These stories come from the real people who live with a broken health care system. Some have health insurance and some do not. Many of these stories suggest potential solutions* that lead to quality, affordable health care we can count on. One thing we all agree on is that the we cannot trust the insurance industry to fix themselves. To learn more about what Health Care for America Now stands for read our Statement of Common Purpose.
We wanted to give you a chance to speak for yourself, in your own voice, about the need for Health Care for America Now. Do you have something to say? Tell us your story.
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Anonymous
Los Altos, CA
In March 2005 on a Wednesday, I accidentally broke my leg skiing on Mt. Blanc in Italy. I was whisked off the mountain to an Emergency Hut where a doctor took an x-ray and confirmed a spiral tibia fracture. (The skiis did not release from the boot when I fell.) I was immediately taken by ambulance to the Regional hospital in Val d'Aste, admitted and told I would need a surgery to repair the break. However, I was told that I would have to wait until Monday for the surgery. I was told there was no charge. But since I wanted to go on with my trip, I asked if we could have the surgery sooner. On Thursday,I was operated on and had a titantim rod and screws fixating the break, but had to pay for the surgery: $12,000 in all. I was released from the hospital with crutches on Saturday morning and because I was a "paying" patient, I had a private room. Fast forward to June 2006 when I had to have my gall bladder removed in a very good community hospital district in Mountain View, CA. The routine out-patient laporoscopy took 31 minutes in the operating room, and I stayed approximately 8 hours at the hospital in total, sharing a quad room post-operatively. The hospital bill was $32,000 and this did not include the doctors professional fees. Fortuantely, insurance covered both of these incidents. But the difference in cost is unconscionable and makes no sense. By the way, I should mention my orthopedic surgeon in the states who followed me post-operatively told me I could not have gotten as good a job on my leg in the states!
*Health Care for America Now is not responsible for the content of these stories. These stories are submitted by individuals in the online audience and have been edited in some cases. Health Care For America Now does not endorse any of the solutions or policy positions suggested in the content of these stories. Health Care for America Now is a coalition of organizations that agree to the Statement of Common Purpose.
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