In a video posted on Instagram, the woman said her insurance provider refused to cover an essential prescription, leaving her with an unaffordable out-of-pocket expense. She added that she later managed to obtain the same drug directly from an Indian manufacturer at a fraction of the price.
“This medication was going to cost me $1,000 out-of-pocket in the US and I bought it for $25. Yep, just six little pills, $1,000 out-of-pocket because my insurance wouldn’t cover it,” she said in the video, which has since gone viral.
Criticising the US healthcare system, she added: “Our healthcare system in the US is a joke. We are being completely scammed. What do you mean this was going to cost a thousand dollars? And I was able to pay $10 for the medication itself. What was I paying $1,000 for? Who is that money going to? That is a hypothetical question. You all get my point.”
Her comments triggered a wave of reactions on social media, with users weighing in on drug pricing and healthcare access.
One user wrote, “Get it for a dollar here in India,” while another commented, “We need universal health care.”
A third user added, “Your big pharma now will pay your lawmakers to ban ordering medications outside your country in the guise of safety (not funny, but it’s not far from reality).”