A woman found that displaying her emotional distress during a minor surgery had cost her. Literally.
On her medical invoice for a mole removal procedure, Midge—whose Twitter handle is @mxmclain—claimed she was additionally charged $11 for "crying."
Among the services for which she was charged, Midge was dumbstruck to discover "Brief Emotion" was listed as something she was responsible for compensating.
Mole removal: $223 Crying: extra https://t.co/4FpC3w0cXu— Midge (@Midge) 1632861274.0
@mxmclain/Twitter
Midge followed up her tweet by making light of the situation, saying, "I didn't even get a damn sticker," and "Is a lollipop too much to ask?"
I didn’t even get a damn sticker— Midge (@Midge) 1632870340.0
Is a lollipop too much to ask?— Midge (@Midge) 1632870355.0
People from different parts of the world with access to universal healthcare were astonished at the concept of paying for surgery, let alone being charged "extra" for showing emotional vulnerability.
Tell me you live in the US w/o telling me https://t.co/bYr246JZSk— not meghan (@not meghan) 1633018935.0
America is not real. How you getting taxed for crying 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/3Fe2g1Xt1g— 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐚 ⛓ (@𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐚 ⛓) 1633019437.0
Hospitals find stupid ways to drain patients' wallets. https://t.co/Ru6x49lwbH— Isaac Larosee (@Isaac Larosee) 1633013179.0
@mxmclain Charged for crying. I can feel the freedom https://t.co/tdijSj8Xrw— Ricardo Palma (@Ricardo Palma) 1633116868.0
A user apprised Midge about screening code 96127 for Brief emotion, which is shorthand for "brief emotional/behavioral assessment."
This specialized mental health code is billable by a primary healthcare provider after the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administration (CMS) approved it in 2015.
Fees associated with code 96127 can be up to $25 per administration and billable up to four times a year.
@mxmclain @bigpoppadrunk 96127 - Brief Emotional-Behavioral Assessment Up to $25 per assessment, 4 times per year.… https://t.co/VgGmNUV2wy— Log for Trick-or-Treaters (@Log for Trick-or-Treaters) 1632873973.0
@logfromblammo @mxmclain @bigpoppadrunk $25 to ask four questions...— Dave 'PfizerBoosted' Swersky 💉💉💉🎉 (@Dave 'PfizerBoosted' Swersky 💉💉💉🎉) 1632886629.0
Some thought the discount from Midge's Brief Emotion was peculiar.
@mxmclain Was the $2 discount for crying pretty?— Rachel the witch is in (@Rachel the witch is in) 1632867330.0
@mxmclain How’s you get a discount on your crying fee? $2.20 off crying would do a lot more for my financial state… https://t.co/UVnbgutFqj— Joshua Daniels (@Joshua Daniels) 1632918194.0
@mxmclain Hey! A 20% emotional discount! Not bad. A lot of people I know discount my emotions at least 80% or more.— idle moments (@idle moments) 1632879011.0
She was encouraged to fight the unexpected charge.
@mxmclain Dispute it, they are over billing you. The code had nothing to do with the issue at hand, contact your in… https://t.co/i8pyyrLa2D— Nicholas Betulia (@Nicholas Betulia) 1633090677.0
@logfromblammo @mxmclain @bigpoppadrunk For this type of appointment, absolutely make a stink about it! Your annual… https://t.co/GmSoU41SiR— lost_grrl (@lost_grrl) 1632938805.0
Midge told Indy100 she wasn't aware her health insurance didn't cover her depression screening during her annual physical examination.
"It was basically 10 (or less) questions about mental health," she said of her evaluation.