Overview

• The freak encounter occurred last August when Erica Kahn was photographing the sky in Arizona and a bat momentarily trapped between her camera and head ended up in her mouth.
• After losing her previous coverage, Kahn bought a new insurance policy the next day but had $20,749 in rabies shot expenses denied under its 30-day waiting period.
• Acting on her doctor father's advice, she completed a series of post-exposure rabies vaccinations at four centers across Arizona, Massachusetts and Colorado.
• Kahn has since secured a new job, negotiated down one of her treatment invoices and established a payment plan for another.
• She is now appealing her insurer’s decision and her case highlights the risks of waiting periods for urgent medical care under new health plans.