Woman hit with $20,000 medical bill after wild bat flies into her mouth on vacation

A Massachusetts woman’s vacation ended up costing her $20,000 after a wild bat flew into her mouth. 33-year-old Erica Kahn was on vacation at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona when the winged mammal flew into her mouth. The former biomedical engineer is finally rabies-free after a long treatment and has been stuck with $20,000 in medical bills.

Kahn had noticed multiple bats flying while she took pictures of the night sky, but ignored them. However, one of them got too close to her and got trapped between her camera and face. As she screamed in terror, the mammal’s body ended up in her mouth for a few seconds.

Her father, a doctor, who was with her on the trip, immediately took her to get rabies treatment even though she did not believe she was bitten.

Recently laid off and with no medical insurance, Kahn rushed to purchase a medical insurance plan before going to the hospital. She believed that it would cover her two-week course of rabies shots across different states.

However, when the bill came due, she was shocked to discover that she owed $20,749 to four medical institutions for treatment, including doses of the rabies vaccines.

That is when she realised that the insurance plan required a 30-day waiting period before coverage would start. Though she’s since gotten a new job and health insurance, she’s still appealing the medical charges.

Each year, about 4,000 rabies cases in animals are reported in the US, mostly in skunks, raccoons, foxes, and bats. Bats make up the largest share at 33%. Fewer than 10 people die from rabies annually.