Pat Tumulty was tired all the time. His appetite was off, and his blood pressure was high. But, he hated going to the doctor and always put it off. His insurance had a high deductible, and since he only earned $9 an hour, paying for a doctor would be hard.
When he finally went for a physical, the doctor found problems. After a series of tests, Pat found out he had kidney disease, and $14,000 worth of medical bills. Why? He thought he had insurance, had been paying the premiums faithfully. But, since he was buying six-month policies (hoping to get a better job that would provide coverage), the insurance company insisted his illness was a “pre-existing condition” and wouldn’t cover his bills. ( Time magazine March 12, 2009)
Michelle Morse, a student at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, had colon cancer. Her doctor recommended she leave school for treatment, but, at the time, she would have lost her coverage under her parents’ insurance. So, she stayed and went for chemo treatments between classes. She died three years later. Her mom reported that one insurance company executive “told her indignantly that the company had already paid out a lot of money for Michelle.” She retorted, “I would give up my life for you not to have to pay one cent for my daughter.” (Nicholas Kristof, The NY Times March 1, 2009)
The United States “has the best health care” in the world — if you can afford to pay for it. Half of all bankruptcies in the US are triggered by medical bills. (MSNBC) And, American children under age 5 are more likely to die then children in Spain, Portugal, or Slovenia. The World Health Organization found that American women are at a higher risk of dying than those in Greece, Spain, or Germany. (Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times, March 1, 2009)
We spend $6,800 per person (about twice the level of spending in Canada or most of Europe) to get second-class results. (Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times, March 1, 2009)
What can we do about it?
A Facebook group modelled on whitehouse2.org – offer solutions to fix healthcare, vote suggestions up and down, send the top 10 to the White House
Share the burden, encourage saving. One company, called Famous Supply, increased the deductible employees had to pay and required employees to pay a monthly premium for insurance. At the end of each year, workers who didn’t submit any claims got 2/3 of their premiums back, as a bonus.
Insist on reform. Lobby your representatives. Insist on standards for conducting expensive tests (like MRIs) or limits on numbers of embryos implanted during in vitro fertilization. Insist that insurance companies become more efficient (mine sends me 7 letters each year when I renew my policy – and some of them contradict each other). Demand easier (and broader) access to primary health care, check ups, and clinics that are less costly than emergency room visits.
By Jodi Kaplan
