COVID-19 Treatment Bill of 1.5 Billion Won... The Tragic Story of a 50-Year-Old American Woman

COVID-19 Patient Admitted to ICU in a U.S. Hospital
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Jumi Lee] A story about a patient in the United States who contracted COVID-19 and was billed treatment costs amounting to 150 million won has been reported by local media.

On the 8th (local time), the Los Angeles Times introduced the story of 51-year-old Patricia Mason, who was billed $1,339,000 (approximately 149,949,900 won) for treatment.

Last March, Mason visited the hospital with symptoms of fever and cough, and her condition worsened, leading to her transfer to a large intensive care unit.

After about a month of treatment, the medical bill Mason received included $479,000 for coronary treatment room hospitalization, $470,950 for medication, $166,000 for ventilator treatment, and other charges, totaling well over $1.3 million.

Mason, whose husband had workplace insurance, had heard that insurance companies waived out-of-pocket expenses for COVID-19 treatment, so she thought the actual treatment cost would not be high.

However, in July last year, Mason received a warning letter from a medical debt collection agency. It stated that she was billed $42,000 (about 46.89 million won) in out-of-pocket expenses and that the payment deadline had passed.

The workplace insurance her husband had was not designed to cover the full exemption for COVID-19 treatment costs, and because the treatment costs were so high, the out-of-pocket expenses also increased.

In an interview with the media, Mason said, "I was lucky to survive after contracting COVID-19, but the reality is that I have no money to pay the medical bills," adding, "I do not have $42,000 as spare money."

The media reported, "The chances of the Mason couple repaying the COVID-19 treatment costs are zero," and added, "COVID-19 not only attacks patients but can also drain their bank accounts."