TikTok user explains why hospital bills shrink substantially when you ask for an itemized receipt

Yet another TikTok video calling out the notoriously expensive U.S. healthcare system is going viral on social media. Shared by Adam Conover, a comedian and former host of the informative program "Adam Ruins Everything," in response to another TikTok about how medical bills mysteriously shrink when the patient asks for an itemized receipt, the one-minute clip explains why this suspicious phenomenon happens. The original video was posted by a TikTok user named Tre'jon Wilson and it shows him drinking something while the text overlay ponders whether the American healthcare system is a scam.

"Tell me why my hospital bill went from $4,000 to $950 all because I asked for a receipt and a list of everything I was being charged for," the overlay text reads. "They lowered my bill by 76%. Is it me or our health care system is a scam?" Conover took it upon himself to answer this question by stitching the original video and explaining why so many hospital bills are massive and why the charges seem to vanish when patients challenge them with the hospitals. "It's because the numbers on every hospital or doctor bill are straight-up fake and made up," Conover says in the video.

"If you have insurance, your hospital has to negotiate with the insurance company for the price of the services," he continues. "So they set these super high ridiculous numbers as a starting point for that negotiation. The insurance company says, 'bulls**t, we're paying you a third of that.' They haggle a bit and decide on a number.'" Conover goes on to explain why this system has the power to ruin lives. "Here's the f**ked up part. If you don't have insurance, the hospital still put that original, ridiculously high, just for negotiation number on your bill," he says in the video.

"So you could easily end up paying three, five, even ten times what the procedure actually costs," he notes. "The next time you get a medical bill, make sure you negotiate. There are even non-profits called medical billing advocates that will help you negotiate." Conover ends the video by directing people to an episode of "Adam Ruins Everything" titled "The Real Reason Hospitals Are So Expensive," in which he goes into detail about the questionable practices behind medical billing. His TikTok video touched a raw nerve for those already dissatisfied with the American healthcare system and many confirmed that negotiating the ridiculous amounts mentioned in hospital bills has brought them down to a much lower number.

"I waited for mine to go to collections and ended up settling the $1K to $450," commented @manic.panic.dream.mom. "Cancer and Transplant patient here. Bill negotiating has become my life. it is exhausting," shared @g.z.baddino. "This is why it’s generally cheaper and more efficient to leave the US for medical care," observed @beachymcbeachface, reminding us of another TikTok user who flew all the way to Turkey to avoid paying $3000 for a root canal in the U.S. and ended up saving $1,800.

"When they sent me the bill I told them I'll never be able to pay that back so I won't start and just wait the 7 years for it to drop off. They lowered it 87%," claimed @newt..a..n00dle. "YES! This is true! We are sitting between insurance vs. hospital battle. It’s a mess! Negotiate," urged @redoncue01.