Snake Bites and Hospital Bills in New Port Richey, Florida

Getting bitten by a snake is painful enough. Receiving a hospital bill of $164,000 can be excruciating. My Pilates instructor, Sandy, shared her snakebite/hospital bill experience with me recently.

There are 50 species of snakes found in Florida. Six species are dangerous to humans. One of these is the pygmy rattlesnake. The pygmy rattler is small, but thick, measuring between 12 and 24 inches. Its bite is not life-threatening but very painful and can result in the loss of a digit.

Sandy lives in New Port Richey which is a small city on the west coast of Florida in the Tampa Bay area. One Sunday afternoon, Sandy went out to her garden to check on her tomato plants. Reaching down to pick off some dead blossoms, she experienced some pain in her thumb. At first Sandy thought she had touched a thorn from a rose branch; but suddenly her thumb felt like it was on fire. Looking closer, Sandy discovered a pygmy rattlesnake underneath her tomato plant. She rushed into her house called 911 and was told what to do until the paramedics arrived.

After determining that the hospital had anti-venom, Sandy was taken to Community Hospital in New Port Richey. She was treated with 8 vials of anti-venom and had to spend two nights in the hospital. Sandy is a self-employed Pilates instructor, lifestyle coach and personal trainer. She does not have health insurance. A week after her hospital stay Sandy received a hospital bill for $163,462.33. In shock, she thought there must be some mistake and phoned the hospital. There was no mistake.

Sandy asked why they didn't send an itemized bill and was told they didn't do that unless specifically requested to do so by the patient. She requested one and the greatest charge on the bill was for anti-venom at $9025 a vial; Sandy needed eight vials. According to the Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins Including Tropical Diseases, a website, costs for anti- venom can vary from $2.40 to $25 for a 10 ML vial. Pharmacy was the largest item on Sandy's bill at $135,714.27. The next largest item was a laboratory fee for $19,705.75.

Sandy spoke with a patient advocate who advised her not to pay the bill but instead call a health insurance provider. Ask what they would pay the hospital for her two day stay, deduct 10% and pay that. After a few days of worry, Sandy received a new bill from the hospital. The bill had been reduced over $104,000. Sandy now owes $58,846.44. In Sandy's words, "Still a huge amount but not as scary as the first." The only explanation on the reduced bill for the lower amount was "uninsured discount bill."

You can see Sandy's injuries in the pictures I've included. Fortunately she did not lose any digits and her thumb and arm are healing nicely. I learned some things from Sandy's experience most importantly to wear heavy shoes and gloves out in my gardens.

Sources: 1. http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1678-91992006000300012&script=sci_arttext

1. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/herpetology/fl-guide/venomsnk.htm