Main Street

Big box insurance leaves sick man in debt

by Maranda Stebbins—Missouri

I met an elderly man last night who was enjoying the fresh air through his screen door. He invited me to step inside because it was difficult for him to move around. As I began my rap, he started to look at me a bit suspiciously. After I handed him my clipboard and the pen, he asked me if I thought this would do any good. Of course I said I absolutely thought so—that it was the very reason we do this work. He told me he was no Spring chicken, and that he had seen how things go in this country, and told me it is only getting worse.

He shared with me that he is a cancer patient on social security, and his monthly charges for health care keep rising. Additionally he has one prescription that costs him over $100 every month. He then told me that he still has debt from the first round of chemotherapy treatments, when he was insured through his wife through her job at a major retailer. Under the insurance plan he racked up over $12,000 for chemo, and $24,000 for surgery. We all know that kind of money to someone with a retail paycheck is—to say the least—a lot.

This man was skeptical of Working America at first, but as he went on with his story and personal political opinions, it was obvious to me that he was very passionate about the issues that we fight for. When I left, he had not only signed on as a dues-paying member, but also expressed interest in getting more involved.

Tags: Health Care, insurance, membership, seniors