US Patient Was Charged A Whopping Rs 26,6 Lakh For Coronavirus Treatment, Here Is Full Story

Bhavna Acharya|Mar 24, 2020

After taking the coronavirus test and getting treated, Danni Askini - a woman living in the US says that she received the bills in a total of $34,927.43 (Rs 26,6 lakh), according to Time magazine.

When first presenting COVID-19-like symptoms, including migraines, a cough, fever and breathing shortness, Danni Askini,  a woman living in the US consulted a doctor, who later on told her to go the emergency room. She was diagnosed with pneumonia and could come back home. However, the symptoms got worse and she had to come back to the emergency room twice more before eventually getting the test. She received the testing virus in three-day time and it was positive. She admitted hospital for coronavirus treatment.

A woman admits hospital after testing positive to coronavirus

Coronavirus treatment can make anyone bankrupt

After treatment, Danni received the bills in a total of nearly $35,000 (Rs 26,6 lakh). Getting the unexpected bills left her open-mouthed. “I was pretty sticker-shocked,” Danni said. She recalled not knowing anyone that can help her with such a large amount of money. This all happened while there was no insurance to cover her medical bills and before congressional measures for free diagnostic testing being signed by the President. Those things combined can properly explain the high cost.

Danni was in the middle of careers and preparation to take a new position in DC until the coronavirus came and messed her life up. After the bills, Danni bent over backward applying for Medicaid hoping for a retroactive effect on covering her medical expenses. Despite the negative result for COVID-19, she remains quarantined and takes precautions for the sake of her recovery. 

Danni Askini lately posted a tweet to express her irritation and blame local health care agencies for making it too difficult for people to get the coronavirus test. She said it was utterly uneasy for her to get tested although previous tests for other illnesses like flu and strep throat all said negative. 

Her bills story became a hot topic as a study conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation estimated the COVID-19 treatment would approximately cost an insured person with no health complications $9,763 (Rs 7,4 lakh) in total and around $20,000 (Rs 15,2 lakh) for a person with health complications. Meanwhile, the coronavirus test itself costs up to $907 (Rs 0,6 lakh). The study calculated roughly the medical expense of an insured person varies depending on different plans, it could exceed $1,300 (Rs 0.9 lakh). 

Also read: Ways Indian People Upset The Government In Attempt To Curb Coronavirus Spread

In the US, the coronavirus test itself costs up to $907 (Rs 0,6 lakh)

Coronavirus is hitting the US hard

As the 2020 presidential election is just around the corner, Health care has become the heart of the debate. It even gets more controversial since the majority of Americans start to worry about the cost of coronavirus treatment, especially when scientists anticipate that a large number of people would get affected by the coronavirus.  

On Thursday, Gavin Newsom - California governor gave his prediction saying that 56 percent of his state would be likely to contract the virus. This can become a fact in the next eight weeks unless the state makes any efforts to prevent the virus spread.    

The US government has declared the state of emergency and urged people to prepare for the spread of coronavirus

Across the nation, many people have already been facing unemployment and uninsurance resulted from business closure. 90% of the members from a major union representing hospitality workers are likely to lose their jobs, according to their union’s prediction.

A recession could become the future for the United States economy, as predicted by the Trump administration as well as Economists. However, legislators are striving to get a stimulus package passed in order to save the economy from the coronavirus fallout. 

Save your money by preventing coronavirus with 7 easy steps from WHO:

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