Turkish citizen in the US billed 3,000 dollars for a broken ankle

The high cost of healthcare services in the US has once again come to the fore. A bill exceeding 3,000 dollars issued to a Turkish citizen who visited a hospital emergency room for a broken ankle has caused a stir on social media. Sharing their experience via a social media account, the citizen detailed the procedures performed during their approximately 3-hour stay in the emergency room. The citizen stated, "How many thousands of dollars does it cost to spend 3 hours in an American hospital emergency room? Here is the answer."

In the post, the procedures performed at the hospital were listed as, "X-ray: 602 dollars, Initial examination: 748 dollars, Physician intervention: 1,685 dollars." Stating that a total bill of 3,035 dollars was issued, the citizen explained that the doctor made a diagnosis, the foot was placed in a cast, and they were given a pair of crutches.

Fee reduced to 1,214 dollars due to health insurance

Stating that they had a certain health insurance policy, the Turkish citizen announced that they had negotiated with the hospital to get a discount on the bill. As a result of the negotiation and the hospital's discount, they stated that the total fee was reduced to 1,214 dollars and that they would pay this amount. In their post, the citizen specifically warned those who will travel to the US, drawing attention to the importance of health insurance, and stated, "If you are going to live here or even if you are coming as a tourist for a short time, I definitely recommend that you get supplementary health insurance. Be prepared for bills of thousands of dollars regarding hospital fees in the US."

While the expensive structure of the healthcare system in the US has been a subject of debate for a long time, even emergency room services can incur serious costs, especially for uninsured patients. The recent experience of a Turkish citizen has once again brought this situation to light.