Woman gets charged for 'emotional consultation' because she cried during her doctor's visit
She went to the gynecologist for her annual exam and was weighed after quite some time, which was a difficult experience for her.
Going to the doctor's or visiting the hospital can be a very overwhelming experience for some people. It might not be easy to learn about things you had no idea about and to be vulnerable in front of someone. However, a woman found herself in a strange situation when she got charged for "emotional consultation" for crying in front of her gynecologist. The woman, Erica, who goes by @necktattoo_mama on TikTok, took to the platform to share how she ended up paying $11 for crying during her appointment.
"So, very recently, I had to go to the gynecologist for my yearly exam. And I got weighed for the first time in a long time," the woman began. "I didn't like what I saw. So I'm sitting on the exam table, you know, naked, covered in a tiny paper vest. Then the doctor comes in and she says, so how is everything? And I just start bawling. I don't even know where it came from, but I just started crying and saying how upset I was about my weight."
She added, "And so she was very kind and very gracious. We kind of talked through some emotional things and options, and then things like that. And then, you know, we went ahead with the exam and, it was fine."
However, two weeks later, the woman found an invoice from her gynecologist worth $11 in her email.
"I'm like, it's a yearly exam; it should be covered 100%. In addition to the yearly exam, she coded or put in brief emotional intervention and the copay for that is $11. So I, today, had to pay to cry naked at the gynecologist's office. And I thought to myself if I wanna cry naked, I can just do that for free, so, that's insurance for ya," Erica said.
She clarified, "To clarify, I don’t blame her at all for documenting the service she provided. I think the way that insurance works creates barriers to comprehensive preventative care."
The caption to the video read, "Way to kick me when I’m down." The video received more than 151k views and over 23k views. People took to the comments section of the video to share their own experiences and to support the woman. @beholden08 wrote, "This makes me so mad! This prevents people from discussing issues at their annuals…the whole purpose of an annual exam." @jimmydean122113 commented, "Mine has a sign that said 'any questions will cost $40 copayment'...so I said, 'Well, I was gonna ask you about my cysts, but I can’t afford the cost' and she just said, 'Ok.'"
@unfortunate.situation76 remarked, "That’s insane and wild because THEY ask how we are, so if we say anything other than 'fine,' that’s a charge? It's one of the MANY awful things wrong with the medical and insurance world. I actually blame the doctor for that petty nonsense. So sorry that happened." @april_sveske shared, "On my annual, my doctor billed me for mental counseling, too. What counsel did I get? She asked if I saw a therapist and I said no. She said everyone should and then she billed me for it." @hnbenson expressed, "I went to a GP for my annual check-up & when I got the insurance bill, it said I owed $20. The $20 was for 'dietary and nutrition counseling,' which was definitely NOT discussed. I got it removed."
You can follow Erica (@necktattoo_mama) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.
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