Maryland triplets defy odds

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The Tituses, who already have a 3-year-old daughter and had not planned on having more than two children, were given three options. They could either let nature take its course, opt for a procedure to simply ease the discomfort of the pregnancy, or try a risky surgery that had the potential to save their children but could also terminate the pregnancy.

The surgery, known as laser coagulation, isolates and seals off the blood vessels where the imbalanced blood volume sharing occurs between the fetuses. While the surgery provides the best overall chance of survival, there was still a 50 percent chance both babies wouldn't survive the procedure.

Five days later Lori Titus was ready for surgery.

The couple said the choice was obvious because while the numbers were grim, it still gave their children the best chance of survival.

But calling the choice obvious seems more extraordinary when considering the Tituses had no idea what the surgery cost or how they were going to pay for it since Lori Titus couldn't get health coverage. Doctors at the hospital estimated the total cost for this type of pregnancy would be around $150,000 out of pocket.

In 2006, Lori Titus quit her day job after her husband had a stroke while she was pregnant with their daughter. She obtained COBRA, a limited extended insurance option, but the coverage ran out in April, mid-pregnancy.

When she went to apply for private coverage, she was repeatedly turned down.

She then applied for the Maryland State Health Insurance Program, but was turned down because her income was too high. The couple's income now comes entirely from their home-run beekeeping business in Mount Airy, Md.Continued...