A Massachusetts woman is facing more than $21,000 in medical bills after a bat flew into her mouth during a vacation in Northern Arizona, prompting an emergency rabies treatment regimen.
Why It Matters
The case highlights the serious and costly health risks that can arise from unexpected wildlife encounters while traveling, particularly in regions where rabies is endemic. It also underscores the potential financial burden on travelers who lack sufficient insurance coverage for medical emergencies overseas.
What To Know
In August last year, now-33-year-old Erica Kahn was photographing the sky in Arizona when a bat got trapped between her head and camera and partially flew into her mouth as she screamed, she told KFF Health News. Though she doesn’t believe she was bitten, her father—a doctor—urged her to begin rabies treatment immediately. While there are highly effective drugs for rabies, it can be fatal if not treated before symptoms are felt.
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Kahn, recently unemployed after leaving her job in biomedical engineering, had declined COBRA coverage at $650 per month, thinking she could take the risk as a healthy woman in her early 30s.
The day after the incident, Kahn went online and bought a private policy before heading to hospitals in Arizona, Colorado, and Massachusetts for rabies vaccinations. She believed she was covered, especially since she says she confirmed with the insurer by phone that emergency services would be included. But the bills started pouring in—totaling $20,749—because the plan had a 30-day waiting period.
“I felt so powerless against these companies,” Kahn told NBC News. “It should be a human right to have lifesaving care covered. In most other countries, like in Europe, you just go to the hospital, you get your rabies vaccines, and you pay nothing.”
The insurance company cited the waiting period in its denial: “The required waiting period for this service has not been met,” the company said.
“I thought it must have been a mistake. I guess I was naive,” Kahn told KFF.
Health policy expert Sabrina Corlette, co-director of Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms, told KFF that most private plans don’t activate immediately. Corlette said: “The insurance companies—for good reason—don’t want people to wait to sign up for coverage until they are sick.”
Since then, Kahn has started a new job, negotiated down one bill, set up a payment plan for another, and is appealing the rest. She said she regrets letting her health insurance lapse after losing her job. “That’s a very big lesson I learned the hard way,” she told KFF.
In an interview with NBC, Kahn added: “I should have done COBRA, even though it was very expensive. But, yeah, hindsight is 20/20.”
Still, Kahn maintains a sense of humor about the bizarre encounter: “I know what bats taste like now. It’s an earthy, sweet kind of flavor,” she said. “It’s actually a pretty funny story—if it weren’t for the horrible medical bill that came with it.”
What Happens Next
Kahn told NBC that her medical bills will probably lead to fewer vacations and a delay in having central air conditioning installed at her home. However, she added that she hopes others can learn from her misstep.
“It was my fault. I took the risk of not doing COBRA, and that’s forever on me,” Kahn said. “But, if one person gets covered because they saw this story, then I would be happy about that.”