A US traveler to the country of Morocco shared a video on TikTok that left many viewers stunned. In the video, the traveler details the shocking costs of his hospital bill after taking ill on his recent trip.
Travel Blogger Christian Grossi, a 23-year-old American, recently visited the country Morocco and during his trip he experienced one of travel’s worst nightmares: food poisoning. However, Grossi’s ride on Montezuma’s Revenge was so severe he was forced to be admitted to a local Moroccan hospital for an IV and antibiotics. He shared the details of his experience in a now-viral TikTok video that has garnered several million views thus far.
Before his situation turned dire, he recorded a first video where he describes his initial experiences with food poisoning.
Grossi then recorded a second video that showed him laid up in a Moroccan hospital after his symptoms became so severe he passed out on the street and was taken to the emergency room by four local men.
After receiving an IV and four different medications he recovered and was released. However, to his surprise (especially since he didn’t have health insurance), the hospital only accepted cash for his treatment. To his even bigger surprise, the total cost for his visit? $31.00.
Yes, you read that right. Thirty one US dollars, leaving him and millions of viewers stunned at the cheap price of his medical situation. You can watch his second video, below:
Stunned commenters and viewers remarked at how much different the cost of such a stay in a US hospital would have been. Some of the more notable ones included:
- “Proof that in America, healthcare isn’t about helping people or saving lives. It’s all about money”
- “Bro waiting in the lobby of a US hospital would cost you 20k”
- “American healthcare is being robbed and kicked when you are down and the most vulnerable. It’s defeating and inhumane.”
- “The hospital in Morocco is free. It seems that you entered a non-governmental hospital”
- “i feel a special kind of sad & happy when Americans realize Healthcare is nearly free literally anywhere else”
- “in the US you could easily add 4 zeros”
Grossi’s experience reinvigorated the often contentious debate about healthcare in the United States
15 comments
Not too surprised about the ignorance on display with this young American who can only think in terms of first order effects. He sees a bill that he has to pay and concludes that health care is practically “free” in Morocco. The reality though is that its not at all free, but the cost is merely borne by others – here relatively poorer Moroccans who have collectively paid the hospital bill for an economically more wealthy 23 year old blogger with enough leisure time to travel the world. While Grossi might consider this some sort of social justice, I see it as exactly the opposite.
He also ignores the second order effects of this system, which is very unlikely to incentivize potential doctors or hospitals to invest in themselves or quality healthcare devices or services. This might make little difference for a mild case of food poisoning, but if he had had a stroke, heart attack, or cancer, he might very well regret the economic choices made by health care providers in such a system. Americans don’t need to go all the way to Morocco, but can simply look at waiting times for medical procedures in Canada or the UK which are often months or even years long for procedures that are available in the USA immediately and on demand, with some procedures and drugs common in the USA but not available through the public systems in Canada/UK at all.
As a Canadian, you miss so many components. Yes, wait times are longer. There is a logical reason. All who need a procedure can receive it, not just those who have the right insurance or who can afford to pay. And wait lines are adjusted to fit need – not financial status. In a poll to pick the greatest Canadian or the twentieth century the clear winner was the politician who brought us universal health care.
Leaving in Europe I agree with most comments. Not free but paid by taxes, urgent procedures are of course treated urgently.
This also includes dental treatment!
In additions, there are also private clinics available if you don’t want to wait for the said procedure or want better care in some cases (like some better dental options, private room, etc)
But even theb, prices are definitely not as high as the US.
I seriously doubt the the Traveler visited a public hospital. Public / Socialized Healthcare in the developing world, if present, is of poor quality and very likely free (not even 32$). A western tourist is more likely to have visited a Private For-Profit Hospital.
Hey Mak are you seriously defending health care in the US? Are you cognitively impaired? You must be either brain damaged or extremely rich and entitled to be defending a country where it costs half a million to have a child in a hospital.
@MAK true. I’d like to also add the countries that have “free” health care often do so at the cost of the American tax payer via America’s defense umbrella. When you don’t have to pay for guns you have more money for butter. Yet here is this blogger contributing to the ignorance. Better stick to FF miles and deals.
