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The High Cost of Surviving Rabies
By Brenda Goodman, MA, Andy Miller
Feb. 20, 2018 -- A brown bat the size of a mouse with teeth like a stapler may or may not have bitten Tamara Davis in Georgia. But it certainly took a bite out of her bank account, generating hospital bills of more than $17,000.
The groundhog that charged Linda Gallagher in Maryland while she was gardening last summer caused her to rack up more than $11,000 in charges.
A rabid fox bit Crystal Edwards last year, costing her $22,000 for life-saving rabies treatment.
A fox that sank its teeth into Crystal Edwards in North Carolina last year could end up costing her more than $22,000.
Doctors agreed that all three women needed a series of shots to protect them from the deadliest virus known to medicine -- rabies. Once symptoms begin, the disease is almost always fatal....
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Whether a patient ends up with crippling medical bills depends on the state where they get it, the setting -- a doctor’s office or hospital ER -- and whether or not they have insurance.
Public Assistance for Rabies Treatment Has Waned
In some states, like New York, Florida, and Texas, state and county health departments help control the cost of the shots, either by giving them to patients at cost or picking up any part of the bill that’s not covered by insurance.
But this kind of help is becoming harder to find. WebMD and Georgia Health News surveyed health departments in all 50 states and learned that nearly all have dropped this kind of assistance because it’s become too expensive or because they don’t offer patient care through a clinic.
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Price May Lead to Delay in Treatment
The high cost has caused some people to hesitate before getting the shots.
Randall Large didn't start treatment until 8 days after he found a bat under his pillow in Wyoming...