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NZ Herald
4 hours ago
- Health
- NZ Herald
Wild bat encounter leaves woman with $35K medical bill after insurance missteps
She screamed, and part of the bat went into her mouth. She doesn't know which part or for how long, though she estimates it was for only a few seconds. 'It seemed longer,' she said. The bat flew away, leaving Kahn shaken. She didn't think the animal had bitten her. Regardless, her father, who is a physician and was travelling with her, said she should go to a hospital within a day or so and begin vaccinations against rabies. Figuring she would be covered as long as she obtained insurance before going to the hospital, Kahn said, she found a policy online the day after the bat incident. She said she called the company before she bought its policy and was told that services related to an accident or 'life-threatening' emergency would be covered. Kahn went the next day to a hospital in Flagstaff, Arizona, where she started rabies prevention treatment. Over the next two weeks, she received the rest of the rabies shots at clinics in Arizona and Massachusetts and at a hospital in Colorado. Then the bills came. The medical procedure Kahn received a total of four doses of the rabies vaccine. The doses are administered over the course of 14 days. With her first vaccination, she received three shots of immunoglobulin, which boosts antibodies against the virus. Rabies is typically transmitted through bites or scratches from an infected animal. Experts recommend precautionary measures when a person has been potentially exposed to rabies, because once the neurological disease causes symptoms, it is fatal. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says post-exposure rabies treatment has reduced the number of human fatalities to fewer than 10 per year in the US. The final bill According to explanation-of-benefits statements, Kahn owed a total of US$20,749 ($35,216) for her care at the four facilities. Most of the charges were from the hospital where she was first treated, Flagstaff Medical Centre: $17,079, including $15,242 for the rabies and immunoglobulin shots. Flagstaff Medical Centre where Kahn's insurance policy didn't cover the costs due to a waiting period not being met. The billing problem Kahn's policy did not pay for any of the services. 'The required waiting period for this service has not been met,' said an explanation-of-benefits letter she received in December. Kahn was stunned. 'I thought it must have been a mistake,' she said. 'I guess I was naive.' When Kahn was laid off from her job as a biomedical engineer last summer, she had the option to temporarily stay on her former employer's insurance under a Cobra plan, at a cost of about US$650 per month. As a young, healthy person, she gambled that she could get by without insurance until she found another job. She figured that if she needed medical care, she could quickly buy a private policy. According to the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services, those who qualify for Cobra must be given at least 60 days to sign up – and if they do, the coverage applies retroactively. Kahn, who was still within that period at the time of the incident, said recently that she did not realise she had that option. The policy she purchased after the bat episode, which cost about US$311 a month, was from a Florida company called Innovative Partners LP. Documents Kahn provided to KFF Health News say the policy has a 30-day waiting period, which 'does not apply to benefits regarding an accident or loss of life'. Kahn said that after receiving notice that her claims were denied, she called the company to ask how she could appeal and was told that a doctor would have to file paperwork. She said she wrote a letter that was signed by a doctor at Flagstaff Medical Centre and submitted it in March but was unable to reach doctors at the other facilities. Kahn said she was given conflicting answers about where to send the paperwork. She said a representative with the company recently told her that it had not received any appeals from her. Benefits statements Kahn received in early July show Innovative Partners LP had not paid the claims. The company did not respond to requests for comment. Sabrina Corlette, co-director of the Centre on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University, said most health coverage plans take effect on the first day of the month after a customer enrols. 