My teammates are in UK, Canada, Poland, Germany, and the US(Me). I can tell you its a bold face LIE that they wait for “months” or “years.” Its a right-winger lie they tell themselves to justify getting fleeced at the hospital. Fact is, they get sick, they get treatment, and are not left facing bankruptcy. Stop lying to others but more importantly, STOP LYING TO YOURSELF.
My teammates are in Uk, Canada, Poland, Germany, and US(me). Its a boldface LIE that they wait “months ” or “years” for treatment. They get sick, get treatment, and are not left having to choose to eat or pay medical bills. It’s what right-wingers tell themselves to feel better about getting fleeced at the hospital. Stop lying to others. More importantly, STOP LYING TO YOURSELF.
“Free” LOL. Ain’t nothing “free”.
Of course it’s not free and paid for with tax dollars. But the prices aren’t inflated either like in the US. And his wealth or anyones wealth should determine if medical assistance is provided or not when you need it. “I can’t afford it†should never be part of the equation in healthcare.
At the same time, you’re right nothing is free. When you’re house is on fire, we don’t ask you to fill out forms and show proof of insurance or demand payment before dousing it with water. And if you don’t have a credit card, firefighters are gonna let your house burn down with your family inside.
A cop stopping to help you change a tire on the highway isn’t demanding you fork over payment or else you’re on your own.
There are many services that are provided that aren’t free, but shouldn’t be charged to the user. Solidarity isn’t socialism. Being against solidarity, isn’t capitalism or anti-socialism. It’s just you being a selfish a-hole.
For clarification, Canadians do NOT wait months or years for urgent treatment. Any medical issue that puts the life of a person in immediate danger is treated quickly such as a stroke, cancer, heart attack or other injuries to the body. Patients can wait a few weeks for non urgent care. Canadian hospitals have the same advanced medical treatments that US hospitals do.
The greatest fallacy for most conservatives in the US (i.e., anti-universal-healthcare) is the belief that the “burden” on the average taxpayer is so great as to essentially doom everyone to abject poverty. What they fail to realize is that the “cost” of this shared responsibility is proportional to a person’s income and is completely offset by the elimination of having to carry private health insurance. Insurance in the US now runs about $2K/year but only for high deductible (e.g., $1K/yr/person) and high out-of-pocket maximums (e.g., $7K/yr/family). People in the US have been fooled into believing they are saving money by not paying for low or no wage earners when in fact they are paying insurance companies boat loads of money and still end up footing most of the costs for their ordinary medical care. If you are unlucky enough to have VA health coverage, you’re probably going to wait longer than anyone in the UK or Canada — even for quality of life services.
Leaving in Europe I agree with most comments. Not free but paid by taxes, urgent procedures are of course treated urgently.
This also includes dental treatment!
In additions, there are also private clinics available if you don’t want to wait for the said procedure or want better care in some cases (like some better dental options, private room, etc)
But even theb, prices are definitely not as high as the US.
Don’t get sick in Canada. Americans who go to a Canadian emergency room are charged a lot, more than ER’s in the US.
What they don’t say is the median income in the U.S. was $62,000 in 2021 and €29,000 in Germany/France/England. That’s median. Anyone who suggests a socialist healthcare model or government run healthcare don’t realize it costs a lot of money that’s paid for in higher taxes for individuals and less economic growth and wealth for nearly all in those places. Free college is nice but if you make a lot less money it’s not the great thing it is made out to be.
With that said, the U.S. healthcare pricing system is ridiculous. It’s ridiculous because government pushed insurance in the first place. Everything in life has a price and we pay for what we buy and use. Whether it’s food, gas, electricity, McDonald’s, or a car. Not having a set price for procedures and stays in a hospital is the problem. Hospital will bill people $20,000 for what insurance companies will really pay $3000 with a negotiated rate. People without insurance are screwed and people with insurance often have a copay or deductible. We have balanced billing. We have doctors who perform procedures in the hospital but don’t work for the hospital and may not accept your insurance. It makes no sense how you are in a hospital and the doctor doesn’t work or bill through the hospital.
Eliminate all insurance and the price of procedures and stays would drop to rational levels. A single payer system doesn’t help much because that won’t reduce the cost of medical care. Surely, the ridiculous civil legal system adds incredible costs for malpractice.