LOS ANGELES – A big share of the financial burden of raising Nadya Suleman's 14 children could fall on the shoulders of California's taxpayers, compounding the public furor in a state already billions of dollars in the red.

Even before the 33-year-old single, unemployed mother gave birth to octuplets last month, she had been caring for her six other children with the help of $490 a month in food stamps, plus Social Security disability payments for three of the youngsters. The public aid will almost certainly be increased with the new additions to her family.

Also, the hospital where the octuplets are expected to spend seven to 12 weeks has requested reimbursement from Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, for care of the premature babies, according to the Los Angeles Times. The cost has not been disclosed.

Word of the public assistance has stoked the furor over Suleman's decision to have so many children by having embryos implanted in her womb.

"It appears that, in the case of the Suleman family, raising 14 children takes not simply a village but the combined resources of the county, state and federal governments," Los Angeles Times columnist Tim Rutten wrote in Wednesday's paper. He called Suleman's story "grotesque."

On the Internet, bloggers rained insults on Suleman, calling her an "idiot," criticizing her decision to have more children when she couldn't afford the ones she had, and suggesting she be sterilized.

"It's my opinion that a woman's right to reproduce should be limited to a number which the parents can pay for," Charles Murray wrote in a letter to the Los Angeles Daily News. "Why should my wife and I, as taxpayers, pay child support for 14 Suleman kids?"

She was also berated on talk radio, where listeners accused her of manipulating the system and being an irresponsible mother.

"From the outside you can tell that this woman was playing the system," host Bryan Suits said on the "Kennedy and Suits" show on KFI-AM. "You're damn right the state should step in and seize the kids and adopt them out."

Suleman's spokesman, Mike Furtney, urged understanding.

"I would just ask people to consider her situation and she has been under a tremendous amount of pressure that no one could be prepared for," Furtney said.

A call to Suleman's publicist Mike Furtney was not immediately returned.

In her only media interviews, Suleman told NBC's "Today" she doesn't consider the public assistance she receives to be welfare and doesn't intend to remain on it for long.

Also, a Nadya Suleman Family Web Site has been set up to collect donations for the children. It features pictures of the mother and each octuplet and has instructions for making donations by check or credit card.

Suleman, whose six older children range in age from 2 to 7, said three of them receive disability payments. She said one is autistic, but she has not disclosed the other youngsters' disabilities, and refused to say how much they get in payments.

In California, a low-income family can receive Social Security payments of up to $793 a month for each disabled child. Three children would amount to $2,379.

The Suleman octuplets' medical costs have not been disclosed, but in 2006, the average cost for a premature baby's hospital stay in California was $164,273, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Eight times that equals $1.3 million.

For a single mother, the cost of raising 14 children through age 17 ranges from $1.3 million to $2.7 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is struggling to close a $42 billion budget gap by cutting services, declined through a spokesman to comment on the taxpayer costs associated with the octuplets' delivery and care.

Suleman received disability payments for an on-the-job back injury during a riot at a state mental hospital, collecting more than $165,000 over nearly a decade before the benefits were discontinued last year.

Some of the disability money was spent on in vitro fertilizations, which was used for all 14 of her children, Suleman said. Suleman said she also worked double shifts at the mental hospital and saved up for the treatments. She estimated that all her treatments cost $100,000.

Fourteen states, including California, require insurance companies to offer or provide coverage for infertility treatment, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But California has a law specifically excluding in vitro coverage. It's not clear what type of coverage Suleman has.

In the NBC interview, Suleman said she will go back to California State University, Fullerton in the fall to complete her master's degree in counseling, and will use student loans to support her children. She said she will rely on the school's daycare center and volunteers.

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She even has a website with a place for 'comments' and 'donations'. Hah!
Somehow I doubt many comments are kind, and of course the idea of handing her money via donations is ludicrous.

That's just ridiculous! Yeah, I'm going to donate some my hard-to-come-by money that I need to support MY family to help support a woman who had absolutely no business doing what this woman did.

