really learned throughout this journey. It’s so important.”