My dad died at 50 because it was pre-ACA and he could not get insured. I was 20 years old. My mom had to declare bankruptcy. That was enough to radicalize me. And there are tons of us with similar stories.
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If rich paid their fair share maybe then universal healthcare might’ve possible and Americans should realize it cheaper the government can negotiate more reasonable prices
My son is alive today because of the ACA. But at one point after surviving brain cancer, when he had different insurance through a job, they denied coverage for an MRI which is the only way you can determine whether or not it has returned. Had to pay out of pocket. F**k private insurance!
My dad died from colon cancer in 1998. He was "between jobs" and had no insurance when the first symptoms came. By the time he finally consulted, the C was too far gone. He was 58 and I was 26. The Am system is absolutely deadly.
Same boat friend. I’m had cancer in 2015-17 and with the ins company intentionally dragging its feet to even process a claim let alone deny it to had to seek care from n my own dime. It burned up my entire life savings and bankrupted me.
I had to claim bankruptcy when I was 21 because I didn’t have health insurance and I was a waitress making $2/hr. I got diverticulitis, ended up in the hospital for seven days. It was a $60,000 hospital bill. They were going to start garnishing my checks and I wasn’t gonna be able to pay my rent.
We don't even have to do anything violent with them. We just take everything they own and give it to the poor, and then let them live off the resources that we give to the rest of poor and unhoused afterwards.
If they knew being named the richest man in the world would mean being stripped and supported only by what you give the lowest in society, they also have incentive yo make sure even the lowest get more care.
My mom lost her military health care benefits when my parents got divorced. She had multiple sclerosis. She got turned down by multiple insurance companies. She finally found someone to insure her at over $800 per month. This was in the early 1970’s. This issue hits home with me.
I‘m so sorry for all the losses! Only the USA is cruel and greedy. Every country in Europe has general health insurance for nearly everyone. Even insurance for losing your job. You’re insured including help to get a new job. Over all it is a good chunk out from your monthly earnings. But worth it!!
Ireland & the UK both have zero hours contracts. Only very specific industry jobs come with income insurance, and you have to have worked with them for over a year before it begins.
Don't try to make all of Europe out to be idolic. Be specific. We are 30 different countries.
Thanks, so it should read: in some European countries… And you can get (pay) an European health insurance. In UK you are entitled for basic (cost-free) health care. That is quite good in comparison to 🇺🇸…?
I can't get ADHD meds because I was diagnosed in the public free healthcare system, and they didn't have a transfer process for adults until last year so I have to go private for GP AND a Psychiatrist to get diagnosed a THIRD TIME and then hope to get Adderall.
Really sorry to read that. I just started ADHD meds as a nearly 40 year old and they've been life changing. So I can imagine how problematic not having them is.
Too bad both our countries can't just commit and throw their weight behind supporting the health of their citizens. All of them.
Yeah. Ireland has only recently had a number of health scandals including missed cervical cancer screenings, sepsis deaths due to wait times, and medication shortages. It's a massive issue so I don't like people thinking it's all peaches & rainbows over here.
I dunno, I guess I just mean I personally try to look at the global, continual state of things. Rather than seeing a nation as a patron set of attributes with a relationship to its children, treating citizens well or not, they are all nodes in historical and international context.
For example, daily life in some Scandinavian countries probably feels close to an ideal, but Scandinavian companies still exploit resources in other continents. Burkina Faso probably sucks to live in, but what they're doing right now is probably most impressive. Short answer maybe Vietnam though?
Reading this comments section is heartbreaking as a Brit. How have you allowed these corporations to use your lives as collateral for stock profits? You need another revolution urgently. It reminds me of the Bell Riots in DS9
I’m nearly 50 and did not allow this. I was born into it. This was already the setup when I became an adult. How have we allowed it? We haven’t. We have been fucked.
My mom died at 50 from pancreatic cancer. She had good insurance and all that. Still left my dad with a bill over a million dollars to Sloan Kettering. He had to pay that money. He almost lost his business and his mind over it. He ended up dying of Parkinson’s..after he hit the spend down
I am sure everyone is aware of the plans that the cult Republicans have tried to inflect on the ACA since it passed. How many Trump cultists believed Trump when he said Covid was just the flu? obviously Trump cultists sheep exhibit poor judgment even after family died. It’s Suicide by ballot.
