People have lost so much during the pandemic, including loved ones, friends, jobs and their own livelihoods.The cost of the needed health care for those who are sick is also significant. "Vaccine is free, hospitalization is not," Dr. Aftab Khan said.Khan says getting a shot to avoid a lengthy and costly hospital stay is just another reason to be vaccinated."If you're just going to the emergency room or urgent care with mild symptoms, couple of thousand dollars, regular floor, few thousand dollars more, costs of being in ICU or progressive care, hundreds of thousands of dollars."According to a review of costs associated with COVID-19 care, the national independent nonprofit Fair Health published a report late last year saying "an average COVID hospitalization with complications costs roughly $156,000 for someone with insurance with a basic COVID hospital stay costing about $29,000."There are variables that go into the average such as length of stay and amount of intense critical care necessary.Khan says the vaccine can not only keep us from getting COVID-19, but can keep us from needing hospitalization if we do have a breakthrough case."Even the people who are vaccinated can have a breakthrough infection but they will only have mild symptoms and won't need to go to the hospital," Khan said."Once you hit intensive care it's expensive care," Seminole County, Florida, Medical Director Dr. Todd Husty said.Husty says even after hospitalization, there's follow-up care. For "long haulers" the expense is even greater.He also points out prevention through vaccine can save your health and money."Just getting sick and going to the emergency room is expensive, but being hospitalized is astronomical for some people," Husty said.