The cost of crying in the US has gone up considerably
A woman was charged $40 (£32) for shedding a tear during a visit to a doctor in the US.
YouTuber Camille Johnson, from New York, says her sister has a rare disease and has been “really struggling” to find appropriate care.
During a recent trip to a clinic, Johnson wrote on Twitter, that her sibling “got emotional because she feels frustrated and helpless”.
That resulted in her being billed for a “brief emotional and behavioural assessment”.
“One tear in and they charged her $40 without addressing why she is crying, trying to help, doing any evaluation, any prescription, nothing,” Johnson wrote.
My little sister has been really struggling with a health condition lately and finally got to see a doctor. They charged her $40 for crying. pic.twitter.com/fbvOWDzBQM
— Camille Johnson (@OffbeatLook) May 17, 2022
She has a rare disease so she’s been really struggling to find care. She got emotional because she feels frustrated and helpless. One tear in and they charged her $40 without addressing why she is crying, trying to help, doing any evaluation, any prescription, nothing.
— Camille Johnson (@OffbeatLook) May 17, 2022
In a Twitter thread exposing just how unfriendly the healthcare system in the US is, Johnson noted that her sister was charged more for crying than for seemingly more complicated tests.
She continued: “They charged her more for crying than for a vision assessment test. They charged her more for crying than for a hemoglobin test. They charged her more for crying than for a health risk assessment. They charged her more for crying than for a capillary blood draw.”
For all these other tests, Johnson’s sister was charged between $15 and $30, according to a picture of the bill she posted.
I’ve had not one, but TWO fancy (male) surgeons who clearly displayed to me that they’d be FINE with this kind of broken bullsh*t. One said “Oh, you’re one of those extra sensitive people.” Y’know, those of us with cancer and half a lung, get kinda sensitive. https://t.co/nWkPfogVyF
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) May 18, 2022
People were shocked by the bill, with one Twitter user commenting: “This is why most people don’t seek help. They just cry at home hoping to heal in silence. smh. I pray your sister gets better.”
Another added the cost for crying in America, had skyrocketed.
https://twitter.com/MirelLeLian/status/1526707047848218624
The video of the man running away from a ambulance ride to avoid the medical bill that comes with it, lives rent free in my mind
Getting billed for crying is wild pic.twitter.com/vxe7ifpqzt
— Dionicio (@DionicioRT) May 17, 2022
But not everyone thought the surcharge for tears was unreasonable, with one user commenting: “No. She was crying, due to frustration/expression of her emotions and therefore needed a quick mental health screen to determine if she needs further evaluation. Depression…suicide…..heightened anxiety.”
Standard or not, $40 to ask some questions that for all we know could be “do you experience depression?” is medical malpractice as far as I’m concerned. People shouldn’t be in a position where they’re scared to be sick because they can’t afford to answer a few questions.
— Falasteeni Maxwell Klinger (@vitaminleej) May 18, 2022
Another follower replied: “But they didn’t evaluate nor ask her any questions pertaining to her crying. They just added it as a charge to the bill.
“Looks like ‘time’ was really of the essence without her even receiving the actual, spontaneous ‘assessment’ claimed to be given.”
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