'The insurance companies – for good reason – don't want people to wait to sign up for coverage until they are sick,' she said, noting the premiums healthy people pay help balance the costs of paying for healthcare. The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes or heart issues. But that doesn't mean they have to pay for treatment of an injury sustained shortly before a person enrols in coverage, she said. Corlette, who reviewed a brief benefits overview provided by Kahn, said the policy appears to have been a limited, 'fixed indemnity' plan, which would pay only set amounts towards treatments per day or another period regardless of total expenses incurred. Such plans have been around for decades and aren't required to meet ACA standards, she said. But she said even if Kahn had bought comprehensive health insurance, it probably wouldn't have covered treatment received so soon after she had purchased it. David Shlim, a travel medicine specialist in Wyoming who studies rabies, said Kahn made the right choice by promptly seeking treatment, even though she didn't feel the bat bite her. The disease is deadly, and the fact that the bat went into her mouth meant she could have been infected from its saliva, he said: 'You could hardly have a more direct exposure than that.' Shlim, who recently co-wrote a federal advisory about rabies prevention, added that healthy bats don't normally fly into people, as the one in this case did. The animal's entanglement with Kahn suggests that it could have been sick, possibly with rabies, he said. Rabies prevention treatment is much more expensive in the US than in most other countries, Shlim said. The priciest part is immunoglobulin, which is made from the blood plasma of people who have been vaccinated against rabies. The treatment is often administered in hospital emergency rooms, which add their own steep charges, Shlim noted. Kahn's bat incident shines a spotlight on insurance pitfalls. The resolution Kahn said she is employed again and has good health insurance but is still facing most of the bills from her misadventure at Glen Canyon. She said she paid a doctor bill from Flagstaff Medical Centre after negotiating it down from US$706 to US$420. She said she has also arranged a US$10-a-month plan to pay off the US$530 she owes for one of her rabies shots at another facility. She said she plans to continue appealing the denials of payment for the rest of the bills, which total more than US$19,000. In a statement on behalf of the Flagstaff hospital – where Kahn incurred the highest charges – Lauren Silverstein, a spokesperson at Northern Arizona Healthcare, said that the health system does what it can to limit costs. 'We have less ability to control the prices of critical supplies that we use to treat patients, including pharmaceuticals, biologics, diagnostics, and medical devices made by other companies,' she said. Silverstein said the hospital needs to keep immunoglobulin on hand to prevent rabies, even though such cases are relatively rare and the drug is expensive. The takeaway Cobra insurance policies, named for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, enable many people who lose job-based coverage to pay to stay on those plans temporarily. There is a 60-day window to choose Cobra coverage, and once a beneficiary pays for it, the coverage applies retroactively – meaning that medical care is covered even if it occurred when the person was uninsured. Corlette said Kahn's predicament illustrates why people need to make sure they have health insurance. She said people who lose employer-based coverage should consider enrolling in individual insurance plans sold on federal or state marketplaces. Many people who buy such policies qualify for substantial ACA subsidies to help pay premiums and other costs. 'If you are losing your job, Cobra is not your only option,' Corlette said. Kahn wishes she had signed up for insurance coverage when she was laid off, even though she felt confident that she would find another job within a few months. 'That's a very big lesson I learned the hard way,' she said. Her wildlife encounter did not destroy her love of the outdoors. She even sees humour in it. 'I know what bats taste like now. It's an earthy, sweet kind of flavour,' she joked. 'It's actually a pretty funny story – if it weren't for the horrible medical bill that came with it.'
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bayern Munich have lost their appeal! Why Bundesliga champions missed out on Florian Wirtz to Liverpool explained by club legend Oliver Kahn
Wirtz signed for Liverpool for British transfer record fee Was heavily linked to Bayern as well Kahn explains why youngster chose a move to England Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 WHAT HAPPENED? Legendary former goalkeeper Kahn tried to explain why Bayern Munich were snubbed by Wirtz in favour of a move to Liverpool. The Bayer Leverkusen man was heavily linked with the Bavarians over the years, but ultimately decided to move to the Premier League for a British transfer record fee of £116 million (€135m/$157m). THE BIGGER PICTURE Wirtz's father, Hans-Joachim, explained that a call with Liverpool boss Arne Slot made all the difference, with the 22-year-old impressed with the Dutch manager's sporting vision. Moreover, Bayern sporting director Max Eberl conceded in June that they were not in a position to match the financial muscle of the Reds. It is understood that Liverpool's project and Bayern's comparatively weaker financial power led to the Bundesliga champions missing out on their most sought-after transfer target. WHAT OLIVER KAHN SAID Speaking to Sky Sport in Germany, Kahn said: "I don't know if you should break it down to the club issue. I think you should first break it down to the league issue. I don't know if that's a problem for FC Bayern or a problem for the Bundesliga itself. Because if I'm a player, the Premier League is the most attractive league. Sportingly, economically, and