In the latest example of how backward and broken California’s Democrat-run healthcare system has become, a father has gone viral after revealing that his daughter’s ambulance ride cost more than three times as much—because he had insurance.
Robby Witt, a California dad and popular TikToker with over half a million followers, posted a jaw-dropping video in February that is still going viral, which has Americans across the country furious.
In the clip, he calmly dismantles a so-called “progressive” California law that punishes people for being responsible and having health insurance.
Witt, whose daughter needed life-saving ambulance care, was initially billed just $600.
But once he submitted his insurance information, the bill exploded to a staggering $2,342, forcing him to pay $1,264 out-of-pocket after his insurance paid only $1,078.85.
The video, captioned “This is not satire. This is the state of healthcare in America—a lifesaving ambulance ride for my daughter. The state of California is penalizing citizens who have insurance,” has set social media ablaze, with nearly 33 million views as Americans reel from the absurdity.
Witt’s conversation with the operator lays bare the twisted logic of California’s healthcare system.
Operator:
How can I help you?Robby Witt:
So, I think there’s a mistake on the bill, but maybe you could help me out. We got a bill, and then we realized that you guys didn’t have our insurance. So we sent you the insurance, and it looks like the bill went up.Operator:
It went up?Robby Witt:
Yeah, the first bill we got without the insurance was 600 bucks, and then the second one was almost 1,300 bucks.Operator:
Okay. Yeah, the first invoice you received—that’s a discount you receive if you’re uninsured. So you’re not eligible for the discount since you are insured. The bill was $2,342.14. We billed your insurance. Your insurance only paid $1,078.85.Robby Witt:
Can I go back to the discount without the insurance?Operator:
No, since you’re insured, you’re not eligible for the discount.Robby Witt:
If I go cancel my insurance, am I eligible for the discount?Operator:
No, sir, because we checked eligibility and you do have active coverage for the date of service.Robby Witt:
Oh, I needed to cancel it before I got the service to get the discount.Operator:
You’re only eligible for the discount if you’re uninsured.Robby Witt:
Okay, so I’ll get cheaper health care if I’m uninsured?Operator:
If you’re uninsured, you’re eligible for the discount. Correct.Robby Witt:
Is this common? I pay for insurance and I end up paying more out of pocket because I pay for a premium? That’s wild.Operator:
No, this is just a new law that started in 2024—AB 716. The law is that you receive a discount if you’re uninsured. When we first send an invoice to the patient, we bill them as if they’re uninsured. If you’re insured, unfortunately, you’re not eligible for the discount.Robby Witt:
Okay, so if I have the incentives straight here—if I want to pay less for medical care, I should cancel my insurance if my daughter needs life-saving medical care?Operator:
I don’t know, sir, if you should cancel your insurance. I’m just letting you know that the discount is only for patients who are uninsured.Robby Witt:
Okay, that is special. That is a special law. So there’s no way to put that discount onto an insured person? Only the uninsured people get that?Operator:
Correct.
WATCH:
In an exclusive interview with Fox News last month, Witt slammed the authors of AB 716, calling out California’s warped logic.
“Your whole life you’ve been told, right? Like, you want to buy health insurance so that if something – God forbid – happens, then you will get a lower rate than if you didn’t have the insurance. Like, that’s what we’ve all been told our whole lives. And then the exact opposite happened,” Witt told Fox.
“My real problem, I guess, is that it’s based off of insurance and why this bill wasn’t written based off of income… So in fact, you could have a higher-income family than me who decides to say, you know what? We’re not going to buy insurance. And now, all of a sudden, their ambulance bills are going to be cheaper, even though they’re higher income.”
“And so, you know, sometimes when they go to legislate these things, I don’t know if they ran out of IQ points to get it done, but it just doesn’t make sense to me that you would offer discounts based on whether someone’s insured and not based off of their W-2 income.”
The post Dad Rips California Law in Viral Video After Daughter’s Ambulance Bill Tripled from $600 to Over $2000 After He Told Them He Has Insurance appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.