Sorry for your loss. We went bankrupt because our daughter has cystic fibrosis. So many are losing so much including their lives. All for greed and power.
Absolutely my mom I’m certain would have lived a much healthier happier and longer life if she had access to decent affordable healthcare she is and will always be the wind beneath my wings #tothebarricades
I have worked for myself for many years. Pre-ACA I was denied insurance by Blue Cross because I had marital counseling (counseling of any kind was a red flag for them). Without the ACA I would have had to go back to the corporate world to get insurance.
My 10 yr old grandson was born with a congenital heart defect. Had open heart surgery at 2 mths old. He is a lifelong preexisting condition. He is joy and light and laughter and I am terrified for his future.
The insurance companies, if they played fair, would still have incredible profits. But no, they're so greedy that there is never enough. What do you bet that the shooter lost someone who was dear to his heart because UH refused treatment?
Back in the 1950s, my mom offered to pawn her wedding ring to get my dad out of the hospital after he broke both of his legs falling from a faulty painting scaffold. The Detroit hospital was kind and let her come up with a payment plan so she could keep her ring (and my dad!). We need HC4A!!
I set my own broken wrist because of a high deductible plan, and I fell while I was trying to buy a home and couldn’t afford an ER visit and Xray and and and…
So I set it. Waited for a new job, better insurance and self referred for PT to regain most of the use back.
Welcome to America.
Not a problem in Europe where we have socialised (not Socialist) medicine, which right wing twats are keen to kill off and replace with an insurance model, why? Because they're greedy fuqqing twats in the pay of insurance companies.
That's just awful... I know back in my... hell, I'll call it pre-woke days, I thought this stuff just took care of itself. Every day I facepalm yesterday's naivety. And I know there's still so much I haven't even considered yet.
I make a good living. I want to raise my taxes to bring UHC, et al
They will make sure is gone. It is not just that they gotta do the work for their mega donors from the healthcare industry, but they have another "more important" thing in mind...
They need to erase ANY legacy from a black man.
The ACA is gone, maybe lil tweaked and now Trumpcare
If they don't kill the UHC shooter as he surrenders, I think we will quickly learn who he lost to an insurance company refusal to cover needed medical procedures.
So many stories like this! I had +$25k in medical debt at 21 years old. Took me a long time to pay. At 40 I couldn’t pay the $1300/mo cobra after losing coverage, got sick and hospitalized $24k. I paid it off & since then have been able to stay insured thanks to the ACA. It’s still expensive though
I'm so deeply sorry you ever had to go through that. And I'm so deeply afraid I will have to if this shit continues. Pardon my language, I'm in full rage 24/7 right now. My son has leukemia and is on state insurance. They take that, what happens to him? I won't allow that. Ever.
I'm so sorry for your loss. My twin and I were born 12 weeks premature, and in our first year alive, we spent 4 months in the NICU and had 14 surgeries between us. At the time, there were $2mill lifetime caps for ND residents. Before insurance, we got to about $1mill. I would prob be dead if
lifetime caps were still a thing, as well as insurance companies being able to deny people for pre-existing conditions, considering we were basically born one.
I couldn't afford insurance until last year. Decided to get all my screenings done. Turns out I have stage 3 colorectal cancer. I'm super afraid what this next administration will do.
As someone who was diagnosed with asthma when I was 3 in 1962, I get it. Every career move I have made for 45 years has been based on keeping my insurance.
It makes me so angry reading things like that! I'm so sorry 💔 and I cannot understand how your country continues to show such astounding contempt for its citizens...
These sad examples pain me.
It doesn’t have to be this way. Look to Traditional Medicare as model that could be adapted to all ages. A universal system would eliminate misery & waste.
I have Medicare & it’s far superior to everything provided by employers.
Just posted a video to my profile about how bad our insurance is. What’s worse is we have insurance to begin with. Healthcare should be available to everyone.
I was shot twice, mugged when I was 20. Bullet still in my liver, life-long heartburn, PTSD. At 23 I had to transfer off my parents insurance (1993). Quote: $325 ($684 today) a month, 4 times what my friends paid. I was not a smart investment for health insurance co. No insurance until the ACA.
