Texas man worried about his young son, got son Measles shot. Cost $1,400.

[IrishBubbaLiberal]

WPost

Due to the ongoing U.S. measles outbreak, a Texas man worried that his young son was at risk and took him to get vaccinated.

The cost of the shot? $1,400.

Due to the ongoing U.S. measles outbreak, a Texas man worried that his young son was at risk and took him to get vaccinated.

The cost of the shot? ,400.

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) 2025-06-30T21:32:43.398Z

Are you great yet America?

— Moon with a view 🍁 (@moonwithaview.bsky.social) 2025-07-01T20:32:14.197Z

[WhiteTara]

1. we're number one

in all the wrong things

[Ilsa]

2. The county health department doesn't offer

the vaccine for $25? $50?
Where did he take his son for an MMR, and did that include the boosters?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. It's in the article.

https://archive.ph/noB9w

So, in mid-March, he took his family to a primary care clinic at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

By the end of the visit, his son, Anh Hoang, had received one shot protecting against four illnesses — measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox. He also received a second shot against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough, as well as a flu shot. His twin daughters, who had already had their measles vaccinations, got other immunizations.

Nguyen, who is a UTMB postdoctoral fellow in public health and infectious disease, said he asked clinic staff whether his family’s insurance would cover the checkups and immunizations. He said he was assured that it would.

Then the bills came.

The article goes on to say that their insurance does not cover vaccinations. Most plans are required to under the ACA's rules about preventive care, but this family is here on a student visa and do not have to have ACA-compliant insurance.

[Ilsa]

4. I tried reading the article, but

the paywall went up. I don't understand why their immunizations were denied payment by insurance.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

5. I provided a free link. Their insurance didn't cover immunizations.

[Ilsa]

7. Thank you. I missed the free link. It didn't appear to be

related to the article, so I didn't click on it.

[cadoman]

6. our medical billing system is fucking idiotic -- THANKS KRASNOV!!!

"In mid-May, UTMB sent Nguyen a revised bill for his son’s office visit. It applied a 50 percent self-pay discount, which its website says is offered to those who are uninsured. His revised total was $1,266, $711 of which was for the MMRV vaccination."

"“I expected them to waive the vaccination cost for my children or at least reduce it more, especially for MMRV vaccine,” said Nguyen, noting that his family would still be strapped trying to pay their bills."

"After Pickering spoke with KFF Health News, a customer service representative contacted Nguyen, waiving the cost of the vaccines. His new bill was $202.75 for his son’s office visit, as well as similarly smaller amounts for his daughters’ medical care."

So here we have a price range from $203 to $1266 to $2,532 based on nothing more than what type of insurance you have and how much media attention you can draw to your fucking bill?

How the fuck is anyone supposed to plan anything or get care when the pricing ranges from overpriced to indentured servitude, even with insurance??

At a certain point I wonder if it's just going to start making sense for groups of people to get together and create their own hospitals, manufacture their own vaccines, etc. rather than paying into this system. Shouldn't $10k buy some equipment that puts the average person on par with early vaccine manufacturing technology? Where is the 3D printing for drug manufacturing?

[area51]

8. The US will do *anything* other than switch to universal healthcare.

[hadEnuf]

9. The GOP cares nothing about kids getting sick

and dying from preventable illnesses. They will simply make up absurd excuses for it. Then the excuses will go away soon.

I don't know how much more obvious it has to be.

[Ruby the Liberal]

10. Can't wait for Dr Oz to flip Medicare to UnitedHealth Advantage

Preapproval hell followed by denial, denial, denial.

Give them an inch and its Make America Dead Already