Healthcare in the United States is incredibly expensive. Health expenditures in the country amounted to $13,432 per person in 2023, as noted by the PETERSON-KFF Health System Tracker. For context, the average spending among comparable countries was just $7,393 per person.
For those higher prices, Americans don’t generally get better health outcomes. A 2023 report from The Commonwealth Fund found that the U.S. has the lowest life expectancy at birth of high-income countries. The country also has the highest rate of people with multiple chronic diseases of that same group.
No matter why this is the case, every American is familiar with this reality. Price plays such a role in the lives of Americans when it comes to healthcare that around a third of people in the country say they’ve put off or avoided medical treatment in the past year due to cost. For uninsured people, that number jumps to around 75 percent.
However, if there’s an emergency, you generally have no choice but to go to the hospital. Recently, TikTok user Lex (@lexnegrete) showed the aftermath of a man getting stung by yellowjackets “at least 100 max 200” times. Viewers focused on something different.
Why Did This Man Have His Debit Card Out At The Hospital?
In the video, Lex shows a man recovering from yellowjacket stings. For context, a “yellowjacket” is a name given to a variety of yellow-and-black wasps in North America.
“POV: u get attacked by yellowjacket’s at the golf course,” she writes in the text overlaying the video. In the caption, she adds, “got him all over his head, back, ass and ankles and he survived.”
Lex notes in the comments that the man is OK after receiving treatment. The treatment, she says, involved “[taking] out the stingers out from his head and the rest of his body while another nurse got his IV started for the benadryl and pain meds.”
Although the main point of the video was the injury, some commenters took note of something else: a debit card visible on the hospital bed.
“The credit card being out,” wrote a commenter, followed by a crying emoji. “Welcome to america.”
“Must be the US, has his credit card out already,” echoed another.
That said, some countered that there was a different, more interesting reason why the man had his debit card out.
How Can A Debit Card Help With A Yellowjacket Sting?
It’s possible that the card was out because the man in the video simply needed to pay the copay on his insurance. This is the payment that one must make upon using a medical service, even with insurance. Most policies have a standard copay for emergency room visits.
A debit card may also have another use. As explained by WebMD, yellowjackets don’t normally leave a stinger. When they do leave a stinger, and it’s still identifiably on the skin, one can remove it by scraping the area with a plastic card like a credit or debit card.
If the stinger is under the surface of the skin, it’s best to leave it alone and let it come out naturally. If one has as many stings as the person in the video, however, they should consult a medical expert about the best course of action.
Commenters Are Terrified
In the comments section, users were shocked by the experience detailed in the video, with many offering additional, haunting information.
“He really is so lucky. My neighbor died this way. He wasn’t allergic just stung multiple times around his neck and face,” wrote a user.
“Bees sting as a last resort. Wasps sting to protect themselves and their nests. Yellow jackets and hornets sting for fun. They like inflicting pain. They delight in the suffering of other creatures,” offered another. While it can’t be confirmed that yellowjackets “sting for fun,” there’s not a lot of evidence showing why they do attack. This has led some to claim they attack out of hunger, while others say they simply enjoy doing so.
“I was chased by a swarm once! TRAUMATIZING,” recalled a third. “I was only stung twice, my bf was stung 15 or so times. we ran to the library and the yellow jackets waited outside for us ALL DAY. we had to call our parents to pick up up. I have a debilitating fear of wasps/bees now.”
@lexnegrete got him all over his head, back, ass and ankles and he survived 🫨 #yellowjackets
♬ This Is The Life Demo Hannah Montana – out of context hannah montana
BroBible reached out to Lex via TikTok and Instagram direct message.