People couldn't believe it at first, until the woman confirmed she wasn't lying.
Hospitals can be scary and anxiety-inducing even for the most minor treatments and procedures. A woman who had to get her mole removed ended up having a meltdown either because of pain, fear, or both. But the hospital felt inconvenienced and charged the woman for her "brief emotions."
Yes, that's right. She was billed for crying, at a hospital.
The woman, known only as Midge on her Twitter handle, shared a photo of the invoice that she received from the hospital, and wrote, “Mole removal: $223 Crying: extra”. The invoice showed that she was charged an additional $11 for crying. However, she got $2.20 as a discount!
Midge, aka @mxmclain, followed up her tweet by saying, "I didn't even get a damn sticker," and "Is a lollipop too much to ask?"
Initially, people thought this was just a sarcastic post, but Midge confirmed that "it's real." Many people extended their support to Midge asking her to raise a dispute alleging that she's been overcharged.
A quick search on the Current Procedural Terminology code 96127 for Midge's "Brief Emotion" is basically "used to report behavioral assessments in children and adolescents."
This code can only be used by doctors and clinicians if they "believe it to be appropriate for the service they have rendered and should include documentation within their visit that indicates the service that was provided."
Here are some of the best reactions to Midge's post:
wait, is this true or are you joking? I'm not from the US, and i saw somewhere that they charge you U$40 to hold your baby after labor, something called "skin-to-skin contact". We got to the point where u can't differentiate satire from reality
— Gabu, gótico no sigilo 🦇 (@gabufitas) September 29, 2021
Wowwwww…HOW DISGUSTING. I can’t believe they would charge you for having a bit of an emotional episode that is literally sick ???? Anything to make money
— “Researcher Dudley?” (@FreshGazelle) September 30, 2021
$11 dollars is more than I paid during my cancer surgery, radiotherapy, and other consultation and treatments over 5 years.
— malletproprisms (@malletproprisms) September 30, 2021
Although I live in a civilised, advanced society in Australia, not some dystopian hellhole like America
My doctor said, ‘ how are today, Hope? And when I answered in one sentence, they added $24 to my bill for emotional support.
— Hope Walker (@HansEworth) September 29, 2021
I had a mole removed, asked Dr “ will it hurt when anaesthetic wears off?” She replied” what anaesthetic?” And promptly snipped it off with what looked like kitchen scissors! I couldn’t scream, my kids were behind the curtain 😲
— Joanne Rowles (@jotheduke) September 29, 2021
96127 - Brief Emotional-Behavioral Assessment
— Log for Trick-or-Treaters (@logfromblammo) September 29, 2021
Up to $25 per assessment, 4 times per year. Docs are using this to pad bills to increase revenue.
I'd make a huge stink over this.
You go to the doc with a mole on your neck.
— Lore Sjöberg (@loresjoberg) September 29, 2021
Doc says "I'll remove it, just give me a sec."
Cuts it off with a scalpel and no anesthesia.
Try to hold it back but you can't help but feel a...
Briiiiiiiief Emotion
Briiiiiiiief Emotion
Wow! Good thing you didn’t cry for an hour. The charge for “extended emotion” must be through the roof!
— Maggie Willer (@loy2scully) September 29, 2021
References:
https://twitter.com/mxmclain/status/1442950887383736321
https://dpbh.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/dpbhnvgov/content/Providers/CPT%20Code%2096127.pdf
Cover Image Source (Representative): Getty Images | Prapass Pulsub [Inset: Twitter | @mxmclain]
