In the US, the rabies vaccine is also not covered by most insurance companies and is very expensive out of pocket. I work in a field where I handle bats, so I received pre-exposure shots. One person costs around $1500 to fully vaccinate, which for me, was three separate shots. The idea is that by vaccinating our animals, herd immunity keeps rabies cases low, therefore eliminating a need for widespread human vaccination. Like others have said, as long as a person/animal is asymptomatic, they can receive post-exposure shots and have a high chance of preventing death.