April 18.
Early in the morning, a headline began spreading like wildfire across social media:
"Celestial Medical Center Charges Sky-High Prices!"
The article detailed a shocking story.
A man named Christopher Wu, a resident of Travis Heights, Austin, had experienced severe abdominal pain and relentless vomiting the night before. His condition quickly worsened, and he fell into shock.
Panicked, his wife, Grace Wu, had no time to think. She dialed the emergency number for Celestial Medical Center, the nearest hospital.
Within minutes, an ambulance arrived. Christopher was rushed to the Emergency Department, where the attending physician diagnosed him with digestive tract obstruction.
Emergency surgery was performed immediately. The doctors successfully relieved the obstruction, pulling Christopher back from the brink of death.
It should have been a happy ending.
But then Grace saw the bill.
Her relief turned into pure rage.
The hospital invoice listed the following:
Ambulance fee: $1300
Emergency surgical fee: $1850
Paracentesis procedure: $12,400
Gastrointestinal endoscopy: $28,700
Colonoscopy with biopsy: $16,800
Anesthesia fee: $24,600
CT scan and blood tests: $24,900
Digestive tract obstruction surgery: $118,200
Nursing care: $1,400
Post-surgery evaluation: $820
Total cost: $231,970
When Grace saw the bill, she was furious.
"This is robbery! How can a hospital charge this much?"
Even worse, these fees did not include hospitalization costs.
Determined to expose what she saw as blatant price gouging, she took to social media.
Within hours, her post went viral. On Twitter, thousands of users reacted.
"Are you kidding me? This hospital is a money trap!"
"A public hospital would charge only $30,000 for the same procedure. Private hospitals are a scam!"
"$230,000 just to get treatment? Who can afford this?"
"My dad had intestinal obstruction last year and needed a full bowel resection. The hospital bill was $150,000. Honestly, Celestial Medical Center's pricing isn't as outrageous as I thought."
"Look at the breakdown—most of the cost comes from high-end diagnostic tests and anesthesia."
The debate raged on.
Then, Grace released the hospital's full price list.
Her post included the costs of various procedures at Celestial Medical Center:
Allogeneic bone marrow transplant: $2.3 million
Liver or intestinal transplant: $2 million
Autologous bone marrow transplant: $1.9 million
Colorectal cancer surgery: $460,000 – $920,000
Major cardiovascular surgery: $600,000
Gastric, esophageal, and duodenal cancer surgery: $300,000
Seizure treatment: $180,000 – $200,000
Heart failure and shock treatment: $145,000 – $245,000
The numbers stunned the public.
"Is this even real? Can this hospital actually cure these diseases?"
"Well, their prices are listed publicly. It's not like they're hiding anything."
While many criticized the hospital's pricing, others defended it.
Celestial Medical Center was not a public institution. It was a premium private hospital, designed for those who could afford the absolute best.
Their cutting-edge technology, top-tier medical teams, and five-star facilities set them apart from ordinary hospitals.
They weren't competing with public hospitals.
They were competing with elite medical institutions worldwide.
And for the wealthy?
Cost wasn't the issue. Quality and speed were.
The controversy had only just begun—but Celestial Medical Center wasn't worried.
If anything, the publicity was attracting even more high-end patients.
The online debate over Celestial Medical Center's pricing raged on. Some users remained outraged, fixated on the astronomical costs, while others began questioning whether the backlash was justified.
"The private hospital I went to charged tens of thousands just for a chronic illness checkup. This pricing isn't that different from what's on the list."
"Why is everyone only talking about the price? Shouldn't we be looking at the quality of medical care?"
"Well… the only real criticism against Celestial Medical Center is the high cost! It's the largest hospital in the world, and their medical team is top-tier."
"Still, it's way too expensive! Their prices are several times higher than public hospitals!"
As the argument escalated, an unexpected voice entered the conversation.
Dr. Richard Lawson, Chief Physician of the Clinical Blood Transfusion Department at St. David's Medical Center in Austin, posted his perspective on Twitter.
"Celestial Medical Center is definitely not a predatory hospital!" he wrote.
"Just a few days ago, our hospital had to postpone multiple surgeries due to a critical blood shortage."
"Then, out of nowhere, Celestial Medical Center's Blood Bank reached out and offered to donate the blood we needed—at no charge."
"Right now, hospitals all over the country are struggling with blood supply shortages."
"If Celestial Medical Center publicly announced that they had an abundant blood reserve, countless patients would flock to them for treatment."
"But they didn't."
"That says something about their integrity."
His post quickly gained traction, sparking further discussion.
Soon, Emily Bennett, a nurse from Houston Methodist Hospital, shared her own experience.
"We recently had a patient with Rh-null blood—one of the rarest blood types in the world."
"We were desperate. No hospital in the region had a supply, and without it, the patient wouldn't survive."
"Then Celestial Medical Center contacted us. Their Blood Bank had enough in stock and was willing to transfer it to us immediately."
"That patient has since undergone successful surgery and is now recovering."
"Rh-null blood is so rare that if Celestial Medical Center had advertised their supply, patients from all over would have rushed to them."
"But they didn't."
"Not only did they give us the blood, but they did so for free."
The revelations didn't stop there.
Dr. Michael Davenport, President of Mayo Clinic, also weighed in.
"Last week, Celestial Medical Center donated over 1,000 units of various blood types to us, helping us address a critical shortage."
"From what I understand, hospitals nationwide have received similar donations."
"And all of these blood units? Provided for free."
"Yes, Celestial Medical Center is expensive. But their medical expertise, technology, and service justify the cost."
"More importantly, their primary focus is critical cases—not everyday medical care. If a patient has a minor illness, they actually recommend going elsewhere."
As these testimonials spread, more hospital executives, physicians, and medical professionals came forward to praise Celestial Medical Center.
The sentiment was unanimous:
This hospital was expensive, but it was also saving lives in ways few had realized.
Netizens were stunned.
It wasn't just one or two hospitals speaking up—it was every major hospital in the country.
Curious, people began researching Celestial Medical Center in more detail.
What they found changed everything.
Celestial Medical Center didn't operate like other hospitals.
Their doctors were paid fixed annual salaries, eliminating financial incentives to rush patients through treatment.
Every consultation lasted a minimum of 30 minutes, ensuring thorough, individualized care.
Their medical team was stacked with world-class experts, including multiple Nobel laureates in medicine.
Even their entry-level physicians all held doctorates—something unheard of in traditional hospitals.
For years, Celestial Medical Center had been quietly shaping the future of medicine.
And now, the world was finally taking notice.
"Wait… Celestial Medical Center is actually this good? I misjudged them!"
"The top public hospital in my state only has about 100 doctors with PhDs. Celestial Medical Center has over 4,500, and they're just assistants?!"
"So at this hospital, ordinary medical professors and PhDs are considered junior staff?"
"We all got it wrong. Celestial Medical Center was never meant for general healthcare—it's for the critically ill and the ultra-wealthy."
The narrative had shifted.
What started as a scandal had turned into a revelation.