A video of a woman being told her medication is going to cost over $18,000 for a one-month supply has garnered 345K views on TikTok, sparking a discussion about the U.S. healthcare system in the comments section.
In the video, Abigail Gingerail (@abigailgingeraleofficial) is on a phone call with a medical professional telling her what the cost of her medication is going to be for a month's supply, and she and her husband are floored by the number.
"How do you f*cking justify that?" her husband asks the person on the other line in the video. "That's so outrageous."
"Let me talk; let me talk," Gingerail says to him. "No, no, no it's OK. ... I know you're not the one who makes the prices. It's just kind of comical."
Text overlay indicates that Abigail recently lost her health insurance. According to her bio, she is a colon cancer survivor, and she uses her platform to share her experience.
Some commenters suggested she try looking at websites like GoodRx or the recently released Cost Plus Drug Company, but she said that's not a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to prescriptions.
"I appreciate all your comments and help trying to find this drug for cheaper while being self-pay, but Mark Cuban's website doesn't do shit," Abigail says in a follow-up video. "His website is for generic medication. Things like antibiotics, simple things."
She says that some medications, like hers, are so specialized that they are only available through some pharmacies or do not have generic versions.
"The medication that I need and a lot of overpriced medications are usually only at one or two, or several pharmacies in the U.S., and so they can charge a ridiculous amount for it, even though they also charge insurance companies a ridiculous amount so you'd think that they'd be paid enough to help people that are self-pay," she said. "I'm not looking for anything free, but $18,000 a month is a joke."
Others shared their own experiences with outrageous drug prices.
"Cancer patient here," one commenter wrote. "One chemo infusion is 37K. I have insurance but still have to cover more than half of that. 18 more to go."
Many used the video to comment on the U.S. healthcare system.
"It's crazy how many people are commenting stuff she already tried," one commenter wrote. "Like the healthcare industry is an entire mob operation."
The Daily Dot has reached out to Abigail via Instagram direct message.
The post ‘Our healthcare system is a crime against humanity’: TikToker finds out her medicine is going to cost 18K for a month’s supply in viral video, sparking outrage appeared first on The Daily Dot.