Woman Says Her Sister With a Rare Disease Was Charged $40 for ‘Crying’ During Doctor’s Appointment

The healthcare system in the United States is proving to be worse by the minute. A woman suffering from a "rare disease" visited her doctor in January and was in for a shock when she realized she was charged a $40 charge for crying!

YouTuber Camille Johnson wrote on Twitter that her “little sister has been really struggling with a health condition lately and finally got to see a doctor.” When she got the bill she noticed that along with standard charges for a vision assessment test, hemoglobin test, health risk assessment, and capillary blood draw, there was also an amount for a "brief emotional/behavioral assessment." Johnson shared the photo of the bill, revealing a $40 charge for “brief emotional/behav assmt” wedged in between a $30 blood draw charge and a $350 charge for “prev visit est age 18-39.”

“She has a rare disease so she’s been really struggling to find care,” Johnson elaborated. “She got emotional because she feels frustrated and helpless. One tear in and they charged her $40 without addressing why she is crying, trying to help, doing any evaluation, any prescription, nothing.” She also pointed out: They charged her more for crying than they did 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.

According to The New York Post, a brief emotional/behavioral assessment refers to a mental health assessment that looks out for symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, suicidal risk, or substance abuse. It is usually handed out to the patient and filled out before consulting the doctor. But Johnson claims that her sister was never evaluated. She told The Independent, “They did not evaluate her for depression or other mental illnesses, nor did they discuss her mental health with her. She never talked to a specialist, was not referred to anyone, not prescribed anything, and they did nothing to assist with her mental health. We need a drastic change in the healthcare industry, and I thought that sharing a real-life story online would be a good way to open up the conversation and help advocate for change,” the 25-year-old content creator said. “I really hope this tweet can incite improvement in our healthcare system as well as be a warning for the future.”

References:

https://twitter.com/OffbeatLook/status/1526618863646949376/photo/1

https://nypost.com/2022/05/18/patient-charged-40-for-crying-during-doctors-appointment/

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/hospital-medical-bill-twitter-b2081986.html

Cover Image Source: Twitter | OffbeatLook