At the moment I do have insurance. Before, I didn’t qualify for an insurance policy with government aid, and I’m self-employed. I went to the emergency room because three weeks after I was vaccinated for COVID, some masses developed in my left breast, and they were very painful.
There were no appointments available at the clinic that I was going to, and I was in a lot of pain. Plus, I have a history of lumps in my breasts and a history of cancer in my family, and I got scared. During my visit, they did an ultrasound and saw two masses, and they gave me a prescription for anti-inflammatories. They couldn’t schedule a follow-up because of my lack of insurance. They were the most expensive anti-inflammatories of my life.
They charged me $1500 for the ER visit, $450 for the ultrasound and another $400 for use of the laboratory. This really affected my finances, since it was during COVID, my husband had been laid off, and I couldn’t work because the pain was unbearable. I only finished paying in July of this year; they sent me to collection because they refused to set up a payment plan. This was in April of 2021.