Yeah right here officer, here’s one of millions of potential suspects.
My grandmother would have survived her cancer diagnosis if it was found earlier. Insurance refused to cover those tests until they were mandatory for survival, by which point it was too late. Fuck them.
My dad also died at 50 without health or life insurance. I was 9 and my sister was 7. The stress led to our mother losing her decent paying job that paid double what she would make in her subsequent jobs. We went from upper middle class to poverty level in a matter of weeks. 🙁💙
There are so many of us who remember life before the ACA and the loved ones we lost because of lack of health insurance. It's in our DNA, shared trauma. It enrages so many people.
I am a senior & most of us have made our own “exit” plan instead of going bankrupt, homeless or living in pain. There r many of us who do not even get medical testings bc cost & fear of payment .. fear of payment here in the so called richest country …
So sorry for your loss. Before ACA, I was paying $2300 a month for insurance because I was heart patient. No one else would take me. Of course I couldn't afford it, my boss paid for it until ACA cam into effect. When signing up for ACA that same company charged 339.00 for coverage for me .
My husband was born with a heart defect & he had three major heart surgeries during his life. He worked in a small company that could accommodate his limitations, & I was the one who carried the insurance. I was unemployed for a time, and we couldn't purchase ins for him, no matter what we paid.
If I lose coverage for pre-existing conditions, it will greatly reduce my quality of life and I will certainly die sooner than I might otherwise. I am not going to go easily on this bullshit.
We need nationalized healthcare, like the senators get, it’s sad that they take care of the ruling class, while they let the working class suffer and pay for their healthcare, while they give our money to wars and laundering their own pockets
Looking at this from another point of view, I suppose your country has no public healthcare - in other words, it does not protect the lives of citizens.
My dad got a mrsa infection. Insurance refused to cover testing than refused the procedure. He should have had a high chance of recovery but he ended up paralyzed than dead a few years later. Broke and in pain while I cared for him. #denydefenddepose
It's weird when I read stuff about this as a 40 year old who recently got laid off, and capitalism has me so beaten down that my first thought was "maybe that'll happen to me while i don't have insurance and I'll have an excuse to die" rather than remembering that normal civilizations are for living
That's why I am still at a loss that Americans voted against their own self interest in November. Note the price of eggs, gas and mortgages now because it won't be the same after Jan 20/25.
I've always been a believer that each person should get to vote. The past decade has really tested that belief for me... maybe a tiny little intelligence test would be in order?
Seriously, though, that's a slippery slope, and I don't think it would work, but damn... there's got to be a better way
There are millions of stories like this & we ALL need to START TELLING THEM —LOUDLY! We need to clearly demonstrate that these “health” ins. companies are the pariahs of our society! THESE stories affect ALL of us daily & can’t be ignored anymore. Claim denials have become the norm & it must stop!
ONLY IN AMERICA! 😈
SELFISHNESS PROFIT & GREED ARE KING!
SINCE WW11, AMERICA HAS TRIED TO CONVINCE EVERY OTHER COUNTRY THAT THEIR SO-CALLED DEMOCRACY IS THE BEST WAY TO OPERATE.
THE TRUTH IS THAT AMERICA IS RUN LIKE A COMMUNIST COUNTRY WHERE THE ONLY PEOPLE TO BENEFIT ARE THE PEOPLE AT THE TOP! ☠️
I knew a pre-schooler who was denied coverage for his leukemia because he had reached his LIFETIME maximum. His parents lost almost everything trying to keep his treatments going. Thankfully the ACA was enacted and he got the care he needed. THIS is what maga wants to go back to.
Right? The grandparents know their grandson depends on health care from the state and federal level, but they still want to end "all social wellfare" programs. Except for the one they're on, of course.
Have to grit my teeth to keep from speaking so hard I nearly break them.
I’ve never asked my parents about insurance but I’m sure when I was born they afforded my birth because I was born at an Air Force base hospital. By the time by brother was born my dad worked for local government. I’m a nurse I know these horror stories all too well 😢
My son was born in 1993. Back when insurance was insurance. I got a bill for .11 CENTS from Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis, THEE premiere hospital in the Twin Cities. ELEVEN CENTS. I was in there 3 nights.
