A mum was left with $50,000 in medical bills after her son was bit by a rabid bat during a cabin trip.
Katy Monson was horrified after she spotted two pierced marks on her five-year-old child’s ear.
The 38-year-old, alongside her husband David, rushed their son to hospital – with doctors confirming he had been bitten by a bat.
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The clinical laboratory scientist insisted they start treatment immediately on her boy, Calvin.
“I was horrified,” Katy, from Utah told Need To Know.
“I understand rabies is almost 100% fatal once symptoms appear.
“Without treatment, I would have worried about every fever or headache for years because rabies can have a delayed incubation period.
“We were billed just over $51,000 and paid our $13,000 out of pocket maximum, well beyond our $2,000 deductible.
“I appreciated that public health officials took it seriously, but the urgency combined with the lack of financial support was overwhelming.
“We were in constant communication with them until the vaccine series was complete.”
The mother-of-four was left shocked by the huge medical bills her family were forced to pay for lifesaving care.
She took to social media to share the shocking story, with the clip racking up a whopping 40,300 likes.
The treatment included a series of vaccines over a two-week period.
Katy said: “Looking back, I feel a mixture of disbelief and perspective.
“I fully support aggressive rabies prevention because it saves lives.
“What shocked me most was seeing a $50,000 bill for preventive, lifesaving care and realizing how much of that burden falls on families.”
Members of the public were left astonished by her bills.
One person said: “But this is a public health issue. The government should pay for things like this. The population pays enough taxes to cover for this.”
One other person said: “That is absolutely insane.”
One person added: “Only in the USA. This is what Americans voted for.”
Another person added: “Why the hell aren’t rabies shots covered?”
Another person said: “It’s disgusting that the US government doesn’t cover the cost of rabies shots.”
The mum’s post went viral last month on 7 January.
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