media-wise, too. It has completely different marketing opportunities, even globally. That's the first thing I would consider as a player. "And if you think about it, 'Okay, I'm going to FC Bayern and then becoming German champions for the 15th, 16th, 17th time, is that really so appealing to me?' Of course, winning the Champions League is always incredibly appealing. There are a lot of thoughts that a young player has. Then, of course, the team comes into play at some point. You think about which team, which system, which coach I'm a better fit for. I didn't think about it so much before. For me, there was only one club back then. That was Bayern Munich. "But you see how times change. I experienced it myself when I was in charge, always with the players, how much thought they put into any career move. It's almost nothing to do with gut feeling anymore. A huge number of things are analyzed, and then a decision is made. The final decision is still a bit of a gut feeling. But the amount of thought that goes into it is quite astonishing. "FC Bayern have won the German championship 12 times in 13 years. Is it really still a motivation to become German champions for the 13th or 14th time? But of course, there are many things, even if you talk about turnover. Many coaches have come and gone. With that, the philosophies and ideas have changed again and again. The squad. It always feels like a constant roster shake-up. "All of that naturally creates a kind of unrest. And I'm self-critical enough, don't get me wrong. During my time, this very issue of continuity in all areas, I would have liked to have done better. But that's something that many players then say, including coaches, by the way, I have to think about very carefully." WHAT NEXT FOR FLORIAN WIRTZ? The German international made his unofficial debut for his new team last weekend as Liverpool beat Stoke 5-0 in a pre-season outing. He is expected to be in the starting XI for the next summer friendly, which takes place on July 26 against AC Milan.
Qatar Tribune
20-07-2025
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Kahn back on German TV two years after Bayern sacking
dpa Berlin Oliver Kahn wiill return to German television in the coming season, two years after he was sacked as Bayern Munich chief executive. He will be a regular guest on a new Sky Germany show on Thursdays talking about various football topics. However, Sky told dpa on Sunday that he would not be a pundit on matchdays. He had previously been linked in the media with a boardroom job at Hertha Berlin and also failed in a bid to buy Girondins Bordeaux. 'Football is passion, football is emotion, but it is also a multi-billion-euro business,' Kahn said in a Sky statement. 'It is important to me to analyse and contextualize the key topics and current developments in national and international football.' After the former Germany and Bayern star retired as a goalkeeper in 2008, he became a pundit for Germany's ZDF TV until he took over the running of Bayern in 2021. The 56-year-old lasted only two years in the job after the bungled firing of coach Julian Nagelsmann led the board to sack Kahn.
Los Angeles Times
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
What's next for PBS and NPR after Republicans strip funding?
Ken Burns has made more than 30 documentaries and won multiple Emmys. But without funding from public television, his educational programming such as 'The Civil War' and 'Baseball' might never have existed, he told 'PBS News Hour' in an interview Thursday. Even today, the acclaimed filmmaker whose works — including his upcoming project 'The American Revolution' — are broadcast on PBS, said his films get around 20% of their budgets from the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, the body Congress recently voted to defund. Projects that receive a higher percentage of their funding through public media 'just won't be able to be made,' Burns said. 'And so there'll be less representation by all the different kinds of filmmakers. People coming up will have an impossible time getting started.' The U.S. Senate this week passed the Trump administration's proposal to claw back $9 billion in federal funding previously allocated for foreign aid and public broadcasting, and the House of Representatives approved the package after midnight Friday, sending it to President Trump's desk. The Corp. for Public Broadcasting, which administers the funds for NPR radio stations and PBS TV affiliates, is on track to lose $1.1 billion that had previously been budgeted for the next two years. The impact of those cuts will be deeply felt across both NPR and PBS, leaders of both organizations told The Times. Layoffs and reduced programming are expected, and the blows will disproportionately strike smaller markets that rely more heavily on federal funding. 'This is going to hit hardest in the places that need it the most,' said Gabriel Kahn, a professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Stations in smaller markets are staffed significantly less than stations in larger cities, often because of the disparity in funding. The Corp. for Public Broadcasting acted as 'the great equalizer,' Kahn said, padding the budgets of smaller stations so they could continue operating. 