The one thing about our nation’s health care crisis that scares me to death is how close every single American is from bankruptcy and a life of financial ruin. It can happen with a single encounter with the health care industry that is completely out of our control, and that threatens the very security of our families and our nation.

A month ago, I had surgery to remove several fatty tumors known as lipomas. They are typically benign, but in rare circumstances they can become cancerous. The way my doctor put it, “some people grow them like moles.” They grow between the skin and muscles and can sometimes become tender and limit movement. When that happens removal is your only real option.

Last week, my insurance company sent me an itemized bill they received from the hospital where the roughly hour long surgery was performed. It was for $14,000. My insurance company said they negotiated that down to about $2,500 and that the hospital may send me a bill for my part: $300, or 10%. I was partly relieved, but still shocked at the amount my insurance company was being billed by the hospitals and doctors.

And what was this “negotiated price?” Is that the amount the insurance company said was the only reasonable amount they are willing to pay, or an agreement they made with the doctor? $2,500 seems reasonable. But $14,000? Does that mean I should expect a bill for the part the insurance company did not negotiate? These are new problems for me that most people only face when they have to.

I called my doctor to let her know I have not received any bill for the procedure, and that’s when I got more confusing news. Not only had my doctor not received payment from the insurance company, but their bill was separate from the hospitals! I was told to expect a bill for $5,000 for the doctor’s role alone, especially if my insurance company fails to pay their part of the claim.

The biggest question many Americans have about the state of health care in our country is what has happened to health care in America?

I cannot imagine if my run-in with the health care industry was for more than an hour. Imagine an all-nighter or a much more serious health issue. Now, imagine not having health insurance, and you have a picture of a bleak future facing every single American under the current system as the private health care industry envisions it whether you are insured or not.

On Liberadio this morning, Wendell Potter from the Center for Media and Democracy said it will take a movement of people to break through the well funded opposition to health care reform. He’s right. The amount of money being spent to oppose health care reform by the very industry claiming to want it is disturbing. The sad thing is that more and more Americans find themselves drafted into that necessary movement than are joining on their own free will.

The older I get, the more driven I am to protect my future from things that threaten to destroy my vision of retirement, and that has me looking more and more at who is really for health care reform in America, who is really opposed to it and when they are up for re-election.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 6th, 2009 at 10:51 am and is filed under Causes, Health Care, Legislation, Public Policy, Taxes, Wonky. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.