Even after numerous articles and news reports on the American healthcare system showing the insanely high amounts of money people have to pay for their health checkups, hospital stays or surgeries and other medical services, the world is still not used to it and is astounded at how Americans have to deal with all this.
After hearing all those heartbreaking stories Americans share about how they can’t afford simple things like insulin which in other countries are fully compensated and have to just suffer, we still kind of see what the patients are paying for.
But a recent story that went viral showed a new bottom the American healthcare system has reached. A woman from Georgia was charged almost $700 and she still can’t understand what the cost includes as she went to the ER, but after waiting 7 hours, she left as she realized she wouldn’t be getting any help.
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A woman from Georgia was charged almost $700 for solely entering the ER despite the fact she waited there for 7 hours and wasn't even seen by a doctor
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The woman’s name is Taylor Davis and she lives in Georgia, where she went to the Emory Decatur Hospital ER in July to have her head injury checked. She was sitting there waiting to be taken in for 7 hours, but then she realized that she wouldn’t get her turn, so she left.
After a couple of weeks, she got a bill in her mailbox and it was from the hospital. It said that the patient was actually late to pay her bill of $688.35, but Taylor hadn't expected to be charged as she wasn’t called in or seen by anyone; she didn’t even get her vitals taken.
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While talking to Fox5, the woman didn’t hide her frustration stressing that she sought immediate help, but didn’t receive it, and on top of that, she was charged. “I sat there for seven hours. There's no way I should be sitting in an emergency room... an emergency room for seven hours.”
After getting the bill, the first thought the woman had was that it was probably a mistake, because how is it possible to be paying so much money for nothing? Taylor called the hospital and they informed her that “it's hospital protocol even if you're just walking in and you're not seen. When you type in your social, that's it. You're going to get charged regardless.”
The bill came unexpectedly after a couple of weeks and it was already past due
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The hospital explained that patients are charged before they get seen as they charge an emergency room facility fee
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The almost $700 bill was explained to be an emergency room visit fee or a facility fee. It’s the source for hospitals to help to keep their doors open, to pay their electricity bills and cover the cost of running an emergency room 24/7. The fee can range anywhere from $533 to over $3,000 depending on the hospital. It’s nothing new, just that people usually don’t notice it when they pay the whole bill as they usually get treated and expect to be charged.
As the hospital put it in an email sent to Taylor, “You get charged before you are seen. Not for being seen,” subtly putting the blame on the patient that she left before she got the help she needed.
This incident made Taylor think carefully before deciding to go to a hospital as not everyone has spare money to pay for technically nothing
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Sadly, Taylor said that will make her think twice before going to an ER, "I'm very reluctant to go to the hospital now. That's kind of like the last resort now. Seeing that they're able to bill you for random things, it doesn't make me want to go. So that's not good."
It’s actually a sad reality for a lot of people. According to United Healthcare, on average, Americans without insurance have to cough up $2,200 per visit, which can be a scary amount for some. Then they will consider not going and choose to suffer instead, which is terrifying to think.
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After the story blew up, Emory Healthcare sent a statement regarding the situation with Taylor: "Emory Healthcare takes all patient concerns seriously and appreciates this has been brought to our attention. Our teams are currently looking into this matter and will follow up directly with the individual."
Do you think hospitals are justified to charge their patients such high bills even if they were not seen by a doctor? Do you know any similar stories or want to share your own experience? Let us know your thoughts and reactions in the comments!
People who heard about the story were telling their own experiences with the ER
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People shared some crazy amounts they had to pay for the most minimal things and it just doesn't sound right
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Bored Panda has drawn attention to the American healthcare system's flaws in other articles too. In this one, we collected a list of the most shocking things related to healthcare Americans have to deal with. There is also a more recent list you can find here. We also shared a discussion that was started on TikTok where people from around the world were finding out how much giving birth in a hospital costs in different countries.
You may also like to read this article in which an American comes to a realization of how messed up his country's healthcare system is after having to go to the ER in Taiwan after food poisoning and seeing his fear about the hospital bill disappear as he has to pay only $80.
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