'It's just going to be increasingly lonely out there as these voices, who were of the community and generally very well trusted, are going to disappear,' Kahn said. 'Because within a year, you're not going to be able to hear these things on the radio anymore in a lot of places.' The cuts fulfill a longtime dream of conservatives and libertarians, who bristle at the notion of public funds supporting media organizations, especially ones they view as left-leaning. Republicans have for decades called for cuts to public broadcasting because of the perceived liberal slant of its programming. Trump has called NPR and PBS government-funded 'left-wing propaganda.' But several prominent voices in media and politics were quick to call attention to the harm the cuts will have, especially on communities where the local stations rely heavily on federal funding. 'A PBS station is really like the public library. It's one of those important institutions that may be the only place where people have access to local news,' Burns said. 'There's a kind of sense of local accountability, and as news becomes nationalized and even internationalized, there's a loss there.' PBS President Paula Kerger expressed similar concerns. 'Many of our stations which provide access to free unique local programming and emergency alerts will now be forced to make hard decisions in the weeks and months ahead,' Kerger said in a statement Thursday. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of two Republicans to vote against the package, said she strongly opposes the cuts to public media in a statement after the vote. She referenced a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Alaska this week that triggered a tsunami warning as an example of the public service stations provide. 'My colleagues are targeting NPR but will wind up hurting — and, over time, closing down — local radio stations that provide essential news, alerts and educational programming in Alaska and across the country.' Public media outlets in Southern California's urban areas, which can turn to wealthy locals for donations, are less dependent on federal funding than stations in smaller markets. But they will still feel an immediate loss. Washington, D.C.-based NPR has two major affiliates serving the Los Angeles area: LAist, or KPCC-FM (89.3), and KCRW-FM (89.9). LAist, based in Pasadena, was set to receive $1.7 million, about 4% of its annual budget. Alejandra Santamaria, president and chief executive of LAist, said the money is equivalent to 13 journalist positions at the local news operation. KCRW in Santa Monica was expecting $264,000 from the Corp. for Public Broadcasting. PBS SoCal, which operates member stations KOCE and KCET in Orange and Los Angeles counties, respectively, is facing a loss of $4.3 million in federal funding, according to Andy Russell, president and chief executive of the stations. Connie Leyva, executive director of KVCR Public Media in San Bernardino, which operates PBS and NPR affiliates, said earlier this week that the Senate action will mean losing $540,000, about 6% of its operating budget. Thus, she has to consider cutting five positions on an already lean staff. Kahn, the USC professor who is also the publisher and editor of Crosstown L.A., a nonprofit newsroom focused on local reporting and data journalism, said the cuts could have unintended consequences for Trump's own voters. 'The irony, of course, is that these are areas that generally support Trump with high margins, and they're are also areas that have the greatest allegiance to their local public radio station,' he said.
Miami Herald
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Fight between goat antelope brothers at Montana zoo ends with one losing an eye
A zoo animal in Montana lost an eye after a fight with his older brother, zoo officials said. Griff, a Sichuan takin living at ZooMontana in Billings, had 'an altercation with his brother, Kahn,' zoo officials said in a July 12 post on Facebook. 'Our amazing team of veterinarians responded right away, and it was determined that Griff's right eye had sustained significant damage. Surgical removal of the eye was performed right away,' zoo officials said. Griff is recovering from the late June incident and doing well, according to zoo officials, who said that 'while dominance displays this time of year are quite normal for the takin brothers, we have made the decision to separate Griff and Kahn for the foreseeable future to prevent any further injury to either takin.' Takin are sometimes called goat antelopes. 'The takin looks to be a mix of a lot of their distant relatives like the musk ox (in size and shape) and sheep, especially the Barbary sheep (when it comes to their face),' zoo officials said, adding that while takin may not be 'widely known here, in China they are recognized as a national treasure. There is also a theory that the Beast from Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' is based on the takin due to their similar features.' Griff was born in 2016 and came to the Montana zoo from Colorado in 2020, according to zoo officials. Kahn is a year older, and his forehead has a scar from sparring with Griff, zoo officials said.
