Hasan, a Twitch pop-political streamer, expressed his disappointment with the US healthcare system after watching MrBeast cure 1,000 people of blindness.
MrBeast recently released what he calls his favorite video of all time, in which he works with SEE International to provide Small Incision Manual Cataract Surgery (MSICS) to 1,000 patients worldwide.
SEE describes this procedure as “the simplest and most cost-effective cataract treatment by a significant margin” and states that knowledge is a barrier to its use, since this method has a low cost of materials. The surgeon featured in the MrBeast video stated that half of the 200 million blind people in the world can be cured with a 10-minute operation.
While watching the video in streaming mode, Hasan was “filled with rage,” saying that the American health care system had blocked affordable surgery — and, in turn, people’s eyesight — for paid access.
Hasan gets Angry at American Healthcare during MrBeast Video
Hasan watched the MrBeast video during his broadcast on January 29 with the participation of YouTuber Valkyrae. At one point, Valkyra exclaimed loudly when the woman started crying after returning to her seat, but Hassan had a different reaction.
“You watch this video and say, ‘Oh, how cute. how nice.” I’m watching this video and I’m filled with rage,” Hassan said. “We closed access to the 10—minute procedure because we were paying for it and decided that some people just can’t get it.”
He further expressed his disappointment, stating that instead of making this procedure easily accessible, “one YouTube guy” should provide the operation to people who are too poor to afford it themselves.
According to a study by the National Library of Medicine, MSICS costs the hospital less than $16 for materials. Insurers report that the average cost of cataract surgery in the United States ranges from $1,600 to $2,600. And without insurance, cataract removal can cost up to $6,000.
Medicare recipients can expect to pay approximately $316 out of pocket for cataract surgery. This is 2000% more than the cost of materials for a 10-minute MSICS procedure.
