The woman revealed that her car stopped half a mile from the hospital as they ran out of gas, and decided to walk that last leg, given how an ambulance would just burn a huge hole in their pockets.
A woman in active labor was on the way to the hospital in her car when the vehicle broke down about half a mile from the hospital. She and her husband opted to walk this distance and reached the hospital on foot because an ambulance would have charged them a huge sum.
@kelskiller and her husband have been keeping people updated on their pregnancy journey via TikTok, and she shared this too, with her followers. In the video that was captured by Andrew, the pregnant woman was seen walking in the pitch-black darkness.
“Babe what are we doing right now?” he asks her. “Well, our car broke down half a mile from the hospital, so we’re walking because it costs $2000 to order an ambulance,” she replies. “So I’m in labor, just walking to the hospital. F—k it.”
Woman in labor walks to the hospital because an ambulance is too expensive pic.twitter.com/vc1mvfLFuB
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) October 15, 2021
The video then cuts to a clip where the woman is in evident pain, probably from her contractions, and Andrew assures her saying they're nearly there. “My legs are soaking wet. It’s cold,” she says. Apparently, the husband forgot to fill his car with gas, which is why they were standard, as she wrote in the video's description, along with the hashtags, “#america #healthcaresystem #istrash.”
As for why they didn't get an Uber, @kelskiller replied, "why didn't I think of that?"
She isn't wrong. Some of us have been picked up for suicide attempts and then owed $1,000 for a 15 block ride to Columbia Presbyterian. Even with insurance. It is ridiculous.
— AmyD (@amydipa) October 15, 2021
Eventually, they made it to the hospital and gave birth to a healthy, beautiful baby. Though these exorbitant prices for emergency services are a relatively new thing, this sheds light on the current healthcare system in the country. Over four decades ago, most ambulances were free for patients, as they were provided by volunteers or town fire departments using taxpayers' money, according to Jay Fitch, president of Fitch & Associates, an emergency services consulting firm, reports Washington Post.
"Today, ambulances are increasingly run by private companies and venture capital firms. Ambulance operators now often charge by the mile and sometimes for each "service," such as providing oxygen. If the ambulance is staffed by paramedics rather than emergency medical technicians, that will result in a higher charge — even if the patient didn't need paramedic-level services. Charges range from zero to thousands of dollars," the article from 2017, states.
I get that Uber or taxi seems like a better alternative than walking but a woman in active labor should be able to call for emergency medical care without worrying about going bankrupt. That’s the point.
— Jessica (@itsjessneybitch) October 16, 2021
Sometimes patients have no choice, but to opt for an ambulance, despite being aware of the hefty sum they'd be forced to pay, given how most insurances don't cover it completely. However, Scott Moore, the human resources and operational consultant at the American Ambulance Association, says that the services ambulances provide are this expensive because it covers the cost of equipment and medication that need to be accounted for, along with the price of the ambulance itself.
Then, there's the cost of staffing, as at least two people need to be available around the clock. Now, this honestly feels like two sides of a penny, making it hard to choose, doesn't it?
America has the best doctors, but they are out of reach to Americans, because Americans don't want "entitlement mentality."
— The Supreme Court has no credibility. (@malawiflames) October 15, 2021
References:
https://www.tiktok.com/@kelskiller
Cover Image Source: TikTok | @kelskiller
