About 10 years ago, I quit a job with health benefits and took one without them. Four months later, I got sick and spent 3 days in the hospital.
The hospital social worker called and pressured me to sign up for the Oregon Health Plan (Oregon’s Medicaid dollars; similar to MediCal, et.al.). I said, “No, thanks”. The next time she called, I said, “Don’t call me any more.” I got calls for two more weeks, which I did not answer.
I hadn’t received a bill yet, but knew the balance because I’d called the billing department and asked. The total was about 6 grand (of course, if I’d had insurance, the insurance company’s bill would have ended up at about 2 grand).
Finally, on the eighth or ninth call from the social worker (and still no bill), I said, emphatically, “I’m not applying for OHP. Would you please honor my request to stop calling me.” She insisted I needed to apply. I insisted I didn’t. She pressured me to tell her my income. I refused, telling her it was none of her gorram business.
She said, in a condescending tone, “How do you expect to pay your bill if you don’t apply for OHP?” I said, “I haven’t even gotten the f-n bill yet, but if paying the bill is what it will take for you to quit trying to get me on welfare, fine. You get on your little computer, and I’ll pay you right now.”
Silence.
She transfered me to the billing department and I paid with a credit card. It took me nearly 4 years to pay it off, but pay it off I did. Gave up some things in my life (some “frivolous”, some not), but paid it off.
Would I have qualified for “free” health coverage? You betcha; I fit the criteria OHP was using at the time. But I consider the highly stressful and budget-busting 4-years of monthly payments to be MY responsibility, not the responsibility of the taxpayers (my friends and neighbors). Some might say, “Well, you were privileged enough to have a credit card”…the hospital also offered a long-term payment option at about the same interest rate, so someone without a credit card could also make a payment plan.
A guy I know had a heart attack. More than $60K in hospital bills and no health insurance. The hospital admitted that an insurance company would pay a third or less, but they’d give him a 10% cash discount. He’s lucky he owns a house; he took out a second mortgage, which he strains to pay. Not a place you want to be when you’re closer to 70 than 50, but he and his wife have shouldered the responsibility.
A friend works for a company that offers insurance, but the employee has to pitch in about $100 per month. This man insists he can’t afford it and takes his kid to the Urgent Care or ER for a bad cold, expecting the taxpayers to foot the bill (and we do). While he can’t afford $100 for health insurance, he’s got a cell phone, Cable TV, DSL, and two dogs.
I’m not saying there aren’t people in America who honestly can’t afford the ridiculously rising costs of health care. I’m not saying it’s moral and ethical for hospitals to accept such low payments from insurance companies and stick it to private-payers to make up for their losses. And I’m not saying we (the taxpayers) shouldn’t help those who can’t help themselves.
What I am saying is this: our culture might need a new definition of can’t.
taking time to think
Life
