Coronavirus (Covid-19) and the tests: Texas man charged $54,000 for Covid tests at hospital emergency room

“A Dallas man was charged $54,000 for his COVID-19 tests at an emergency room in Lewisville, Texas –- a staggering fee that is not only legal, but hardly the only coronavirus test to break the bank for a time-desperate person during the pandemic,” Scott Gleeson writes for USA Today. “Travis Warner told NPR that his and his wife’s June 2020 visit to the free-standing ER at Lewisville’s SignatureCare Emergency Center was, at first, a relief because he could return to work once he tested negative. The couple drove 30 minutes outside of Dallas because of the limited testing availability at the time. At the hospital visit, Warner individually received PCR diagnostic tests for COVID-19, plus the less-accurate rapid antigen tests due to time sensitivity in wanting to return to work.  Relief turned into outrage when the bill came through the mail. The more-accurate PCR test and antigen test together cost $54,000 when including the ER facility fee. The taxes and additional cost added the bill up to a whopping $56,384.” Scott Gleeson, “Texas man charged $54,000 for COVID tests at hospital ER,” USA Today.