No, this did not occur because of pregnancy, though that did make the issue more front and center. I am one of millions of Americans who has gone without health insurance for an extended period of time. 5 very long years to be exact. I was a snot before that point too. I took my health insurance coverage for granted. I didn't just have coverage, I had it good. Once I was old enough to know, I still didn't appreciate it. I didn't pay for medicine, I very rarely paid for doctor's appointments, I never paid more than 30 bucks for a visit to the emergency room (and believe me, I've had A LOT of those). I was a navy brat.
Things started going downhill sometime around my junior year of college. That's when I hurt myself so badly that yet again I had to go to the emergency room. That summer, I started receiving the bills from the hospital, informing me I owed $800!!! OMG, how the hell does a broke ass college student pay for that?! Simple, with a credit card! But then my dad wanted to know why insurance hadn't covered it. Some quick research to discover that more or less because I had to go to a non military hospital, they weren't obligated to pay the bill without months and months of red tape. The reason why they could get away with this was because I had entered limbo being over the age of 23 AND still in college, but they didn't have to cover me anymore, so basically they were looking for anyway possible to get out of paying this $800 bill. Somehow, my dad talked to the right people and they managed to extend my coverage for one more year, but that after that year, I would no longer be covered by my parent's health insurance. My parents assured me this wouldn't be a big deal, we would find a way to get me coverage.
Fast forward to a year later and me and my mom sitting at my parent's auto insurance company which also could provide health insurance. We filled out the forms and then sat and waited for a month, only to discover that I had been denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition. That "condition" is me being overweight. Yup. You read right. I was denied health insurance that I (and my parents) were willing to pay for because I weighed too much and was considered a health risk. Now, don't give me the crap about defending the health insurance companies because it drives up their premiums and I am a health risk. I know I'm a health risk. So is my 72 year old father with diabetes and my 20 year old brother with asthma. The problem comes in that I'm willing to pay for insurance and this company was unwilling to cover me because I didn't fit into their "standards" of health. Just because you have factors that put you at risk, doesn't mean you don't have the right to have access to health care. Nothing is more shell shocking though, than being told that you basically don't have that right. Because there is almost nothing in this country more expensive than actually going to get health care.
I spent 5 long years doing my best to avoid being sick, toughing out the sickness against my own better judgement and having myself and my parents sink at least $2000 into hospital bills when I couldn't avoid going to the hospital all together. (A reason I'm hoping my child will NOT be accident prone. Mostly, because its no fun to have scars all over you. Though at least you have stories.) My primary care physician did the best she could for me, seeing me when she could and charging me bare minimum prices when I did have to go see her. Mostly, I avoided it as best as I could because I just can't afford it. I literally could not afford to get sick or hurt. That is one of the most frightening feelings in the world. And it was something I felt all the time for 5 long years.
One of the reasons it felt like the floor had dropped out from underneath me when I found out I was pregnant, was because I had NO idea how we were going to pay for all of the costs of this. But the clothes and the this and the that for the kid didn't phase me. That will always get figured out. But I could see me and the boy being in debt for the rest of our lives and never being able to get anywhere, because neither of us have health insurance and how are we going to pay for this?! I knew it was expensive to have a kid, but truly didn't know until I went to see my baby doctor and they gave me the breakdown of how much this was going to cost if I paid for it all myself...
$2000 - covers up to 15 prenatal visits
Vaginal delivery
Physical exam
One post-partum visit at 6 weeks - Pap smear not included
Fees do not include...
1st initial visit (200 to 900 dollars)
C-section w/ prenatal visits - $2500
Prenatal blood tests - lab will bill
Amniosentesis - $250.00
Ultrasounds - $100 - $230 a piece
Non Stress test (???) - $50
Male circumcision - $337.00 (Yeah, this kid needs to be a girl)
Alpha-feta protein - lab will bill
RPR - lab will bill
Urinalysis - $8
Hemoglobin - $15
Oh my God! This doesn't include any extra stuff, like if you have to go to the hospital or extra testing for unforseen complications, or complications in general. Like me, I made a mistake, didn't go with my gut and went to the hospital first to find out for sure if I was pregnant. Two weeks later, I got the bill and 45 minutes later, my mom walked in my room to find me rocking back and forth on my bed clutching the bills and wailing, while the boy rubbed my back in an effort to calm me down. Ever really paid attention to what you are paying for? I now know. Here's what I got billed for...
Hospital:
1 Emergency Visit - $855.35
1 Laboratory Charge i.e. peeing in a cup - 111.15
1 Radiology diagnosis -having my confirmation ultrasound - 558.90
1 Pharmacy Charge - tiny pill to curb nausea I was having - .75 cents
Then, the Radiology department sends me a bill for 138.50 for having someone read my ultrasound! Oh and the doctor charges me for services rendered - 233.00. Final grand total for sitting in the hospital for 4 hours....$1897.65!!!!!!!!!!
I'm a statistic now. I'm on medicaid. I'm not proud of it. But I don't have $5000 to toss around for health care. I don't know many people that do. I'm not a lazy person. I'm not a person trying to cheat the system. I'm simply a woman, trying to have a child, without having her own health insurance. The claim is that one day, I'll look back on all of this and laugh. Hopefully, I will. With health insurance.
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