When an American woman receives her medical bill, she discovers that the hospital overstated the bill. The reason ? An “emotional assessment” because the patient cried during the consultation. The inflated bill, which his sister, outraged by the situation, shared on social networks, quickly reacted to netizens on Twitter.
It’s a rant that hasn’t gone unnoticed on Twitter. Camille Johnson, a 25-year-old American living in New York, United States, is outraged at how a hospital facility overwhelms her little sister. In order to be heard, the New Yorker did not hesitate to share her outrage on social networks on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, reports British newspaper The Independent. Thousands of internet users reacted to his post: it was “liked” more than 520,000 times and retweeted more than 68,000 times.
40 extra dollars for tears
The reason ? The hospital added $40 to her sister’s medical bill, bringing the total to $485. Reason given: The patient cried during her consultation.
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Last January, the young woman, who suffers from a rare disease, consulted a doctor: he carried out a health check, including in particular an eye test, a hemoglobin analysis and a capillary blood test. The patient had not noticed anything unusual during her treatment until she received the bill…
“My little sister has been suffering a lot from a health problem lately and was finally able to see a doctor. They charged her $40 for crying.” writes Camille Johnson’s bill of support on her Twitter account. She adds in the comments to her post: “My sister struggled to access care. She allowed emotions to overcome her frustration and helplessness. »
My little sister has been really struggling with a health issue lately and was finally able to see a doctor. They charged her $40 for crying. pic.twitter.com/fbvOWDzBQM
— Camille Johnson (@OffbeatLook) May 17, 2022
Fees for an “emotional evaluation” are legal in the United States
But how could a hospital make a patient pay for her tears? It says so on the bill opposite the requested $40 “Brief Emotional and Behavioral Assessment”.
Since 2015, doctors in the US have been able to request an “emotional assessment” when a patient’s medical condition requires evaluation by a specialist who screens for mental illness, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, or anxiety.
But Camille Johnson tells The Independent “that no specialist examined” his sister “whether in the case of depression or other mental illnesses”, and “So nothing was prescribed to him and nothing was done to improve his mental health”. She even adds that “no one tried to understand why she was crying or tried to help her”.
A case that is not unique
Uncovering such dysfunctions is crucial for Camille Johnson: “We need a sea change in healthcare and I thought sharing a real life story online would be a great way to open the conversation and help advocate for change.”she explained to The Independent.
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As she wished, her tweet, which went viral, allowed for a wide replay of similar experiences. It has prompted many American netizens to share medical bills in their turn, bloated with expensive services they haven’t always benefited from.
For example, a woman named Lauren Cugliotta pledged $1,900 (approx. €1,780). “Women’s Services”, he was charged by a hospital after surgery last June to remove a tumor. Behind the terms “women’s service” was a pregnancy test, she explains on Twitter.
When I had surgery to remove a tumor last June, I asked her what “Women’s Ministries” was for. It was for the pregnancy test they did.
$1,902 for peeing and dipping a stick in it
Luckily most of it was covered by insurance but my goodness pic.twitter.com/F7CI3XflfC
—Lauren Cugliotta (@Laurencugliotta) May 18, 2022
The case of Camille Johnson’s younger sister therefore does not appear to be an isolated case. The situation ends well for her as she was insured with her father. His medical expenses were therefore covered, but not all Americans can say the same.