Healthcare in the United States is notoriously expensive – costing so much it leaves people around the world shocked.
A TikTok from user @joeukshows showed how surprised Brits were to find out the price tag that comes with calling an ambulance, giving birth and even holding your own baby after a C-section.
One of the first topics Joe proposes to passersby is the cost of an ambulance if someone needs one to be transported to the hospital.
One man said matter-of-fact: ‘Zero payment. Zero payment.’
However, Joe discloses the actual cost was in the region of $2,500, causing an open-mouthed shock response.
The average price of an ambulance in the US varies wildly depending on the state and the kind of care needed.
Bettercare states the average price can vary from $500 to more than $3,500 without insurance.
And unlike the US, across the pond in the UK, ambulances are free for anyone who is seriously ill.
A video shows a handful of pedestrians in the UK being asked to guess how much a variety of medical services are across the pond in the US
The service is covered under the UK’s universal health plan provided by the National Health Service (NHS) and funded by taxes.
Americans on the other hand, have to either pay for health insurance or pay thousands out of pocket to receive treatment and health services.
This makes the US one of the only among peer nations that does not provide its citizens with universal healthcare.
And while America spends about double what its peer nations spend on healthcare for its residents, the country still has the highest maternal mortality rate and citizens have shorter lives, are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases and die by suicide.
The high cost for medical transportation has led sick Americans to skip calling 911 for help out of fear of unexpected bills for ambulance rides, which are often not covered by insurance.
A 2024 YouGov poll found of the 47 percent of Americans who have ever needed an ambulance, 23 percent of them avoided calling for one due to the high cost.
Instead, people are turning to friends, driving themselves or using ride services like Ubers and cabs to travel to the hospital for the care they need – in some cases, people skipped receiving care altogether because of costs.
Next in the TikTok, Joe asked UK passersby what they think it costs to have a baby in the US.
One young man guesses ‘$50,000,’ thinking his estimate is ‘ridiculous,’ while another woman guesses somewhere in the region of $100 to $200.
When the are told the average is actually ‘around $10,000, [and] it can go up to $30,000,’ both are left shocked.
Total US healthcare spending – which includes what the government as well as insurance companies and individuals pay for – grew past $4.3trillion in 2021, nearly a fifth of the country’s annual GDP and highest among comparable countries
The woman asks: ‘What? $10,000 for a baby… is that the same everywhere? That’s mad… no thanks.’
In the UK, the NHS covers pregnancy and childbirth, including scans, prenatal care, the birth itself and postnatal care.
This compares to the US, where according to the Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Health System Tracker, giving birth costs $18,865 on average, including prenatal care, pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care.
If a person has insurance, it often covers most of these expenses, but for the uninsured, they are responsible for the full bill.
The type of birth can also impact costs wildly, and insurance company ValuePenguin reveals the average cost of a vaginal birth is $13,024, including costs like facility fees and doctor fees.
Meanwhile, a C-section is more expensive, costing an average of $22,646 overall.
Despite its high cost, the US still has the highest rates of maternal mortality with 24 new moms dying for every 100,000 babies delivered, nearly two and a half times the average in other wealthy countries.
Next, Joe addresses one of the more unusual charges incurred by new moms.
In the US, some hospitals charge for skin-to-skin contact between a mom and newborn immediately following a C-section because of the extra labor required to maintain patient safety.
In 2016, a dad went viral after posting a photo of his bill from Utah Valley Hospital to Reddit, showing he was charged $39.35 for his wife to hold their baby after a C-section.
One British woman was shocked to learn the average cost of childbirth in the US is about $10,000
Another British woman was surprised that Americans have to pay to hold their babies immediately after giving birth by C-section
In the TikTok, one British woman is horrified to learn about this charge, saying: ‘You have to pay to do that? To hold my own child that I’ve been carrying inside my womb?’
Turing to prescription drug prices, a hot-button topic in the US, the interviewer asks a man on the street to guess the price of two life-saving EpiPens.
The spring-loaded syringes, which give a shot of adrenaline to prevent people from going into anaphylactic shock from an allergic reaction, cost just under $13 in the UK with an NHS prescription.
That means two pens would come in around $25.
However, the man interviewed in the Tiktok is left speechless when he learns two EpiPens in the US cost $600.
In the end, one woman proclaimed: ‘So if you’re poor [in the US], you’re dead.’
