Overview

• Last August, Erica Kahn endured a freak encounter when a bat flew into her mouth while she was photographing the night sky in Arizona.
• Uninsured at the time, she bought a private policy the day after the incident and then sought preventive rabies vaccinations in Arizona, Massachusetts and Colorado.
• Her insurer refused to cover the roughly $20,749 billed by four treatment centers, citing a mandatory 30-day waiting period before benefits take effect.
• Kahn has since secured new employment and health coverage, negotiated one outstanding bill, set up a payment plan for another and is actively appealing the remaining denials.
• Health-policy experts note that waiting periods are standard to deter last-minute sign-ups but can leave patients facing steep out-of-pocket costs for urgent preventive care.