Hospital held vaccine as ransom until elderly cancer patient paid $244 bill: report

The coronavirus pandemic continues to reveal problems with America's troubled health care system.

"A 72-year-old from Longmont said he had an appointment for his first COVID-19 vaccine this week, but it got canceled on him because he had medical debt," 9 News in Denver reports.

Rogan told the network about his experience with his unpaid $243.85 bill.

"I never expected to have to pay up and be square before I could get the vaccine," Michael Rogan said. "I thought by my being 72 and a cancer patient that I would qualify and it would be no problem."

"They called me on Tuesday and scheduled the first and second doses of the vaccine," Rogan said. "Then on Wednesday, I got a call from someone else in the organization saying that I wouldn't be able to get the vaccine until I paid my outstanding bill."

Reporter Chris Vanderveen outlined his frustration covering the story in a Twitter thread:

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