Health Care Insurance Stories

I am a 57-year-old self-employed hairdresser, and breast cancer told by Health Net they could no longer provide the same level of coverage at the price I had been paying. They offered to give me a lower level of insurance coverage for $860.00 a month.

Being unable to afford to pay this amount, I dropped my Health Net coverage, and have been refused by everyone else.

Now that I have been uninsured for several years, I have been faced with the problem of getting medical care for any illness at a price I can afford. I have learned that most doctors in my area charge the uninsured patients far more than they receive for the same procedure on an Insured person. An example would be when I was asked to pay $360.00 for a digital mammogram because I had breast cancer in the past!

Obviously, basic preventive care , such as yearly physicals and other diagnostic procedures, are out of the question. The last time I went to a doctor, for a painful sinus infection, the total cost was $240.00. This included the cost of the doctor visit and medications.

The older I get, the more this situation frightens me, and I know the only solution is for the entire country to have the courage to change to universal health care.

Sincerely,
Ava Bardin
Templeton, CA

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