A screenshot of a woman claiming that her parents divorced after 52 years of marriage is all over social media, with people sympathising with the woman and her parents. The woman claimed that her parents separated not because they grew out of love or found someone else, but because of the crushing weight of medical debt. As per the viral screenshot, her father’s medical bills had accumulated nearly $288,000 (Rs 24.6 crore). To escape this colossal debt, the couple decided to part ways, despite being deeply in love.
Fake or real?
We’ll examine, but first, let us take a look at the viral post. “Well, it’s done. My parents’ divorce was finalised yesterday. They are no longer married after 52 years,” read the post by a woman who goes by “beckylynnpaige” online.
It added, “Still in love and still together, but divorce was necessary because of Dad’s medical bills. Now, when Dad passes, Mom won’t be saddled with $288,000 in debt. She’s free, and the house is in her name. Pretty sad that decades of marriage come to an end because of the American medical system.”
Pretty emotional, isn’t it? But what if we tell you that it is fake? Yes, the screenshot is fake. It goes viral every single time someone shares it on social media, given its emotional quotient.
Viral post is fake
Still don’t believe us? Well, people fact-checked it via Grok, and here’s what the chatbot told them word for word: “The screenshot purporting to be a 2018 tweet from becklynnpaige88 is fake. No such account or tweet exists in archives. It exceeds Twitter’s 280-character limit (393 chars), making it impossible for 2018. Fact-checks trace the hoax to around 2021.”
Many even said in the comments that the medical debt doesn’t pass on to family members, as claimed in the post.
That said, the issue the viral post touches upon isn’t entirely baseless. The United States has the highest healthcare costs in the world, because of which many Americans, despite signing up for health insurance, face gaps in coverage, due to which they end up paying out-of-pocket expenses.
66.5 per cent of people in the US who file for bankruptcy reportedly blame medical bills as a key factor. According to a study published by Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker in 2024, 14 million Americans owe over $1,000 in medical debt, and the total medical debt in the country exceeds hundreds of billions of dollars. The report also found that people whose health condition is poor or those living with a disability are more likely to report medical debt.