The Twitter post has garnered over 486,000 likes and thousands of comments.
An American woman recently shared that her sister was charged $40 (starting at Rs 3,100) for “crying” at a doctor’s appointment.
Camille Johnson, a popular YouTube and internet personality, shared a photo of her sister’s medical bill on Twitter, highlighting a section of the bill, in which her siblings were subjected to a “brief emotional/behavioral evaluation”. docked for. In the following tweet, she explained that her sister has a “rare illness” and “became emotional as she feels hopeless and helpless” as she struggles to find care.
My little sister has been really battling with a health condition recently and finally had to go to a doctor. They charged her $40 for crying. pic.twitter.com/fbvOWDzBQM
— Camille Johnson (@OffbeatLook) 17 May 2022
The itemized medical bill showed that Ms Johnson’s sister had visited a doctor for her condition in January. Various costs of a doctor’s visit include a vision assessment test costing $20, a hemoglobin test for $15, a capillary blood draw for $30, and a preventive health checkup, which costs $350. However, what caught Ms Johnson’s attention was the $40 fee for “crying”.
In a Twitter thread, the 25-year-old wrote, “A tear and they charged her $40, without explaining why she is crying, trying to help, any evaluation, any prescription. , Just nothing.”
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Since being shared, the picture has gone viral with over 486,000 likes and thousands of comments. Internet users shared their own experiences with overcharged medical bills, while others offered tips and advice on how to negotiate hospital bills.
“When I had surgery to remove the tumor last June, I asked her what ‘women’s services’ were. It was for a pregnancy test she administered,” wrote one person, “$1,902 to pee And dip a stick in it for them. Thankfully that was covered by most insurance but geez”. “Tell me you live in America without telling me you live in America,” replied another person.
according to Independent, a brief emotional/behavioral assessment is a mental health screening that tests for signs of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, suicidal risk or substance abuse. It is usually issued in the form of a questionnaire which is handed over and filled out before seeing the doctor.
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However, Ms Johnson told media outlets that her siblings were never evaluated. She reportedly claimed that the doctor at the unnamed medical facility saw her sister’s tears but said nothing. Ms Johnson revealed that the health care center did not evaluate her sister for depression or other mental illnesses. Her sister did not even talk to any specialist, did not refer anyone, nor was she told anything.
The 25-year-old said that thankfully her younger sister was covered by her father’s insurance plan, which helped pay for medical services. Now, Ms Johnson hopes that sharing her sister’s medical bill online could help change how the US healthcare system treats others.
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