Sarah Thompson is a 30-year-old founder and CEO of a travel agency known as Luxama Travel. She's originally from Pennsylvania but moved to the south of Italy eight years ago.
In the video, Sarah uses the cost of giving birth prematurely in Italy and medical needs thereafter as an example of one of the major differences in the ways that both countries support their citizens, saying, "Since I gave birth in a public hospital in Italy, I've paid absolutely nothing."
Which is a big deal since, in America, the average cost for a vaginal delivery is $14,768 while the cost for a cesarean section (which is what Sarah had for her son and it was FREE) is $26,280 without insurance. And that's only the price if the delivery goes off without a hitch.
When BuzzFeed spoke with Sarah, she gave us details about just how different the medical costs are. "There are no 'hidden' fees or 'observation' fees for just looking at your baby. My son was born six weeks premature because of my high-risk pregnancy. I gave birth in a well-renowned public hospital in Naples, Italy, which has one of the best NICUs."
Because her son was born prematurely, he was recommended to undergo a treatment called Synagis to help prevent contracting the virus Respiratory Syncytial (RSV), which can be especially dangerous for babies born prematurely.
In the video, she gives us a cost comparison between what she paid for her child's RSV medicines and what people are paying in America and Canada:
Sarah says in the video, "So, in the US, it looks like it cost maybe about $1,844 for a supply of 0.5 milliliters." This total has increased to around $1,926 since Sarah posted her video.
Sarah continues, "In Canada, well, the Synagis cost roughly between $5,000 and $9,000 per child per RSV season."
For her son, she explains that his first treatment didn't come with a charge because it was done while they were still in the hospital. Her son had two other treatments totaling 60 and 74 milligrams, respectively.
And come to find out, Sarah only paid €20.66, an equivalent of about $22.55 total, for her son's treatment. And she even mentions that the nurse told her that if she had filled out an additional form beforehand, the cost would've only been €5.
When asked what her initial reaction was to learning about these cost differences, she responded, "Bewildered and lucky! I'm so fortunate to live in a country where I don't feel like I'm struggling or suffering because I can't afford to take care of my children. There is a sense of community here in Italy, where people look out for each other — even those who work within the medical field."
"I want to make things clear: it's not about having completely free medical care; it's about having affordable options. In Italy, you have options: you can go private or public. Public is free, and private is paid, but it's affordable! My gynecologist appointments cost roughly €100 (about $109.55), and that includes all the 3D ultrasound scans my heart desires."
She continued, "No one has to fall into debt over healthcare, which is and should always be a human right. It really frustrates me as well that some states are debating over female reproduction and abortion rights, but yet their system fails to support us in the first place. I think America should start doing bonuses like what they do here in Italy!"
Viewers of Sarah's TikTok video were quick to chime in with their own experiences of financial hardships in America and financial successes in Europe:
"Burned my hand and went to the ER for about an hour; I got a $1,100 bill. Which is great because I already have no money."
"We had a baby who wasn't premature but was in the NICU for a week, and with the best insurance on the market, it was $18,000 out of pocket to get him home."
However, Sarah recognizes that not all things are perfect in Italy, saying in her TikTok video, "Granted, Italy is not perfect, but it's a struggle in the US."
"Like I said before, no country is perfect. I really miss the accessibility of things in America. I want sushi at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday night? I'll drive 10–15 minutes or order it on a delivery app, and I'll have it within minutes. In the States, you can also find almost everything you need at any time of the day or even at one single store! While here in Italy, you will need to visit multiple shops to get all the items you need: the butcher for meat, the Tabacchi for batteries, the fruit stand for oranges, etc."
