An American woman’s tweet went viral after she shared a photo of her sister’s medical bill claiming the doctor charged her $40 for crying during an appointment.
YouTube content creator Camille Johnson tweeted a photo of her sister’s medical bill and wrote, “My little sister has been really battling with a health condition lately and finally had to go to a doctor. They made her cry Charged $40,” on Twitter.
Johnson wrote that her sister was suffering from a rare disease but doctors made a huge deal out of her emotional breakdown during the check-up. “One tear and they charge her $40, without explaining why she’s crying, trying to help, no evaluation, no prescription, nothing,” Johnson said.
Amazingly, the itemized medical bill revealed that Johnson’s sister was charged more for crying than for any other test.
“They charged her more for crying than the vision assessment test. They charged her more for crying than the hemoglobin test. They charged her more for crying than the health risk assessment. They charged her more for crying Took more than a capillary blood draw,” Johnson said.
The cost of the doctor’s visit included a vision assessment test costing $20, a hemoglobin test for $15, a capillary blood draw for $30, and a PT-focused health risk assessment for $30.
The viral tweet prompted netizens to share their experiences with overcharged medical bills, while some offered tips on how to negotiate hospital bills.
Fortunately, Johnson’s younger sister was covered by her father’s insurance plan.
In the US, public health care such as Medicare, or private health insurance from employers often does not cover most medical services, leaving patients to pay the remainder of the bill.