TV Show on PBS-Critical Condition

[Bina]

Show is titled P.O.V. (airtime 9:00 pm Eastern).
Four critically ill Americans discover the problems that being without insurance can cause: Losing jobs, homes, and savings along with declining health.

 

[catwoman]

Show is titled P.O.V. (airtime 9:00 pm Eastern).
Four critically ill Americans discover the problems that being without insurance can cause: Losing jobs, homes, and savings along with declining health.

A couple I knew had massive health problems -- COPD, mainly. He spent about 2 months in the county hospital, sans insurance. His wife later told me the bill was about $250,000.
About 12-18 months after his death, his wife was hospitalized in the same hospital for about 4 months, from late January until late May or June, when she died. No insurance.
I shudder to think what financial nightmare their son inherited.

 

[skeptic49]

Yea, but we still get to choose our physicians even if we can't pay for them. Something is wrong with that equation, methinks.

Jim

 

[Guest]

Looks like I missed this one.... We're no stranger to this sort of thing, are we?



Cort | 35swm | "Mr Monte Carlo"."Mr Road Trip" | pig valve.pacemaker
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"My heart can't possibly break when it wasn't even whole to start with" ... Kelly Clarkson ... 'Because Of You'

 

[geebee]

A couple I knew had massive health problems -- COPD, mainly. He spent about 2 months in the county hospital, sans insurance. His wife later told me the bill was about $250,000.
About 12-18 months after his death, his wife was hospitalized in the same hospital for about 4 months, from late January until late May or June, when she died. No insurance.
I shudder to think what financial nightmare their son inherited.

Actually the son does not have an obligation for his parents debts. The estate might get dinged but otherwise the debts are not his. The hospital might try to tell him otherwise but there is no legal obligation unless he signed for payment.

 

[catwoman]

Actually the son does not have an obligation for his parents debts. The estate might get dinged but otherwise the debts are not his. The hospital might try to tell him otherwise but there is no legal obligation unless he signed for payment.

That's good to know.
He did handle the estate (selling their home, cars, etc.).

 

[Ross]

A couple I knew had massive health problems -- COPD, mainly. He spent about 2 months in the county hospital, sans insurance. His wife later told me the bill was about $250,000.
About 12-18 months after his death, his wife was hospitalized in the same hospital for about 4 months, from late January until late May or June, when she died. No insurance.
I shudder to think what financial nightmare their son inherited.

One thing I found when my mom died insolvent. None of her medical debt became my problem. In Ohio, it would become the spouses problem if surviving, but if not, they have to write it off.

I know for myself and wife, we are at the breaking point. I've been hospitalized numerous times since 91, then she had emergency kidney surgery that took us down to nothing. We've been hanging on nothing for so long that everyday is scarier and scarier. We started looking at what we have now, what we need to do to the house and such, and it doesn't look good at all. Shes been wanting a new couch for like 10 years now. We still have the same couch we had when we first married 28 years ago. It's torn up, beat down, ugly as sin, but still in use.

 

[Bina]

Ross, we recently got a nice, (free!) loveseat from a friend who was upgrading....and our couch is from a garage sale. To save our treasure from the dog hair, we bought a pretty bed sheet for $10.
New furniture is so expensive. I'm enjoying the lightly re-cycled stuff.

 

[Dina]

Show is titled P.O.V. (airtime 9:00 pm Eastern).
Four critically ill Americans discover the problems that being without insurance can cause: Losing jobs, homes, and savings along with declining health.

I saw this the other night. Very upsetting and a big problem.
It makes you feel grateful to have insurance at all.
Since I haven't been working this is going to become a problem
for me real soon,unless I am able to go back in the next month.