Ah the 90s— You could go to college and not be in lifelong debt. Get a job right away. Buy a house. Man did things get fucked up after that. My daughter was born in 04– 3 nights— it was like 35k- I paid 2k deductible 😩
I'm genuinely sorry to hear of your dad's passing; I was 54 and was one of the first on ACA in 2014. I would not be here without it because the Rx that I needed was $1K per day, and I didn't have it. It was a lifesaver. Here's the kicker: the meds that cost $1K per day only cost $.90 to produce.
I had so much pain in my feet and knees I sobbed for 6 months like a baby begging God to cut my legs off. Went to the hospital several times and was lucky to get a couple pain pills. Then Obamacare passed and I was able to get help with several doctors and procedures.
I had Blue Cross try to deny coverage for my premature son. Over $800,000. Their Dr that never saw my son claimed that none of his tests were medically necessary. I had to file a complaint against them. They ended up losing but I paid a lot of of money for insurance that I rarely used. Damn!
When my son was born, 3 months premature out state ended up covering all costs (3/4 million). Knowing that's not the program for every state is infuriating. Unforseen complications in pregnancy/birth are already scary enough.
That's great to read, and it's nice that it sounds like you and his future wife have a good relationship 😁. I hope they have a great wedding
My little guy is only 2.5 years old. He's small for his age, but thankfully, otherwise, he's doing great. Very energetic and smart. Just potty training
My dad was forced into early retirement when his plant closed, ending their insurance coverage. They had to pay for cobra coverage at $1800 EACH per month, this, when my grandmother moved in with them because her social security didn't cover a $812 a month medication AND food.
I'm so very sorry for what you went through. I totally relate. I worked at a medical device company when my in laws both suffered strokes. Knowing there was treatment for them but only for rich people was horrifying. Both qualified medically for stents. Neither's insurance would pay for it.
I had a stroke at the age of 21 pre-ACA. I could not get insured and thankfully there were free clinics, but I had to wait all day in order to get a finger stick and medication for a month. Healthcare is a human right. (I am 49 now)
I am so very sorry for your loss.
No one should have to go through what your family has.
You are not alone on the medical bills. It's the only debt we have.
No one in America should be in medical debt, or refused healthcare. If billionaires paid taxes we would all have healthcare.
One of my kids went bankrupt because they ended up in the hospital right after they got off our insurance and couldn’t get theirs. That’s hard to watch.
Before ACA if you had a pre-existing condition, you either paid a lot of insurance or you weren’t allowed to get insured. It also affected jobs. It would be stupid to go back. Many people will suffer.
And so many people who voted for TFG have the same story. But they will say they have ACA and not Obamacare! Wait until they find out it’s the same thing!
I remember, my hubby had kidney and heart trouble . I had to protect him by being sure my job covered him
It was then I began writing Hillary Clinton 90s
I became a citizen so I could vote.
My FIL died at 52 because of an untreated heart condition. He was self-employed. Pre-ACA it was almost impossible for a single person or family to get insurance at all so he couldn't afford to see a doctor regularly. He got to meet his grandson only once before he died.
Similar….my mom was working poor. Couldn’t afford insurance. I didn’t know what insurance was until I graduated from college. When she finally got Medicare she had stage 4 colon cancer. Sorry about your dad.
My Mom died from cancer because she could not get health insurance pre-ACA and she got put in the county system witch is overwhelmed. What I saw helping her and what she went through was unbelievable.
So so true. So so sad. My baby sister had to have a heart transplant, it's was absurdly expensive and such a difficult, complicated process. If she wasn't on my mom's healthcare plan, she would have died a slow, painful, long death.
Just lost a brother to cancer too last month, no health insurance was available and when he started chemotherapy we couldn't afford to keep him where he could be closely monitored by professional and experienced hands which eventually led to his demise.
Both my brothers died from lack of healthcare. They suffered extreme abuse as children and holding jobs due to illness brought on by their past was difficult for them. It left them without healthcare. It’s inhumane to leave people to suffer and die as they did and like your dad.
And the country just elected a clown who has a concept of a plan to repeal Obamacare, the program that gave medical coverage to tens of millions of people.
