Help Erica Kahn with Medical Bills After Rabies Exposure

Hello! My name is Erica Kahn and I live in Massachusetts. I currently work as a biomedical engineer, but last summer I lost my job. I assumed I would find a new job in a few months and chose not to continue my costly health insurance plan through COBRA. Since I was fun-employed, I traveled to Horseshoe Bend in Arizona where my dad and I took some long exposure photos of the beautiful landscape at night. I noticed some bats flying around when suddenly one got stuck between my face and my camera. As I was screaming, part of the bat unfortunately went in my mouth (fun fact, they taste earthy and a little sweet!). My dad, a doctor, recommended I go to the ER to receive rabies shots due to my high-risk exposure. I desperately tried to sign up for health insurance before the ER visit, but Innovative Partners ended up denying my claims. After receiving three IgG shots and four rabies vaccine doses at four hospital visits, my medical bills totaled $20,749.29. My story was covered by KFF Health News and the Washington Post.

Anything you can provide would be appreciated! I plan to donate half of the proceeds from this fundraiser to UNICEF to help provide health care to families in need. I wish our health care system wasn't so broken in the United States. I believe life-saving medical care is a fundamental human right and it's depressing that Americans can only turn to GoFundMe instead of a federally protected safety net. I made a mistake by choosing not to pay for COBRA, but the cost of these seven shots is pretty extreme. Also, I still believe that bats are an important part of our ecosystem and I feel no ill will toward them! Protect the bats!

As Michael Scott said in the Office, "myth: three Americans every year die from rabies. Fact: *four* Americans every year die from rabies.