Nadya Suleman's Octuplets: An Exercise in Moral Hazard

We libertarians rely heavily on the linkage between the concepts of “liberty” and “personal responsibility.” The underlying assumption is that our lives are the product of risk-management. Sometimes our lives are shaped by our own decisions and sometimes by others. Libertarians argue that within the bounds of legality, individuals must be allowed to reap the benefits of “good risk-taking decisions” and/or pay the costs for “bad risk-taking decisions.” But in the real world, we often rescue one another from the painful consequences of our bad decisions under the guidance of morality. Unfortunately, when we exercise beneficence under these circumstances, we encourage future risk-taking on the part of the beneficiary and other aspiring future risk-takers. Economists call this predictable incentive pattern “moral hazard.” Nadya Suleman’s Octuplets provide a valuable case study on how government programs, charitable organizations, and a doting mother can lead to an unfathonable degree of morally hazardous behavior. Because of confidentiality laws, we don’t know all of the details, but here’s what I’ve been able to gather. Nadya is a 33 year-old, unemployed single mother. Before the octuplets were born she already had six children via two separate vitro fertilization procedures. On average IVF yields live births about 30% of the time and costs about $15,000 per cycle. Most “live births” require more than one cycle. In order to increase the odds of having a “live birth,” clinics often insert multiple embryos into the uterus, which can lead to multiple pre-mature births. Premature births require the services of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), which cost on average about $475,000 per child. Although clinics do not pay NICU costs, the American Fertility Society recommends the insertion of no more than 2-3 embryos at a time. However, desperate mothers with limited financial resources often request more than two embryos to avoid multiple IVF cycles. Inefficient clinics often insert multiple embryos to cover up their inefficiency and/or increase their published “live birth rate” Nadya’s doctor apparently inserted 6 embryos for those two initial multiple birth pregnancies, and for the cycle that yielded the octuplets (which allegedly included 2 sets of twins). So who paid for the IVF and NICU costs of the first two pregnancies, and who will pay for the octuplets? Private insurance companies rarely cover IVF treatments but are required by law to cover NICU costs. They usually limit that exposure to $1 million. Nadya is unemployed so forget about that! If uninsured, Medicaid (and a raft of other state assistance programs) usually covers most of these costs. Again, we don’t know who paid the medical costs for those first two IVF and NICU services, but we do know that she now receives Social Security Disability Payments for three of those children (one is autistic) and that she collects $480 in food stamps. We also know that Nadya also owes $50,000 in student loans. Her mother Angela has been trying to financially support Nadya and her six children. But Nadya’s home, which is owned by Angela, is currently $23,000 behind in mortgage payments and under foreclosure by the bank. The family has filed for bankruptcy. Given the uncertainties surrounding the Nadya’s ability to care for these 14 children, it is not clear if or when Child Protective Services will allow the octuplets to leave the NICU, or where they will live. “Angels in Waiting” a charitable group of nurses offered free 24 hour-a-day assistance (worth $130,000. a month) for all 14 kids, which would have avoided action by Child Protective Services. But self-reliant Nadya refused that offer. So how will she pay for all of this? Back in 1999, Nadya apparently suffered a back injury at work and has filed for permanent disability. She is also planning to take out more student loans so she can return to graduate school at Cal State Fullerton to finish her degree in counseling, while her mother continues to provide free care for her 14 children under six years old. Nadya also hopes land a lucrative T.V. offer and/or book deal. So what can a lifelong libertarian say about all of this? Absolutely nothing!