LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – A Lubbock family faced a $330,000 bill after their insurance company approved their 6-year-old son’s surgery, then refused to pay for it at in-network rates.
Paxton Kuitu was born with Microtia and Atresia, a rare condition that affects hearing and ear development. His parents, Valerie and Stephen Kuitu, spent nearly a year appealing insurance denials before the bill dropped to $2,000.
The diagnosis
On the day of his birth, Paxton’s parents and Dallas-area hospital staff were stunned to see that he had a small right ear and no ear canal.
“Nobody in the hospital where he was born at knew what it was called. Kind of that freak-out moment,” Val Kuitu said…