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.
https://twitter.com/OffbeatLook/status/1526618863646949376
https://twitter.com/OffbeatLook/status/1526623425837551617
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.
https://twitter.com/kathygriffin/status/1526791529213267973
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
https://twitter.com/DionicioRT/status/1526678358611922945
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."
https://twitter.com/vitaminleej/status/1526919400456069123
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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