Orlando nightclub shooting survivors won't be billed for treatment
Survivors of the June 12 shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, won't be billed for treatment, the Orlando Sentinel reported Wednesday. Instead, Orlando Regional Medical Center and Florida Hospital, the two hospitals responsible for treating the majority of survivors, will be finding an alternative way to pay those bills.
Orlando Regional Medical Center said it plans to turn to a victims' fund and patients' insurance plans to cover out-of-pocket costs and that it would assume costs for patients without insurance. Florida Hospital said it would not even bill victims' insurance companies for its services. In total, the two hospitals are estimated to be absorbing more than $5.5 million worth of care.
The shooting left 53 people injured, in addition to the 49 people killed. Gunman Omar Mateen, who pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State, was killed in a shootout with police.
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