• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Mom shares shocking ER bill for child who never made it past the waiting room

Home> News> US News

Published 10:00 28 Nov 2024 GMT

Mom shares shocking ER bill for child who never made it past the waiting room

The toddler was taken to Carle Health Methodist Hospital in December 2023

Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton

A mom was hit with a huge ER bill, despite her daughter not making it past the waiting room.

In December 2023, Maggi Wettstein's daughter Ryan woke up crying.

Ryan, who was three years old at the time, was said to be inconsolable, and her mom feared she had a yeast infection or a UTI, so she took her to Carle Health Methodist Hospital at around 10:30pm.

An Illinois mother took her daughter to the ER in December 2023 (Getty Stock)
An Illinois mother took her daughter to the ER in December 2023 (Getty Stock)

Advert

The ER wasn't very busy when they arrived, and Ryan was checked in.

Explaining the toddler's symptoms, Ryan was sent to triage and given a nasal swab test to check for COVID-19.

As time went on while Maggi and Ryan were in the waiting room, Maggi noticed her daughter had seemingly perked up a bit and had stopped crying.

Knowing it was late and Ryan had pre-school the next day, the mom decided to take Ryan home to bed.

Advert

According to Maggi, there was no one at the desk for them to check out upon leaving, so they just headed home.

The young girl had a nasal swab taken while she was there (Getty Stock)
The young girl had a nasal swab taken while she was there (Getty Stock)

Eight months on, the family had 'forgotten all about the ER trip' until they were met with a large medical bill from the hospital.

Despite Ryan simply having a nasal swab test, Maggi was charged an eye-watering $445, KFF Health News reports.

Advert

With an insurance discount, the bill came to just over $298, but Maggi still thought it was a particularly high price to pay as Ryan wasn't even seen by a doctor.

As well as this, Walgreens sells COVID and flu combination tests for as little as $30, so Maggi was left wondering what warranted such an expensive ER bill.

Maggi hailed the sum as 'mind-blowing' and called the hospital's billing department to query it.

While she hoped it was a mistake, the large amount has since been verified, and the mom has to pay it.

Advert

Maggi Wettstein - pictured - said the amount she was billed was 'mind-blowing' (FMG Law)
Maggi Wettstein - pictured - said the amount she was billed was 'mind-blowing' (FMG Law)

Speaking about the hefty bill Maggi was slapped with, Loren Adler, associate director of the Brookings Institution Center on Health Policy, said the hospital will have made a 'pretty healthy markup'.

She added that the hospital is 'utilizing their market power to make as much money as possible, and the insurance companies are not all that good at pushing back'.

When approached for comment by KFF Health News, a spokesperson for Carle Health said: "We follow policies that support the safety and wellbeing of our patients, which includes the initial triage of symptomatic patients to the Emergency Department."

Advert

UNILAD have also approached the company for comment.

Featured Image Credit: FMG Law/Family handout

Topics: Money, Health, News, US News, Parenting

Niamh Shackleton
Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton is an experienced journalist for UNILAD, specialising in topics including mental health and showbiz, as well as anything Henry Cavill and cat related. She has previously worked for OK! Magazine, Caters and Kennedy.

X

@niamhshackleton

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

3 hours ago
5 hours ago
  • 3 hours ago

    Cult classic film removed from Disney+ over controversial scene that had it banned from TV

    The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has long expressed its concerns about the scene in the 1989 movie

    Film & TV
  • 5 hours ago

    Vin Diesel hints Paul Walker could be in upcoming Fast and Furious movie and it's left fans very divided

    He's desperate to reunite Dom and Brian

    Film & TV
  • 5 hours ago

    Trump supporters are revealing the ‘red line’ that would make them stop supporting him and people say it’s ‘disturbing’

    President Trump's shocking approval ratings were recently released

    News
  • 5 hours ago

    Starbucks customer outraged after barista allegedly wrote 'illegal' joke on her cup

    "When I read it I’m like, OK. Was I supposed to laugh?"

    News
  • Woman reveals the shocking amount it costs to be emergency airlifted to the hospital
  • Couple made ‘devastating’ discovery about their daughter after taking at-home DNA tests
  • Man who spent $6,200,000 on ‘artwork’ of a banana taped to wall reveals what he’s going to do with it
  • Your $5 bill in your wallet could be worth thousands if it has these key details