Woman asked for $5 co-pay during heart attack

Posted: Feb 4th 2008 12:20PM by Bethany Sanders
Filed under: General Health, Health in the Media, Healthy Aging

Imagine visiting your doctor for chest pain and being rushed off to an ambulance because you're suffering a heart attack, only to be stopped by a receptionist looking for your $5 insurance co-pay. Ridiculous, right? That's what happened to Barbara Antonelli of Staten Island last month. Mrs. Antonelli, 76, was astounded when the receptionist approached her while she was lying on the gurney and reminded her that she hadn't paid her co-pay upon check-in.

The doctors in question have apologized and admitted that the receptionist acted inappropriately (and will be reprimanded). But one still has to wonder. After all, she was only doing her job and something in her training made her rush out to collect that money. A simple mistake? Or a sign of a bigger issue within their office? What do you think?