{"id":36019,"date":"2025-07-02T08:06:17","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T08:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/u-s-citizen-billed-1-7-million-by-government-for-life-saving-burn-treatment-completely-hopeless\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T08:06:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T08:06:17","slug":"u-s-citizen-billed-1-7-million-by-government-for-life-saving-burn-treatment-completely-hopeless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/u-s-citizen-billed-1-7-million-by-government-for-life-saving-burn-treatment-completely-hopeless\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. citizen billed $1.7 million by government for life-saving burn treatment: &#8220;Completely hopeless&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>An American citizen found himself with a hefty medical bill totaling nearly $2 million from the U.S. government, after he spent seven months at a Texas military hospital recovering from life-threatening injuries.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I never expected, never in my life to live through something like this,&#8221; <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/puerto-rico-statehood-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Puerto Rican resident<\/a><\/span> Alexis Hernandez told CBS News&#8217; Anna Werner. &#8220;I never imagined that I will have to live through such pain.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In January of 2019, Hernandez arrived in Guadalajara, Mexico to begin studying to be a doctor. He was 23 at the time.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been working really hard all my life to make this real,&#8221; he said, adding it was his dream to study medicine.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-left embed--size-small\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2021\/04\/07\/7156acbe-c0f4-4dae-8c74-c61de308ec93\/thumbnail\/620x349\/e5169f6281ea4bab31836bdfbf924646\/1617796616681.png#\" alt=\"1617796616681.png \" height=\"349\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2021\/04\/07\/7156acbe-c0f4-4dae-8c74-c61de308ec93\/thumbnail\/620x349\/e5169f6281ea4bab31836bdfbf924646\/1617796616681.png 1x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Hernandez&#8217;s recovery consisted of 19 surgeries and hundreds of hours of physical therapy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Hernandez family<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Just two days after he arrived, Hernandez said he went to turn on a boiler to get hot water for his shower. Then the explosion happened.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The flames were all over the apartment and the building. And I had to run through the flames in the apartment looking for a way out. In the end, I almost lost my life,&#8221; he recounted.<\/p>\n<p>Rescuers saved him and took him to a Mexican hospital, but his severe burns required specialized care. As a U.S. citizen, Hernandez was then flown to one of America&#8217;s premier burn centers \u2014 the U.S. Army&#8217;s Institute of Surgical Research in San Antonio, Texas.<\/p>\n<p>His physical therapy assistant Kelly Brown said the burns were over &#8220;a huge percentage&#8221; of Hernandez&#8217;s body.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There was only a few places that weren&#8217;t burned,&#8221; he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Even with medication, he was likely in great pain, Brown said. One of the only places not burned were the soles of his feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Hernandez&#8217;s recovery consisted of 19 surgeries and hundreds of hours of physical therapy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I start from zero again, I learn how to walk, how to eat, how to breathe, how to see, how to dress myself, how to do everything again,&#8221; he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Brown praised Hernandez as a &#8220;very determined young man.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-left embed--size-small\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2021\/04\/07\/24f9e24f-d04f-4039-a429-545ab20b3d6b\/thumbnail\/620x349\/c84ecd3b2e5d62538d20790a4744faba\/1617796705513.png#\" alt=\"1617796705513.png \" height=\"349\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2021\/04\/07\/24f9e24f-d04f-4039-a429-545ab20b3d6b\/thumbnail\/620x349\/c84ecd3b2e5d62538d20790a4744faba\/1617796705513.png 1x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">&#8220;He&#8217;s been through more pain than any human should have to deal with,&#8221; Hernandez&#8217;s physical therapy assistant Kelly Brown said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Hernandez family<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s been through more pain than any human should have to deal with,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And he fought through it, he always wanted to get better, and he would always give it his best effort and then some.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Hernandez said the day he flew home to Puerto Rico seven months later and was greeted by a supportive crowd was &#8220;amazing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;To see how happy they were, it was a really special moment for me,&#8221; he said, visibly emotional.<\/p>\n<p>But when he got home, Hernandez found his health insurance company \u2014 insurance provided through his father&#8217;s job as a policeman \u2014 had denied payment for his medical expenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>His father, Jamie Hernandez, said the company now refused to pay the claim, telling him it was because the accident occurred in Mexico.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. government then sent him a bill claiming he owed $1.7 million to the <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/corporate-tax-global-minimum-rate-yellen\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">U.S. Treasury<\/a><\/span> \u2014 an amount they even suggested he could pay by check or by phone.<\/p>\n<p>Hernandez said he felt &#8220;completely hopeless&#8221; when he saw the letter.<\/p>\n<p>His local representative sent letters to the Treasury and Defense Departments, as well as then-Attorney General William Barr, asking that the debt be forgiven. There has been no response.<\/p>\n<p>Now Hernandez is trying to move on, despite owing that much money.<\/p>\n<p>Asked what keeps him determined and driving forward, Hernandez said he felt like he received a &#8220;second chance&#8221; at life.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I feel fortunate. I am grateful that I can see the light of the day, every day,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Not everyone has a second chance. I&#8217;m not going to waste it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He wants to use that second chance, he said, to help others. Hernandez plans to go back to <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/medical-schools-see-surge-in-applicants-thanks-to-fauci-effect\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">medical school<\/a><\/span> and finally become a doctor, if the debt does not stand in the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I am working so hard to go back to school. Maybe with this, I&#8217;m not going to be able to go back,&#8221; he worried.<\/p>\n<p>Hernandez&#8217;s insurance company, First Medical, would not comment on his case despite multiple inquiries from CBS News. The U.S. Departments of Treasury, Defense and Justice also did not comment.<\/p>\n<p>Alexis Hernandez, meanwhile, had two more surgeries this year and faces more months of physical rehabilitation.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- data-recirc-source=\"chartbeat\" --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"component list recirculation component--type-recirculation component--type-recirculation-collection\">\n<div class=\"component__heading-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"component__title\">Medical Price Roulette<br \/>\n                          <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/feature\/medical-price-roulette\/?intcid=CNI-00-10aaa3a\" class=\"component__view-more component__view-more--lg\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\"><br \/>\n                More<br \/>\n                <svg viewbox=\"0 0 32 32\" class=\"icon__caret-right\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n                  <use xlink:href=\"#icon-caret-down\"\/>\n                <\/svg><br \/>\n              <\/a><br \/>\n                      <\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>    <!-- tags --><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-author\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/search\/author\/anna-werner\/\" class=\"content-author__name\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Anna  Werner<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-author__bio\">\n<div class=\"content-author__full-information\">\n<p class=\"content-author__text\">Anna Werner is the senior consumer investigative correspondent for CBS News. Since joining CBS News in 2011, she has covered and investigated a wide range of impactful stories, winning numerous awards. Contact her at: wernera@cbsnews.com<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/us-citizen-bill-government-burn-treatment-alexis-hernandez\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An American citizen found himself with a hefty medical bill totaling nearly $2 million from the U.S. government, after he<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36020,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[413],"class_list":["post-36019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories","tag-mexico"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>U.S. citizen billed $1.7 million by government for life-saving burn treatment: &quot;Completely hopeless&quot; - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"&amp;quot;I never expected, never in my life to live through something like this,&amp;quot; Alexis Hernandez told CBS News&amp;#039; Anna Werner.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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