'Over ₹5 lakh…': Indian man’s viral video exposes shocking US healthcare costs after short hospital visit

An Indian man living in the United States has drawn widespread attention to the country’s high healthcare costs after a short emergency room visit in New York left him with medical bills running into several thousand dollars.  

Parth Vijayvergiya shared his experience in a now-viral video titled “Insane healthcare cost in US. Real life incident,” explaining why many people perceive the US as an expensive place to live despite high salaries.  

“Bohat log kehte hain ki America bohat mehenga hai. Main aapko examples dekar samjhata hoon kis tarah mehenga hai. Main yahaan rehta hoon,” Vijayvergiya said in the video, translating to: Many people say America is very expensive. I’ll explain with examples how expensive it actually is. I live here.  

Recalling the incident, Vijayvergiya said he injured his knee on December 25 while ice-skating in New York with his wife and sister. According to him, another skater collided with his knee, causing severe pain.  

“I thought I had injured my knee or suffered a fracture,” he said.  

Concerned about the injury, he decided to visit a hospital emergency room. However, he chose not to call an ambulance due to the cost.  

“Maine taxi li khudse kyunki ambulance ka kharcha bohat zyaada hai yahaan. So, that was out of the question,” he added, explaining that he took a taxi instead.  

Vijayvergiya said he spent around one-and-a-half hours in the emergency room, where doctors conducted an X-ray, examined his knee, and diagnosed the injury as a muscle issue. A crepe bandage was applied, and he was discharged shortly after.  

The financial shock came weeks later.  

“After three weeks, mere insurance ne mujhe bataaya ki aapko $1,800 dena hai,” he said, noting that his out-of-pocket expense amounted to $1,800 (approximately ₹1.5 lakh).  

He further claimed that his insurance provider paid an additional $4,000 to $4,500 to the hospital, bringing the total cost of the brief emergency visit to around $5,800–$6,300 (roughly ₹4.8–₹5.2 lakh).  

“This is why America is so expensive and salaries are so high here,” Vijayvergiya concluded.  

The video, which includes clips from inside the hospital and images of medical bills, has triggered widespread discussion on social media. While some users echoed concerns over US healthcare costs, others pointed out differences in earning power and cost structures between countries.  

“USA jobs pay great, right until life sends the invoice,” one user commented. Another wrote, “You are earning there and spending there, you can’t compare it with India,” highlighting the broader debate over cost of living and healthcare affordability.