Catholics, Healthcare for All logo
A few weeks ago, I wrote the following about my involvement with Catholics, Healthcare for All https://sites.google.com/site/catholicshca. It is a national organization committed to education, support and advocacy regarding the full Catholic message on healthcare.
Thank you for acknowledging my passion and commitment. You and others I know have similar passion and commitment. I would like to share the roots of my passion and commitment.
My passion is rooted in love for those closest to me – Ann; the youth at Outside In I help, and those I meet every day. Ann is cancer survivor and copes daily with her loss of vision. The despondent youth who was grappling with his friend’s death. A man who has four jobs so he can pay for his girlfriend’s cancer treatments. Her insurance company had canceled her policy.
Doctor medical kit (c) 2012 John M. Kingery
It was a year ago that Ann and I were faced with faced with hospital bills that would have wiped out our savings and a significant part of our retirement. Praying at my parish church on a late October Saturday morning in 2011, I committed to God I would work not only for Ann, but for others experiencing the injustice and inhumanity of our American healthcare system. A healthcare system that continues its double standard of providing service with a “caring difference” only to be followed by the persistence and indifference of the “money changers” – billing departments and insurance companies.
During the early months of 2011, Ann was fighting to retain her sight in her left eye. There were numerous surgeries by the doctors attempting to determine why she was losing her sight. Along with this fight, Ann was engaged on another front. She had to visit the emergency room twice due to seizures. Seizures where she left us for a brief time; Ann knew neither time nor place. My name she did not know, what was right or left. Along with the team of doctors and nurses, there was the smiling individual requesting we sign a few papers regarding billing.
That should be no problem. We have insurance and always pay our bills on time. Over time, I have learned that is not always true. Ann had insurance provided through the Oregon’s high risk pool. That insurance is administered by the state’s largest insurance provider. Her care took place at hospital run by one of largest in the state if not largest provider in the state.
After losing her sight in April 2011, a new battle began in October 2011. We believed our insurance would cover us. We have been sorrowfully and regretfully mistaken. Though we paid all of our bills on time and made sure of pre-authorization was obtained prior surgeries, we were told that was not correct. Twelve months of phone calls, letters and e-mails began.
The almighty dollar skewing healthcare. (c) 2012 John M. Kingery
In July of this summer, we thought all was behind us. The hospital’s billing department sent us a $6.66 bill for one of Ann’s emergency room visits in 2011. That is ironic given some believe that is the “mark of the beast” mentioned in the book Revelations. It has proven to be. I spoke with insurance and hospital representatives, we had met all of our financial responsibilities and no more money would be coming from Ann and me. The hospital representative remarked, “Well, who is going to pay?” Our meeting ended with an agreement all was paid. Remember that in today’s world, money and agreements are in many ways no longer tangible. They are as light and free as fluffy clouds in the sky.
The “money changers” returned this week with their indifference and shallowness. We received another important message that indicated a remaining balance of over $500 was due for one of Ann’s emergency room visits. It was back in the limbo of “awaiting replay from insurance”. I asked the healthcare provider’s representative, “I have been told numerous times this was taken care of. What has happened?” The reply was “It is a complicated case and our insurance reconciling department could not figure it out.”
I spoke with the health provider’s customer service manager in the billing department. He was having someone reviewing Ann’s accounts while we spoke. It came down to emphasizing we had bills when they had originally come due and were not liable for these additional billings. This Saturday, we received notification the remaining balance was written off and an apology.
These twelve months have been an ordeal. How many others go thru this ordeal? In 2009, the American Journal of Public Health reported nearly 45,000 deaths were caused by lack of insurance nationwide. Here in Oregon, there over 700,000 individuals lacking medical insurance according to Measure of America http://www.measureofamerica.org/ data.
There are good people who I talked with and met during this ordeal. Still, the system is broken and will stay broken. We must heed Jesus command to “heal the sick” and know that Pope John XXIII was correct when he wrote that health care is a human right. It is not about economic gain, but healing the suffering and pain.
Our struggle continues today as does the struggle of others in our country for access to affordable, quality healthcare regardless of status or wealth. Healthcare is a human right and we must continue to work for that day when it that right is truly recognized.
In Christ and Peace,
John