A family of five is facing financial ruin because their father is sick. In 2004, he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. After surgical removal of the tumor, radiation and chemotherapy, the father returned to work.
The father knew that this tumor might return someday, but he hoped for the best and hoped he'd be one of the 5% of people who never have their tumor return. After six years, he began to have hope that his brain tumor would remain in remission. He went back to work in 2004, taking periodic breaks when his health would decline, but always maintaining his employee status at work.
On January 12, 2010, he began experiencing odd sensations and he knew that something was wrong. He called his doctors and who recommended an emergency MRI. His health insurance was cancelled and the hospital would not perform an MRI without proof of coverage.
How did this happen?
The father learned on this day, after calling his employer repeatedly, that he had been terminated five days prior. In order to have health insurance he had to pay COBRA payments. He was quoted $1400 for his family of five. Most families on disability can't pay for COBRA at this rate.
Despite numerous phone calls, his wife is not clear who is covering their health insurance right now, but she is sure of one thing: her husband is getting a recurrent brain tumor removed, regardless of the cost.
The last thing any family needs to worry about is how their medical needs will be covered if a crisis hits. They had coverage as far as they knew and were not told about the layoff until after the father called about his lack of insurance for his MRI.
Maybe this family could have prepared better for the return of the father's brain tumor. They might have decreased their living expenses to a degree, but as anyone that has ever lived on disability payments will tell you, you can't exactly save money living on disability.
We need change in our healthcare system. There is no better proof than this family.
The father knew that this tumor might return someday, but he hoped for the best and hoped he'd be one of the 5% of people who never have their tumor return. After six years, he began to have hope that his brain tumor would remain in remission. He went back to work in 2004, taking periodic breaks when his health would decline, but always maintaining his employee status at work.
On January 12, 2010, he began experiencing odd sensations and he knew that something was wrong. He called his doctors and who recommended an emergency MRI. His health insurance was cancelled and the hospital would not perform an MRI without proof of coverage.
How did this happen?
The father learned on this day, after calling his employer repeatedly, that he had been terminated five days prior. In order to have health insurance he had to pay COBRA payments. He was quoted $1400 for his family of five. Most families on disability can't pay for COBRA at this rate.
Despite numerous phone calls, his wife is not clear who is covering their health insurance right now, but she is sure of one thing: her husband is getting a recurrent brain tumor removed, regardless of the cost.
The last thing any family needs to worry about is how their medical needs will be covered if a crisis hits. They had coverage as far as they knew and were not told about the layoff until after the father called about his lack of insurance for his MRI.
Maybe this family could have prepared better for the return of the father's brain tumor. They might have decreased their living expenses to a degree, but as anyone that has ever lived on disability payments will tell you, you can't exactly save money living on disability.
We need change in our healthcare system. There is no better proof than this family.
0 comments:
Post a Comment