Teacher: Instead of giving me a COVID-19 test, my hospital blindsided me with bills

I never imagined that the worst part of having a terrible case of COVID-19 was going to be fighting my price-gouging hospital.

I am a school teacher in Windsor, Connecticut, where I teach band to fourth and fifth graders. In late March I had all the symptoms of COVID-19 — trouble breathing, cough, high fever. I called my doctor, who referred me to get a COVID test.

However, I didn’t qualify at that time because the state was short on tests and I was not in a high-risk group, like people who are over 65 years old, immunocompromised, or work as a health care or front line worker. When my symptoms got worse, my doctor suggested I get a chest X-ray. Since I was turned away from an urgent care clinic because they didn't have enough personal protective equipment to treat additional patients, I went to the emergency room at Hartford Hospital.

I really wanted a COVID test, too. I understood that, because of the pandemic and an agreement between the state and many insurers, these tests were free for patients. But I never got a COVID test.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/teacher-instead-giving-covid-19-110109742.html