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Shenita Russie was hit with ridiculously expensive medical care costs after fighting a one-month-long battle with COVID-19. The mobile respiratory therapist was put into a medically induced coma during her tough hospital stay, but Russie was not expecting to be slammed with nearly $1 million in medical costs upon her successful treatment.
The 42-year-old’s workers’ compensation should have covered the hefty expenses but Russie said she was initially billed by The University of Arkansas For Medical Sciences and Baptist Health. Creditors have threatened to send her bills to collections which could cause a slew of financial problems.
“The bills? They were incredible. I mean it was close to a million dollars for how sick I was on life support,” she said during an interview with THV11.
Most of the fees are associated with aftercare costs. Russie shared that one of her bills totaled to $4200 for treatment at Baptist Health.
The struggling healthcare worker is on the road to recovering from COVID-19’s long-lasting complications. Russie says she still experiences trouble breathing and is currently learning how to walk again.
Dr. Steppe Mette, who is the CEO at UAMS told THV11 that the average cost to treat an individual with COVID-19 at their facility can total up to $25,000.
“For somebody who’s on a ventilator in an ICU for a month, it’s going to be a lot higher than that. Probably close to $100,000,” he said.
Mette explained that COVID-19 patients are unfortunately left to battle against their insurance company’s for the hefty fees associated with treatment and in cases like Russie, most are hit with the sad reality that they must bear the total cost.
Have you experienced hefty medical bills in the past? What did you do to rectify the situation?
