Health care is not a luxury

OVER THE past months, the media has discussed the health care debate--but never what's really at stake. While Fox News and CNN argue about "death panels," for most people, it's hard to even imagine getting a checkup every year because of the cost.

It's unclear whether inadequate housing, the poor quality of accessible food, backbreaking workdays or a combination of all these things causes illness. What is clear is that getting sick is part of life. The problem lies in what happens when this happens. If you have money, you don't worry too much, because the services are there for you. If you don't have money, your illness could drive you straight into bankruptcy, even if you are insured.

Here in Houston, Texas, one out of every three people is uninsured, and although our state is supposed to be less affected by the financial crisis, it is one of the worst hit by the health care epidemic. When one-third of the population can't afford to trip while walking to work because the costs might cause their financial ruin, the debate is no longer a crisis; it becomes an epidemic.

The story below is that of a young woman from El Salvador who came to Houston in hopes of getting a better education and a better life. She, like millions of others, came for the fabled American Dream. Sadly, she found out that it truly was only a dream when she, by no fault of her own, got sick.

After working hard at her job and her studies, an appendicitis attack caused her to go into financial debt that will affect her life much longer than her illness. She asked to remain anonymous for this article so that she can avoid any further complications:

It is great that the United States has the best technology in medicine as well as the best-trained doctors. It is bad that the average American citizen does not have access to the benefits of their own system. It is definitively ugly that people have to think twice whether they should treat their illnesses or not, whether they really need it or not. Have we forgotten that health care is an inherent right of every human being?

It is very saddening to realize that in the United States, one of the richest and most powerful countries, health care is a synonym of luxury. Uninsured and underinsured Americans dread getting sick, not because of the consequences of the illness itself but rather of the high debt they will be incurring after the treatment. Indeed, this debt can even lead in many cases to bankruptcy--and yes, due to a single medical emergency.

I am one of those uninsured patients who found out that the "recovery" is actually worse and more psychologically distressing than the illness itself. Here is why.

During the summer of 2009, I had to rush to the nearest emergency room due to intolerable pain in my abdomen. After some tests were performed, doctors found out I had appendicitis. As a result, I was admitted to the hospital because the appendix needed to be surgically removed.

I clearly stated to the registration office that I did not have insurance. Nevertheless, they never mentioned anything about their institution being private and apparently not having charity programs available. At this point, they did not give me any other alternative but to stay.

Fortunately, the surgery went well. The appendix was removed laparoscopically without any complications, and by the next afternoon, I was discharged. What I did not realize at this point was that the horrible nightmare was not reaching an end, but rather, this was only the start of a persistent distress.

As I was leaving the hospital, still dizzy from the medications, I decided to stop by the business office to pick up the "unofficial and unfinished" bill. I was expecting the cost of the whole procedure not to exceed $9,000, for emergency room and operating room service plus the one-night stay. Certainly, I was surprised and shocked when I found out that the total charges added up to $48,000, and this still was not the final bill.

Indeed, I felt like dying again. The lady at the business office said that the final bill would be ready in a couple days. She said that it was better for me to settle the account since I did not have insurance, and I did not qualify for Medicaid. This was the best solution in order to avoid my credit history from being damaged. Undoubtedly, I left the hospital with a more stressful state of mind than the one that I had before the surgery.

The next week after the surgery, I received a call from the hospital stating that the finalized bill was ready. The amount increased to $54,500. The hospital gave me two options: Settle the account for half of that amount, provided that I give them a check immediately, or set up a payment plan for $250 every month until the balance was completely cleared. They also said that I would be getting other bills from five different doctors: surgeon, anesthesiologist, pathologist, emergency and radiologist.

Obviously, neither of the options offered suited me. As a college student, they were not realistic. Needless to say, I had no means to get that outrageous sum of money, and neither could I afford to pay $250 for the rest of my life, at least while going to college.

Subsequently, I decided to make a viable and realistic offer to the hospital. I offered them $20,000 in a payment plan with smaller installments every month. However, they refused my offer and left no further room for negotiation. In spite of this, I did not give up and kept looking for other possible solutions.

I contacted the Medicaid representative at the hospital, and she told me that I did not qualify for Medicaid because I needed to be either pregnant or disabled. She also said my monthly income ($800 from a part-time job) was beyond the limits to be considered a candidate. I looked for other government-funded programs, and the only one that I could qualify for, the Gold Card from the Harris County Hospital District, did not cover appendectomy expenses because the hospital that I went to was private.

After this, I decided to seek legal advice and find out what my rights were. I have spoken with three lawyers; all agreed that the sum is outrageous. One of them referred me to an expert in consumer law, who then told me that if I did not pay or reach a settlement with them, the hospital had four years to sue me, and that I would be in a disadvantageous position if I were to lose.

This lawyer referred me to a bankruptcy lawyer, who said that if I file bankruptcy under Chapter 7, this will stay on my credit report for 10 years, but at least all the debt would be cleared. Another lawyer commented on the itemized bill and said that the hospital had overcharged me on supplies. The two only possible solutions for me were to either file bankruptcy or to keep trying to settle with the hospital.

I really think that nobody should go through this nightmare. I am exhausted from not being able to sleep at night, worrying and thinking about what will happen. However, I have learned a lot from this experience.

Before my surgery, I was very naïve and did not believe that a relatively simple and a "routine procedure" would leave a person in the verge of bankruptcy. Fortunately or unfortunately, I am now aware of the injustice that millions of underinsured or uninsured Americans face every time they get sick. Certainly, I am not the only one who faces a dilemma when trying to decide to seek health care.

My friend worked hard every day and did as she was told, and she was put on the first bus to bankruptcy. When Wall Street drives the economy into crisis, they get bailouts and bonuses to keep them afloat. As long as profit is the deciding factor in an industry meant to save lives, people will be allowed to die.