USA - Life-threatening heart attack leaves teacher who was under some health insurance, with over $100,000 bill
USA - Life-threatening heart attack leaves teacher with $108,951 bill,
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/08/27/npr-life-threatening-heart-attack-leaves-teacher-with108951-bill, 27th Aug. 2018
Ravi: His life got saved. That's the great thing. But even after being orally told that his insurance would cover his hospital bill, he got billed over 100,000 dollars. The guy is a 44 year old teacher with kids.
He said, "They're going to give me another heart attack stressing over this bill," .. "I can't pay this bill on my teacher salary, and I don't want this to go to a debt collector."
What a very complex thing this health insurance stuff is! If you don't figure it out correctly, your life can get really messed up even if you have some decent job.
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Some more thoughts of mine on this:
Health insurance systems that I saw and read about in the USA in the 80s and 90s have slowly and steadily made way into upper middle class and upper class India, with hospital networks and insurance company tie-ups and all that, along with very costly "corporate" hospitals.
The gentleman (a teacher which hits me harder) in this case even asked whether he was covered in the hospital treating him and was told yes (he may not have proof for that). And now he is stuck with this huge bill that will be a millstone round his entire family's neck. Utterly unfair!
There is something terrifyingly scary about high cost of medical care which can bankrupt not only poor people but also middle class. Based on a few cases that I read about and was told, I am shocked to note that even though USA and India wealth levels and cost of living are very different, the healthcare costs as percentage of earning and associated bankruptcy threat for poor and middle class seems to be quite similar. Of course, healthcare quality in USA will be superior to India, in general.
During my young adult days in Bombay and surrounding areas, the healthcare quality was not all that great but it still worked and provided reasonable level of care. Very importantly, it was NOT having this kind of terrifyingly scary bankruptcy threat for the middle class.
Honestly, I wonder whether those days were better than now, even if healthcare quality has improved. I mean, it is better to live upto 60 or 70 without fear of bankruptcy over one's head (both my parents died in their early 60s) than live upto 70 or 80 but with that fear gnawing into one's life and happiness and peace of mind.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/08/27/npr-life-threatening-heart-attack-leaves-teacher-with108951-bill, 27th Aug. 2018
Ravi: His life got saved. That's the great thing. But even after being orally told that his insurance would cover his hospital bill, he got billed over 100,000 dollars. The guy is a 44 year old teacher with kids.
He said, "They're going to give me another heart attack stressing over this bill," .. "I can't pay this bill on my teacher salary, and I don't want this to go to a debt collector."
What a very complex thing this health insurance stuff is! If you don't figure it out correctly, your life can get really messed up even if you have some decent job.
------------------
Some more thoughts of mine on this:
Health insurance systems that I saw and read about in the USA in the 80s and 90s have slowly and steadily made way into upper middle class and upper class India, with hospital networks and insurance company tie-ups and all that, along with very costly "corporate" hospitals.
The gentleman (a teacher which hits me harder) in this case even asked whether he was covered in the hospital treating him and was told yes (he may not have proof for that). And now he is stuck with this huge bill that will be a millstone round his entire family's neck. Utterly unfair!
There is something terrifyingly scary about high cost of medical care which can bankrupt not only poor people but also middle class. Based on a few cases that I read about and was told, I am shocked to note that even though USA and India wealth levels and cost of living are very different, the healthcare costs as percentage of earning and associated bankruptcy threat for poor and middle class seems to be quite similar. Of course, healthcare quality in USA will be superior to India, in general.
During my young adult days in Bombay and surrounding areas, the healthcare quality was not all that great but it still worked and provided reasonable level of care. Very importantly, it was NOT having this kind of terrifyingly scary bankruptcy threat for the middle class.
Honestly, I wonder whether those days were better than now, even if healthcare quality has improved. I mean, it is better to live upto 60 or 70 without fear of bankruptcy over one's head (both my parents died in their early 60s) than live upto 70 or 80 but with that fear gnawing into one's life and happiness and peace of mind.
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