Getting bitten by a bat in your own home sounds like the start of a horror movie. TikToker Olivia (@theoliviabarbulescu) is sharing a story about her friend, the victim of a bat bite and thousands of dollars in medical bills. The real horror here is the American healthcare system.
Her friend was just hanging out at her home in Virginia when she suddenly felt something bite her. The culprit was a bat, so she immediately headed to the emergency room.
She was told that she needed to get the rabies vaccine, but the vaccine was not covered by insurance, so it would cost her $7,000.
The hospital asked Olivia’s friend if she had the bat so they could test it for rabies. Of course, she did not have the bat with her. She later called animal control, and they ended up finding a colony of 60 bats living in her attic.
“Apparently, it’s hard to find a really good cave these days, but she’s like, at least we can get rid of these bats now, right? Wrong. Turns out these bats are endangered, and it’s mating season,” said Olivia.
Animal control said they could remove the bats after mating season. They would need to do an ethical removal, which costs $2,000. Olivia’s friend had to get the rabies vaccine while waiting for the bats to hurry up and finish mating.
“And then, on top of that, they decide that her mom and her sister, because they’ve lived in this house, have to also get the vaccine,” Olivia said.
“So now, it’s not just $7k, it’s 14 and 21k plus $2k ethical removal. So, it’s a $23k bill so that these bats can have a good time in the attic.”
The whole situation has made Olivia wonder why the state of Virginia seems to care more about bats than people. In the comments section, many TikTok users were shocked by how much the rabies vaccine costs in the United States, as it is much more affordable in nearly every other part of the world.
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“Isn’t the US a world superpower? I’m from a third-world country, and when I got bitten by a rabid dog a year ago, I got the vaccine for free. Does your government hate ya’ll?” questioned one user.
“The problem is not at all that there are laws to protect the animals. Those laws make sense. The problem is the private anti-healthcare system of the USA. The problem is that the bats lost their habitat because humans destroyed it, so they had to hide in that attic, which in turn created the opportunity for your friend to be bitten,” pointed out another.
“Take a trip to any Caribbean country. You get a vacation and the vaccine for way less than $7k,” added someone else.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
