Woman says she had to pay $400 up front for emergency care before receiving life-saving EpiPen

NEED TO KNOW

• Stephanie Rowell says she had to pay $400 before receiving epinephrine after wasp sting triggered anaphylaxis

• TruHealthNow said his condition was considered stable and the payment did not delay treatment.

• An urgent care consultant said payment should never be prioritized in an anaphylaxis emergency.

A Virginia woman who suffered a life-threatening allergic reaction says she had to pay her bill before receiving an EpiPen.

Stephanie Rowell – a 53-year-old woman from Round Hill, Virginia – was standing on her parents’ porch in July when she was stung by a wasp on her left arm. Immediately, her arm felt like it was “on fire,” she told KFF Health News. Her body was itchy and her face was swollen and red.

Rowell said her throat felt tight and it became increasingly difficult to breathe, so she took Benadryl and quickly went to the nearest urgent care.

“I thought I was going to die,” she told the outlet.

Rowell arrived at TruHealthNow, an urgent care center in Purcellville, Virginia. During her check-in, she revealed that she had been uninsured since 2025. She was then brought into an exam room to see a nurse practitioner.

The nurse immediately diagnosed her with anaphylaxis, a serious and life-threatening allergic reaction, and told her she needed an epinephrine injection – usually given in an EpiPen.

However, instead of receiving the vaccine to reverse his symptoms, Rowell claims a medical assistant later brought him the bill.

“The medical assistant apologized and told me I had to pay $400 up front for the shot,” she said.

Rowell’s bill — obtained by KFF and included in the report — totaled $605: $400 for the epinephrine, $40 for its administration and $165 for the visit to the urgent care center. She said she was shocked to have to pay before receiving the vaccine that would have saved her life.

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“I asked, ‘If I didn’t have the money, would you have let me die?’ ” she said. “And they said, sorry, that’s their policy.”

Rowell allegedly retrieved his debit card and paid his bill before the medical assistant administered epinephrine. She said her symptoms subsided within minutes.

TruHealthNow did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Preet Takhar, CEO of TruHealthNow, told KFF its policy is to first provide treatment in an emergency before processing billing. Company officials reportedly confirmed to KFF that Rowell was asked to pay before receiving treatment because her condition was deemed “stable.”

Manbir Takhar, medical director of TruHealthNow, told KFF that the epinephrine injection was being prepared and the request for payment did not delay the administration of the treatment.

Alan Ayers, an urgent care industry consultant, told the news outlet that while urgent care centers require an insurance card or payment up front — like most doctor’s offices — it shouldn’t be a priority for patients who need emergency medical care.

“Charging a check-in copay is standard across all outpatient medicine, and that’s a separate issue,” he said. “For a sore throat, it doesn’t matter much. For anaphylaxis, it should never happen.”

In a life-saving situation, “there is no need for the patient to reach for a credit or insurance card,” he added. “If you have the skills to take care of someone, you should.”

Rowell told KFF she wasn’t angry about the cost of her bill, but believed she shouldn’t have had to pay before receiving treatment. She said she now carries an EpiPen in case of another emergency.

Read the original article on People