Hello,
My name is Philip Ahn and I’m a resident of Pittsburgh, PA, and recently ran into a huge medical bill trouble from a short Emergency Room visit at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Presbyterian Shadyside Hospital.
I’ve heard of things like this happening to people before, but never imagined it would happen to me until it did. I had no idea that a short 4 hours in the ER with an IV hooked to my arm and some drugs given to me would cost me more than $10,000.
A while back, on June 22nd, 2024, I lost my job as a customer service supervisor at a private duty nursing agency. Luckily, when I contacted my previous employer, who is an employment agency, they wanted to rehire me and offered me a job. I had a gap of less than two weeks during which I went uninsured between jobs; it was such a short time, and having had a job offer and start date lined up so fast and knowing my new health benefits would kick in on Day 1, it didn’t make sense for me to get COBRA at the time.
On Saturday, June 6th, 2024, just 2 days before starting my new job, I fell gravely ill from an undiagnosed infection from perhaps a bacteria or virus. I was first lethargic and lost my appetite, then headaches and vomiting, followed by involuntary bowel movements and chronic nausea, and the uncontrollable shakes and involuntary convulsions. By 1 am, I had lost so much fluid that I was crawling on my 4’s and couldn’t hold down even water that I desperately called and woke up my friend who lives 30 minutes away to come pick me up and drive me to the ER.
I don’t go to Emergency Rooms ever. I’ve avoided them like doomsday since I was a child, but that day, it was like life or death to me, especially as I was completely alone at home and was on the verge of passing out.
It was around 2:30 when I was admitted to a room in the ER. They took my vitals, ran bloodwork, hooked me up to an IV, and told me to rest. I remember the male nurse who took charge yet was so kind and empathetic. I was very thankful for the positive experience and was discharged around 6:30 am when I began to feel much better, especially after getting rehydrated through the IV.
I thought it was a great experience getting care at the ER. But unfortunately, as I was uninsured at the time, it came at a TREMENDOUS cost.
The bill I received for the 4-hour visit was for $10,224.25, an amount I had never expected and so financially devastating for me. I am currently attempting to negotiate with UPMC to talk it down as I simply cannot afford to pay that amount as it is more than 30% of my annual income after taxes, but given the extremely bureaucratic and convoluted nature of the healthcare system in the US, I find it very challenging to even talk to the right people at UPMC and I am not even sure if I would qualify for financial assistance. It’s so heartbreaking thinking about how darker my future feels after this.
Any sort of help would mean so much to me! I’m still paying off my student loans, car payments, and rent, and I have never even seen $10,000 in a single bank account before, so I have no idea what to do
