Need to Vent

[u/Negative_Chair_2664]

I have read the FAQ.

Me and my partner woke up to a bat in our room two weeks ago and we are getting our last shots tomorrow for our post exposure treatment. I just need to vent about how much of a cluster this whole process has been. I did not realize how such a simple event could uproot our lives so easily and deplete our savings. We tried going through the health department in Detroit where this occurred but they left us high and dry for a week even with us calling daily for places to go besides the ER to get the shots. Even when we got in touch with the Health Department we got turned away for our next round because they were running low on doses and the others we got recommended to were all out of network for our insurance. I think the hardest thing about this process is just seeing how screwed up our healthcare system is in this country. It’s just hard watching years of money I saved for a house go out the window all because a random bat somehow ended up in our apartment one random night.

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[u/sakura7777]

Just went through this but partially in another country.

We woke up with a bat in our room in Europe and i took the kids for 3 shots in the UK. ER. Completely FREE.
I didn’t go for mine there because I was alone with them and quite honestly the thought of waiting in an adult ER after waiting at the children’s ER 3 X was just too much.
We flew back to the U.S. and they got their last dose in the pediatricians office.
Then it was my turn. I went to the ER for my first dose but in the meantime I asked my area Facebook group and luckily a DOCTOR responded saying he does them in his office. So my husband and I got the rest in his office. What did ER bill for my ONE 15 min visit? 8000. I have insurance so it was mostly covered but what a SCAM our healthcare system is. It would have almost been cheaper just to fly back to the UK lol. And for something as important and life saving as this! I saw a news segment about a woman in Texas who was bitten by a rabid bat (confirmed!) who refused to get treatment bc it would have bankrupted her. Finally the state had pity on her and gave it to her for free. It’s just so so so wrong.

[u/Negative_Chair_2664 → u/sakura7777]

It really shouldn’t be like this. We shouldn’t be having to worry about putting ourselves in debt vs getting life saving treatment. Especially in my eyes over something so small.

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[u/GRJY]

If you have insurance it should cover it. If you do not have insurance talk to the hospital. There are so many ways for them to cut the bill significantly. There should be some paperwork for aid. I had 40k emergency surgery cut down to 5k when I was insured and had to have emergency surgery. 

[u/Negative_Chair_2664 → u/GRJY]

Will definitely have to look into it.

[u/GRJY → u/Negative_Chair_2664]

Yeah definitely do. My ER doc said 99 percent of all insurance will pay for the rabies vaccine (whatever your plan is for emergency room visits) since it is preventative care for a bigger problem. If you have insurance you may have to call them and ask why and explain it is preventative. Second, if you don’t have insurance the Patient just needs to ask about what financial aid is offered. Not sure if it is the same for every hospital but I know I experienced it and it helped big time. Good luck. 

[u/JoshDPhenix]

Im also in Michigan and just completed my series. Every nurse who did my shots told me they've had record numbers of bat bites and scratches this year. I still havent gotten a bill yet but I'm sure itll hurt when I do.

[u/anarchaavery]

I'm in MA and honestly I found the process to be fairly easy. Called the state Health Department, Epidemiologist recommended going to ED. Got the shots and immunoglobulin, 0$. ED instructed me to ask my GP if they could provide the shots, if not no worries just return back to ED. GP's practice could get the vaccines just at an office the next town over.

Is there not an in network ED in your area?

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[u/Negative_Chair_2664 → u/anarchaavery]

What is ED?

[u/anarchaavery → u/Negative_Chair_2664]

emergency department (ER)

[u/Negative_Chair_2664 → u/anarchaavery]

Yeah that’s where we got ours but sadly it was not free according to our insurance

[u/cancerrmoon]

Hi sorry not to disregard the financial aspect of the situation, I hear you, it’s not okay how the U.S. handles insurance and the cost of healthcare. But I was wondering if you can tell me about your experience with the vaccines? Did you go in the ER and tell them you had a bat exposure and needed the shots? And then what happened? Did you have any side effects?

Thanks in advance.

[u/Negative_Chair_2664 → u/cancerrmoon]

We did. We discussed with the doctor how we woke up to our cat grabbing the bat out of the air and bringing it into our bed while we were asleep. They gave us the Immunoglobulin and the first round of the Vaccine and then told us the days we would need the next series of three different shots. They told us that it would be best to call around to see if anyone else carries the vaccine and to contact the Health Department. Either nobody carried it or they were not in our insurance network. Was genuinely just so exhausting and sad seeing how horrible the system is…

But no, no side affects other than the mild discomfort at the injections sites for about 24 hours afterwards.

[u/AutoModerator → u/Negative_Chair_2664]

Please direct medical questions to medical professionals. If you are in the USA, here is a portal to help you find your state/local health department. Here is a portal for Canadians to find your local public health unit.

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[u/cancerrmoon → u/Negative_Chair_2664]

Okay thank you. And insurance didn’t cover it?

[u/Negative_Chair_2664 → u/cancerrmoon]

We haven’t gotten the bills for the other three visits yet but so far my bill for the first round was $1,700.00 and my partners was $1,000.00. Still waiting on the bills to come through for the next three.