Upon receiving her medical bill, an American discovers that the hospital has inflated the bill. The reason ? An « emotional evaluation » because the patient cried during the consultation. The overbilling, shared on social networks by his sister, outraged by the situation, was quick to react to Internet users on Twitter.
It’s a rant that has not gone unnoticed on Twitter. Camille Johnson, a 25-year-old American living in New York in the United States, is revolted by the overcharging of a hospital establishment towards her little sister. To be heard, the New Yorker did not hesitate to share her indignation on social networks, Tuesday May 17, 2022, reports the British daily The Independent . His post caused thousands of Internet users to react: 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 (approximately €37.70) to her sister’s medical bill, which totals $485. Reason invoked: the patient cried during her consultation.
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Last January, the young woman, who suffers from a rare disease, had consulted a doctor: the latter had carried out a health check, including in particular an eye test, an analysis of hemoglobin, a capillary blood. The patient had not noticed anything abnormal in her care, until she received the invoice…
“My little sister has suffered a lot from a health problem lately and was finally able to see a doctor. They charged her $40 for crying,” writes Camille Johnson, invoice in support, on her Twitter account. She adds in the comments to her post: “My sister struggled to access care. She let herself be overwhelmed with emotion because of her frustration and helplessness. »
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
Charging for an “emotional evaluation” is legal in the United States
But how could a hospital make a patient pay for her tears? On the invoice, opposite the 40 dollars requested, it is indicated “brief emotional and behavioral assessment”.
Since 2015, in the United States, doctors can charge for an « emotional assessment » when a patient’s state of health requires an examination by a specialist in charge of screening for mental illness, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression or anxiety.
But Camille Johnson clarifies to The Independent « that no specialist has examined » his sister « whether for 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 isolated
Exposing dysfunctions of this kind is crucial for Camille Johnson: « We need a step change in healthcare and I thought sharing a real-life story, online, would be a great way to open up 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 a wide return of similar experiences. It has prompted many American Internet users to share, in turn, medical bills inflated with expensive services, which they have not always benefited from.
For example, a woman named Lauren Cugliotta confided that 1,900 dollars (about 1,780 €) of « women’s services », were billed to him by a hospital, following surgery last June to remove a tumor. Behind the terms « women’s services » was a pregnancy test, she explains on Twitter.
When I got surgery this past June to remove a tumor, I asked them what « Women’s services » was for. It was for the pregnancy test they administered.
$1,902 to pee and for them to dip a stick into it
Thankfully most was covered by insurance but geez pic.twitter.com/F7CI3XflfC
—Lauren Cugliotta (@Laurencugliotta) May 18, 2022
The case of the younger sister of Camille Johnson does not therefore seem isolated. The situation ends well for her, since she was covered by her father’s insurance plan. His medical expenses were therefore taken care of, but not all Americans can say the same.