Sure, I'll donate money to help someone who did In Vitro because they weren't able to have ANY kids, and ended up with a circus full, but this woman? NOT A CHANCE!!

i dont know why she even has children to begin with! that lady needs to tie her tubes!

i think its unfair that im working to pay HER free money so she can keep poping out babies!

I cannot fucking stand this woman. Like I understand the wanting to have kids and all, but when you already have six (three of which have disabilities), and you live in your parents small house, I think you should know not to bring another, LET ALONE EIGHT, more babies into this world. thank god i don't live in CA.

Why work when the government pays you to have babies, pays for their upkeep etc... THAT is the message that is being sent across.
Stupid bitch CHOSE to have these babies, all of them being IVF babies. She SHOULD choose to fucking care for them herself.

Exactly, Blue Bella. The citizens in California are getting I.O.U.'s instead of actual cash refunds this year yet they are gonna support her and her dern 14 children. So glad I don't live in California.

And what REALLY sucks is that for those who are getting a refund back from the State, that refund was ALREADY an interest free loan to the Gov't. And now you get IOU's because the Gov't can't pay you back. But do you think they're going to pay you with interest, like they make YOU pay when you owe THEM money? Not a chance.

I strongly think that the state should step in, seize ALL of her children...and adopt them out to parents that are worthy of having them...and that can afford it.

This is the prime example of why most forms of welfare should be abolished.

I agree with you here about the welfare. The sad thing is, this probably happens far more than we hear about. The only reason this particular woman made headlines is because A) she used IVF and B) her parents spoke out.

I'm just so fed up with this story it's ridiculous.

She's behaving horribly selfishly. "She didn't want the eggs to go to waste". WELL THEN FREAKING GIVE THEM TO SOMEONE WHO CAN'T HAVE THEIR OWN CHILDREN, FOR CRYING PETE'S SAKES OUT LOUD!!!

So many things about this woman rile me. SO MANY things.

This is bull crap. These babies should be given up for adoption for people who can afford having kids. I pay my taxes, I work and hard by the way, I refuse to let this bitch slide and be lazy. I am a responsible person and I control my right to have kids. This woman should of thought about finances before she had these babies. She needs to get a job and get sterilized. No one feels sorry for her.

Wow, I feel bad for people who live in California who have to foot the bill for this....woman, I guess would be the term I would use. I can understand 1 kid, whoops....but 14 via invitro.....that's a bunch of bullshit. I agree with giving these poor kids up for adoption to deserving families...

Ya know, I think it's awesome that some people that cannot conceive children naturally, but are able to through IVF, however this lady's story is ridiculous. It's hard enough to support myself on my income, and to think my hard earned money would go to take care of a woman who decided to have 14 fuckin' kids? They would use my overpayment of taxes to support some woman who couldn't 'let eggs go to waste.' Yea, I would NOT be thrilled with that. I don't live in California, so I'm not directly affected by this, but it's still insane.

This makes me so angry! I do live in CA, although I just moved, so I thankfully don't have to file taxes here yet. However, my boyfriend is being completely screwed on taxes this year by our goverment and now this lady... I can't even write more because I am so pissed off about it.

her choice she should pay for everything them. You can't tell me she didn't know what she was doing. im so sick of this story.

this woman makes me sick.

This woman needs to be sent to jail for using the system as much as she has. Ever see her face before she has plastic surgery? How does she afford a publicist? She had to have money in order to get a Angelina Jolie look alike face. Now she is poor and needs assistance to take care of her kids?

She also has nice new nails in one of the magazines where she was showing off her babies. That's at least $20-$25 right there that could have gone to the kids.

um actually no.. in LA(especially in whitter) u'll get a full set at her length for $12-$15. I know b.c I get my nails done often. but yes its expensive and her looks should take a back seat to those kids.

lol sorry? i live in ohio, and it's at least $20 here unless you have a coupon. that's still money she should have put towards her kids.

the cheapest i can find is 40. what the heck :[

where the heck do you live? lol. here, it's around $20-30.

Here in the midwest you'll pay at least $25 - if there's a deal. Usually it's $30 and up.