Brigland Pfeffer, a two-year-old from San Diego, was bit by a rattlesnake in his backyard. Brigland had become startled by something while hanging out near a stone fire pit when his mom, Lindsay, noticed some blood between his thumb and forefinger. And then Brigland shouted “Snake!”
Lindsay took a look at the fire pit and there it was—a coiled rattlesnake. She called 911 and an ambulance dropped them off at Palomar Medical Center Escondido. Brigland immediately received medical attention, which included an antivenom treatment. He would go on to make a near-full recovery, but more on that later.
The Pfeffer family then found out just how awful the American healthcare system can be when they were slapped with a $297,461 bill, with the antivenom accounting for $213,278.80.
So that raises the question of whether antivenom is actually worth $213,000. The answer is a resounding Fuck No. The manufacturing cost of antivenom is around $14 per vial. Sure, it can get a little pricey since snakebite treatment often requires multiple doses of antivenom – anywhere between 5 to 20 doses, depending on the severity – but $200,000 is absurd. And yet that’s the reality when you have the audacity to not want to die from a snakebite.
Hospitals often charge exorbitant prices for antivenom, with those prices being inconsistent between one hospital and another. For instance, one hospital the Pfeffers visited included charges of $9,574 per vial for 10 vials while it was $5,876 per vial for 20 vials at a different hospital.
Hospitals mark up the cost by as much as 70 percent. Why? So they can generate more revenue.
The situation is compounded by the opaque and inconsistent pricing across hospitals. Medicare typically pays around $2,000 per vial, a far cry from the fees charged to private patients. Although Brigland’s insurer successfully negotiated down the total bill, the Pfeffers still faced a significant financial burden, with out-of-pocket costs totaling $7,200. They also received a bill for an additional $11,300, further exacerbating their financial strain.
As for her son, Brigland, he’s mostly recovered from the snakebite. But he now has such severe nerve damage issues in his right thumb that he’s fully switched over to being left-handed.
This case underscores the complexities and frustrations of the U.S. healthcare system, where inflated prices, hospital markups, and a lack of transparency leave patients with crippling financial obligations, even after receiving critical care.
The Pfeffers’ experience is a stark reminder of how medical bills, particularly for life-saving treatments, can become a heavy burden on families, despite insurance coverage and the availability of relatively inexpensive medications.
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