Young people got jobs, but offered no health insurance…Even a broken arm or strep throat could drain every last penny or put someone in debt. It fucking sucked before the ACA. Americans keep voting against their interests like dumb gamblers.
My older sister died from repeated bouts of pneumonia because she couldn't afford the medication for Addison's Disease in 1995. I don't even think it cost that much back then. Not sure. #ACA #ObamaCares
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Zero, to be precise
🇺🇲💪🏻💙✊🏻🏳️🌈
Don't try to make all of Europe out to be idolic. Be specific. We are 30 different countries.
So you tell me if it's quite good.
Too bad both our countries can't just commit and throw their weight behind supporting the health of their citizens. All of them.
Those places also thrive on exploitation, just not so brazenly
He spent the rest of his life being treated by the county hospital, VA, and experimental treatments at the University of Arizona Medical Center.
So I set it. Waited for a new job, better insurance and self referred for PT to regain most of the use back.
Welcome to America.
I make a good living. I want to raise my taxes to bring UHC, et al
They will make sure is gone. It is not just that they gotta do the work for their mega donors from the healthcare industry, but they have another "more important" thing in mind...
They need to erase ANY legacy from a black man.
The ACA is gone, maybe lil tweaked and now Trumpcare
thank you for all your advocacy.
We let them. Pathetic isn't it?
It doesn’t have to be this way. Look to Traditional Medicare as model that could be adapted to all ages. A universal system would eliminate misery & waste.
I have Medicare & it’s far superior to everything provided by employers.
it isn't
My grandmother would have survived her cancer diagnosis if it was found earlier. Insurance refused to cover those tests until they were mandatory for survival, by which point it was too late. Fuck them.
There exists a medicine to cure this, but her insurance didn't cover it
"Death by natural causes" they said
This story is so typical it’s become the norm. No one should have to suffer through this.
Republicans claim to be pro family and yet actively vote against bettering the lives of families.
Seriously, though, that's a slippery slope, and I don't think it would work, but damn... there's got to be a better way
SELFISHNESS PROFIT & GREED ARE KING!
SINCE WW11, AMERICA HAS TRIED TO CONVINCE EVERY OTHER COUNTRY THAT THEIR SO-CALLED DEMOCRACY IS THE BEST WAY TO OPERATE.
THE TRUTH IS THAT AMERICA IS RUN LIKE A COMMUNIST COUNTRY WHERE THE ONLY PEOPLE TO BENEFIT ARE THE PEOPLE AT THE TOP! ☠️
I am. I wanna ask all of them, "why did you vote to take my health Insurance away? I need that."
Have to grit my teeth to keep from speaking so hard I nearly break them.
Thank you for sharing
Scribe was denied by 9 insurance companies pre-ACA bc she was born w/a pre-existing condition
It delayed her business launch by 3 years
Scribe literally cannot live without health insurance & is in permanent panic mode now
I was also burnt by insurance after being hit by a drunk driver and then doing a job I was not hired for!
It is not just medical insurance!
ALL are in some way connected to the Maga republican party of death!
@presidentobama.bsky.social
When my son was born, 3 months premature out state ended up covering all costs (3/4 million). Knowing that's not the program for every state is infuriating. Unforseen complications in pregnancy/birth are already scary enough.
He's an amazing man. He's getting married next year. I'm lucky to get a bonus daughter.
How's your son doing?
My little guy is only 2.5 years old. He's small for his age, but thankfully, otherwise, he's doing great. Very energetic and smart. Just potty training
My son has high functioning autism and she accepts him as he is. He's lucky.
No one should have to go through what your family has.
You are not alone on the medical bills. It's the only debt we have.
No one in America should be in medical debt, or refused healthcare. If billionaires paid taxes we would all have healthcare.
It was then I began writing Hillary Clinton 90s
I became a citizen so I could vote.
My FIL died at 52 because of an untreated heart condition. He was self-employed. Pre-ACA it was almost impossible for a single person or family to get insurance at all so he couldn't afford to see a doctor regularly. He got to meet his grandson only once before he died.
So sorry for your loss. 💔😪
Or is it a realization ?
I’m so sorry for the heartbreak and trauma your family and u went through.
Don’t ever let them tell u that u are the radicalized one.
THEY ARE !