Mom’s shock at huge ER bill for toddler who never made it past the waiting room

An Illinois mother was hit with a hefty $445 hospital bill for her toddler, who never made it past the waiting room of the local emergency room.

Maggi Wettstein was forced to rush her daughter Ryan Wettstein Nauman, 3, to Carle Health Methodist Hospital on December 19 around 10:30 p.m. due to fears of an infection after crying for hours.

Upon arrival, the panicked mother noticed that the emergency room was mostly empty and quickly had the child checked in.

Medical records show that Maggi explained Ryan’s symptoms, which included an intermittent fever at the time, to hospital staff.

The toddler was examined and given a nasal swab to check for Covid-19 and influenza A and B, it said KFF Health News.

The mother and daughter then sat in the hallway and waited for hours to be called upon.

At some point, Maggi realized that the toddler had stopped crying and seemed to be happily enjoying himself in the room’s play area.

More at ease, Maggi decided to take her daughter home and monitor her symptoms, which would have the benefit of avoiding a lengthy emergency room bill.

Maggi says there was no staff member at the check-in desk to inform them they were leaving.

But in October 2024, Maggi was shocked when he received a bill for a whopping $445 for the hospital’s combined Covid-19 and flu test.

After insurance coverage, the bill dropped to $298.15, but the price seemed remarkably high considering they didn’t see a doctor at any point during their short visit.

Maggi, who could not remember if Ryan had been tested, quickly asked for her child’s details and discovered that she had tested negative for all infections.

She said: ‘The fact that I have never seen a provider and the fact that it was only for a Covid-19 test is baffling to me.’

On the other hand, a Covid-19 test at home and/or influenza A/B rapid test can be used Wal vegetables costs somewhere between $25 and $30.

This also includes a Flowflex Plus Covid-19 and Flu A/B CVS home test costs $12.99.

Soon, Maggi contacted the hospital’s billing department to confirm the amount and spoke with a hospital representative, who was as shocked as she was after hearing the story.

“Don’t pay this until you hear from me,” Maggi recalled being told.

In October 2024, the hospital’s mother received a bill for $445 for the combined Covid-19 and flu test

After insurance coverage, the bill dropped to $298.15. At no point during their short visit did they see a doctor

But shortly afterwards she received a letter from the hospital stating that the allegations were correct and supported by documentation.

Although Maggi had assumed she wanted to avoid major costs by taking Ryan home unseen, she instead received a bill “which they verified I had to pay.”

“Like I said, it’s mind-boggling to me. I’m not going to make a habit of going to the emergency room,” she further told KFF.

Loren Adler, a fellow and associate director of the Brookings Institution Center on Health Policy, told the paper KFF Health News: ‘That’s a pretty healthy profit margin for the hospital.

‘[The hospital] uses their market power to make as much money as possible and the insurance companies aren’t very good at cutting it back.’

Brittany Simon, public relations manager for Carle Health Methodist Hospital, told the outlet in a statement, “We follow policies that support the safety and well-being of our patients, including the initial triage of symptomatic patients to the emergency department.”

The couple arrived at Carle Health Methodist Hospital (pictured) where her young daughter was given a nasal swab to check for Covid-19 and influenza A and B.

This comes amid concerns about a health care trend that is causing a tenfold increase in some patients’ medical bills.

Danielle Ofri, a family physician at Bellevue Hospital in New York, took her daughter to what she thought was an urgent care center in Chicago, hoping to get a quick X-ray after a bicycle accident.

Weeks later, she received a bill for $1,168 and discovered the clinic was owned by a hospital that paid hundreds of dollars in “facility fees.”

“It turned out that I had ended up in a lucrative corner of health care, the hospital outpatient clinics, or HOPDs,” she told the newspaper. NY times.

‘Because these facilities don’t necessarily look like hospitals, patients can easily be misled and face major financial surprises.

The hospital-owned clinics perform the same routine procedures as independent clinics, but are allowed to charge higher prices.

The average cost for a colonoscopy is $1,383 at a HOPD, compared to $625 at a doctor’s office, according to a National Institute for Health Care Reform study.