Parents Shocked by a $300K Bill – All Because of a 2-Year-Old’s Wild Encounter!

A San Diego family faced an overwhelming financial burden when their two-year-old son required emergency antivenom treatment after a rattlesnake bite in their backyard. Despite insurance negotiations, they are still responsible for a significant portion of the nearly $300,000 bill.

Brigland Pfeffer, a lively toddler, was playing outside with his siblings when he approached his mother, Lindsay, with an alarming injury on his right hand. Lindsay quickly spotted the cause—a small rattlesnake, coiled by the firepit in their backyard. Within moments, Brigland’s hand began to swell and change color, signaling the need for urgent medical intervention.

The Pfeffers rushed their son to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido by ambulance. By the time they arrived, Brigland’s hand was swollen and purple, with the venom spreading rapidly. Initial attempts to administer antivenom intravenously were unsuccessful, and doctors resorted to delivering Anavip, a specialized antivenom, directly into Brigland’s bone marrow. This decision, made as the venom reached Brigland’s armpit, was critical in containing the spread.

Following the initial treatment at Palomar, Brigland was transferred to the pediatric intensive care unit at Rady Children’s Hospital. Over the next few days, he received additional doses of Anavip to stabilize his condition.

The treatment saved Brigland’s life, but the bill reached a staggering $297,461. The cost of antivenom alone was a shocking $213,278.80. Rady Children’s Hospital administered 20 vials of Anavip at $5,876.64 per vial, while Palomar’s 10 vials came in at an even higher rate of $9,574.60 each. For comparison, Stacie Dusetzina, a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, noted that Medicare and most hospitals typically pay around $2,000 per vial of this medication.

“When you see the word ‘charges,’ that’s a made-up number. That isn’t connected at all, usually, to what the actual drug cost,” said Dusetzina.

Antivenom production is both costly and complex. It involves injecting donor animals, like horses in the case of Anavip, with venom to produce the necessary antibodies. But the high price of antivenom, according to Smithsonian, also stems from hospital markups, which can account for up to 70% of the cost as hospitals negotiate with insurance companies.

The Pfeffers’ insurance provider negotiated a lower rate for the total bill, but the family still had to cover a significant out-of-pocket expense. The final balance, after insurance negotiations, was $7,200—still a substantial amount for many families to bear.

While Brigland’s life was saved, he suffered lasting effects from the bite, including scar tissue and nerve damage in his hand, forcing him to adapt to using his left hand. “He’s very, very lucky,” said Lindsay, adding that the family has since installed snake-resistant fencing around their property.

A representative from Palomar responded to inquiries about the high cost, clarifying that the listed charges reflect a pre-insurance price. “Different negotiations occur, and they settle on an amount. The negotiated amount is then billed to the insurance,” the statement read. The representative assured that Brigland’s care was top-notch, noting the expertise of Dr. Roy Johnson, a leading herpetologist who has treated over a thousand snakebites. “At the end of this story, a child was bit by a rattlesnake, received expert medical attention and a life was saved.”

As the Pfeffer family continues to process both the trauma and the financial impact of their ordeal, they hope others can benefit from awareness of the potential costs of life-saving treatments, even with insurance.