The American public's initial response to the spread of Ebola to the USA was fear. Their next reaction may be sticker shock, especially if taxpayers are asked to pick up much of the tab. Treating an Ebola patient at U.S. hospitals costs $25,000 to $50,000 a day. While some hospitals say they will absorb that cost themselves, others are looking to Washington to reimburse them for expenses not covered by insurance. Omaha's Nebraska Medical Center still hasn't been reimbursed for the $1.16 million cost of caring for its first two Ebola patients, Richard Sacra and Ashoka Mukpo, said Jeffrey Gold, chancellor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
