Between the Cracks (contest finalist)
The following story is from Kelly Cheramy, the wife of a man with a chronic illness from McFarland, WI Between the cracks is a frightening place to be. During the course of trying to improve our family’s financial stability, my husband and I were blind-sided by one hidden detail: We’d face $10,000 in costs to continue my husband’s serious medical treatment because we found ourselves unexpectedly without coverage for 30 days. This was money we simply did not have. We had been prepared to foot the full bill for good health insurance, but that wasn’t even an option, thanks to the...
Read MoreSticker Shock (contest finalist)
The following story is from Dr. Grayson Wheatley, a cardiovascular surgeon from Phoenix, AZ It was supposed to be a routine office visit for my patient. Unexpectedly, it turned into a real-world health economics lesson for me, the treating physician. The old adage “listen to your patients; they will always give you the answer” became exceedingly true in this case, even when it dealt with an issue beyond a medical diagnosis, such as lack of transparency regarding insurance coverage for medical procedures. My patient had recently undergone an interventional procedure to treat severe...
Read More$978 American Dollars (contest finalist)
The following story is from Jessa Hartford, a social worker and substitute teacher from Sacramento, CA On 4/29/10 I received a Mirena IUD. I thought about this a lot; I read forums and articles on the device and its side-effects. I decided that because I already have a beautiful son who is 2 years old with my wonderful boyfriend of 7 years and we do not need any more children at this point in our lives, that it would be a good idea. You see, we both have been unemployed for a little over a year now. And while on Unemployment we made too much to receive Medi-Cal for any members of our family....
Read MoreThree Ultrasounds (contest finalist)
The following story is from Tarcia Edmunds-Jehu, a nurse-midwife from Boston, MA Sitting in an exam room I am watching my patient struggling to ask a difficult question that she clearly does not want to ask. After several attempts at starting and a few half finished sentences she finally manages to mumble a request for help with obtaining food for herself and her two daughters. She is a 41-year-old woman, 32 weeks pregnant with her third child, and working a full time job as a CNA in a local nursing home. Her husband is also working full time as a janitor. At her initial visit she denied any...
Read MoreBlood Test Surprise (contest finalist)
The following anecdote is from Brad Wright, a graduate student from Durham, NC In the spring of 2005, the sinus infection returned. I awoke severely congested with a pounding forehead and pain around my eyes that grew worse when I bent to tie my shoes. The feeling was familiar. Two years earlier, I had similar symptoms, but was uninsured and endured a miserable week with nothing but over-the-counter medication. Now they were back. Fortunately, when I started graduate school, my father insisted that I have health insurance. As a healthy 24 year old, I didn’t see the need, but he agreed to...
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