Healthcare is enough to break us all
One of the bigger challenges facing San Benito County
residents
– and all Americans – is that we can no longer afford to live,
die, or get well.
Healthcare is enough to break us all
One of the bigger challenges facing San Benito County residents – and all Americans – is that we can no longer afford to live, die, or get well.
This realization arrived while I was hanging out with my mom. We were eating pot roast together in her cozy senior apartment when the fire truck showed up. We strolled out to the walkway, stood with other mature Americans, and watched as one of their fellow senior apartment dwellers was attended to and packed into an ambulance that had arrived. The dweller had fallen in the kitchen and suffered an injury.
The gathered dwellers first teamed up to ascertain who was injured. They then offered clinical analysis of the potential financial fallout.
“If they get you in that ambulance and take you to the hospital, it’ll cost you more than you’re worth” said a woman standing next to me.
I told her a friend of mine was riding his bicycle and got hit by a car, and had to be transported by helicopter. I asked her to guess how much the helicopter ride cost and she answered “probably $20,000,” which was correct. I told her my friend was grateful, but had to sell possessions to try and cover costs. And he has insurance.
“If I get hit by a car don’t call anyone,” said a gentleman. “You’ll go broke before you even get to the hospital.”
My mom and her fellow dwellers are a cheerful lot. But when it comes to health-care costs, they’re worriers. And it isn’t just them. I assumed that rich people led care-free HDTV lives and had even their lifts and tucks covered 100 percent by Swedish HMOs.
It turns out I am wrong.
A recent story by the Associated Press states that 43 percent of rich-people respondents to a survey said they are concerned that “rising health-care costs will eat through their assets.” They are worried that their parents and children will be impacted by these costs. A chunk of those surveyed had assets of $5 million or more.
A story in the San Francisco Chronicle says there has been a 34 percent increase in health-care costs from 2001 to 2005. That the “average” family has an annual premium cost of $10,551.
So the rich, senior dwellers, and average families are being priced out of health.
What I think this means is that average types like me keep more of our injuries and illnesses to ourselves, even when we shouldn’t. Four months ago I smashed a finger playing basketball. I figured I’d give it a week and see how it went. It doesn’t hurt and is functional, but doesn’t bend much. Friends tell me I will develop arthritis, trichinosis, and glaucoma without treatment.
I tell them my deductible is higher than the GNP of Haiti.
Recently a basketball buddy suffered the same injury. He went for medical treatment. He came back in six weeks. We compared recoveries.
“How much bend do you have?” I asked.
“A hair more than you,” he said. “but it cost me a couple grand. Flexibility is expensive.”
The way health care is these days, I’ll take the bend, and pray for no breaks.
