You may have heard people talking about how expensive it is to get sick in America, but one woman has just put a real-life price tag on what that truly means.
TikToker Sarah (@youngmompov) spent 38 hours in the hospital without health insurance, and now she’s breaking down the costs from her hospital bill. The numbers are enough to make your jaw drop.
“Let me start off by saying I did have health insurance, but I turned 26 in July and was kicked off my mom’s health insurance, and something rare happened to me on August 23rd that required me to go to the hospital,” Sarah explained.
During her hospital stay, she had to get a CT scan, which cost $4,458. The emergency room visit cost $5,378, the IV therapy was $5,097, and the lab work was $2,351. Other diagnostic services cost $2,244, while other imaging services added another $1,639.
For the pharmacy, it was $1,007; radiology was $794; the treatment/observation room was $5,907. All of that came out to a total of $28,875. But wait, there’s more!
The emergency evaluation and management was $1,796, and the additional bill from radiology was $3,552. The final total cost $34,223.
Since she didn’t have health insurance, she was actually given a significant discount, so she is only responsible for paying back $7,210.
While that amount is certainly better than paying the full price, it’s still a massive expense that most people cannot afford to cover.
Overall, Sarah does not recommend going to the hospital in the U.S. Her story sparked a number of comments from those who have been through similar experiences.
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“The way I heard a number under $100k and went, ‘Huh, that’s not too bad actually.’ I was intubated and stayed in the ICU for nine days, and my bill came out to around $200k before insurance adjustments,” commented one person.
“I had two ER stays in May and June when I was uninsured, and it added up to $13,500. Look and see if they have a financial aid program. I got mine completely covered by applying for this!” exclaimed another.
“I had to go to the ER once last year for the first time ever. I was there for maybe 45 minutes. They gave me a blanket, a nausea pill, and looked at my heart. I saw the doctor for two minutes and everything was fine. The bill was $1,000,” shared a third.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
