Employed, have health insurance, but not covered
Mammograms, medications and lab tests were all part of the $14,000 bill for one Wyoming woman whose health insurance barely even covered a hospital stay. (Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, May 10, 2008) If she wanted to have a biopsy, sorry, not covered, was the response from her insurer, that'll be another $5,000. Another lady from the Equality State, self employed for over 30 years, was dropped by her insurance company. Now 61, but still too young for Medicaid, she is unable to afford routine procedures. Her husband, a veteran and also self-employed, was not covered for triple-bypass surgery. A Cheyenne waitress found herself with a $27,000 invoice following five days in the hospital. It would take a very generous diner to pick up the tab that her insurance company would not.
Many people finding themselves in this situation go without necessary treatment because they simply cannot afford to pay the costs they would otherwise be left with.
Not affluent? Don't expect a doctor to help you
Some people aren't so fortunate that they can work through their pain and simply suffer with their ailments. Late cancer diagnosis in Delaware is becoming increasingly linked to a lack of coverage including those with Medicaid. (DelawareOnline, May 15, 2008) In a state with 50 percent more advanced stage cancer diagnosis patients than the rest of the country, a recent investigation found:
- One-third of Delaware's primary care physicians do not take new patients with Medicaid
- Low-income areas of Delaware are plagued by doctor shortages
- Only three publicly funded community health centers, all poorly funded
Doctors make less money from patients with Medicaid, and appointments usually take longer since poorer patients make fewer doctor visits and require more attention.
Chicken and the egg
Imagine for a moment that you've been a hard-working taxpayer and suddenly after an accident find yourself in need of prosthetics. You need prosthetics to get out of a wheelchair and back to work. But, if you thought your insurance company would cover this, think again - if you are in one of the 39 states that does not mandate coverage for prosthetics, then most probably it does not. The issue has come up so frequently in Louisiana that a new bill requiring insurance companies to offer coverage for prosthetics may soon come into law. (Baton Rouge's The Advocate, May 15, 2008)
For more related information, visit Wyoming Health Insurance, Delaware Health Insurance and Louisiana Health Insurance.
The moral of the story: check your health insurance policy - you may be surprised at what's not covered, though that's hardly going out on a limb!