Influencer sparks debate after visiting Turkish hospital for cheap medical tests

An influencer's visit to a Turkish hospital to get cheaper medical tests has sparked a debate about the American healthcare system on TikTok.

In a viral TikTok video, influencer Bryn Elise (@bryn.elise) showed her followers what the VIP experience at a hospital in Turkey was like, which included 30 tests (normally expensive in the United States) for the modest price of $810. She began the video by saying, “I flew to Turkey to get the most in-depth checkup of my life.”

“To do this in the United States would have cost me thousands of dollars and taken months to get it done,” he said, adding that the hospital was a highly praised memorial hospital accredited by the Joint Commission International. “But in one day, we do everything: scans, tests, meetings with specialists, and the price of everything is exorbitant.”

The video went on to show what Elise called the “fanciest” hospital she had ever seen, and she consulted with a translator and coordinator named Sam, who showed her around the facility. First, they drew her blood, then gave her an EKG to measure her blood pressure, and measured her height and weight.

Doctors then took her to radiology for a chest X-ray, abdominal and thyroid ultrasound. She was then taken to the nuclear medicine ward, where she underwent a bone densitometry scan.

She then took a lunch break and ate food from the popular BigChefs Market restaurant, which supplied the entire hospital and gave patients the option to order food to their rooms. Afterward, she met with the hospital’s internal medicine doctor, who went over the results of the more than 30 tests, scans and cancer markers she had performed.

Once she had asked all her pressing questions, she went to the gynecologist for a Pap smear and to the ophthalmologist to have her eyes checked. She also saw a cardiologist to have her stress tested and her heartbeat analyzed.

Elise was able to get more tests and scans than most American patients could afford due to the exorbitant prices of healthcare in the country. In the comments section, users were stunned by how much she was able to do for less than $1,000.

“This is like a real medical checkup,” one person wrote. “Meanwhile, in the US, at an annual checkup [appointment] They touch your knee, they take your [blood pressure] and I say goodbye to you.”

Another added: “EVERY specialist medical consultation in one day changes your life!”

“It’s an absolute crime that we can’t do this once a year in the US and have it covered by insurance,” said another person. “We are so far behind.”

This is not the first time a debate about high medical bills in the United States has been sparked on TikTok. In 2021, a California woman went viral on the app when she revealed that her hospital had billed her more than $50,000 for the birth of her baby. Her insurance plan ended up paying $50,816.02 for the birth and she only owed $250.

However, she explained that most people don't have $50,000 to spare to have a baby, noting that it was “like a down payment on a house somewhere.”