National Nurses United

Patients:5 2/8/08 2:43 PM Page 13 Gina Dooley Albuquerque, New Mexico Lyle Schiele Dallas, Texas "i found out when I was 36 weeks pregnant that my unborn daughter had a lung tumor. With this advance knowledge of the care and attention we would need, we did a lot of research and had a lot of contact with our insurance company. I was working for a pharmaceutical company and had the best medical coverage available. "After several second opinions we were told by our insurance company that only one hospital in town would be covered. We went to that hospital and had a month of treatment, surgery, and bills. Months later we learned that the NICU (neo-natal intensive care unit) team was not part of our insurance network although they were the only doctors available in the hospital we had no choice but to go to. "Because the doctors were out of network we paid 90 percent of all our bills after meeting our $1,200 hospital deductable. Five days after my daughter was born, she had major surgery resulting in a $100,000 bill. We paid $90,000 of that despite paying $1,200 a month for insurance to cover everything." "as an owner/operator in the trucking industry, I was contracted to a major trucking company. I purchased my health insurance at what was to me an enormous monthly cost of $760 through that company. "In February 2006 I had some minor chest pains. Doctors found clogged coronary arteries and treated them with stents in two locations. As a result of this diagnosis and treatment, I was medically disqualified from trucking for 90 days. As a contractor, I wasn't covered by COBRA and therefore lost my health insurance. "After returning to trucking as an owner/operator and applying with several different insurance companies, I found none would sell me any. Recently, as a matter of necessity I sold my truck and went to work as a driver with a company, primarily for the health insurance benefit. "I was not looking for a handout. I don't mind paying my own way. But I am no longer given that opportunity. The 'American Dream' of owning and operating one's own business and success based on one's ability and performance has been taken away. Because of the health insurance issue I can no longer operate as an independent again." oTom Wenning Portland, Oregon "in april 2007 i was involved in a high-impact motorcycle accident. I was life-flighted to the local trauma hospital. I spent two weeks in ICU, three weeks in TRACU (trauma recovery and acute care unit), and five weeks in a rehabilitation hospital. "I now have an amputated left leg above the knee and a frozen left shoulder. I was released from the rehabilitation hospital last July 6. During May and June, those two hospitals, various surgeons, radiologists, anesthesiologists, etc. placed 17 liens against my and my wife's home, totaling $280,469. All these liens were placed on my home before I was released from the hospital and before I'd seen a bill. "The strange part of all this is that I have complete medical insurance coverage and all my medical providers knew it. As of early January, 15 of those liens still exist, even though the bills have been paid by my HMO. My accident not only has cost me thousands of dollars out of my own pocket in co-pays, deductibles, etc., it has cost me grief over our home and possible mistaken credit repercussions." Pat Allgood Lockhart, Texas "in 1974, i had to have a bilateral mastectomy due to breast cancer. Silicone implants were used. Due to two ruptures and hardening due to contractures, I've had 10 surgeries on my left side and one on the right. My right breast is now constructed with my own body tissue. I have a small saline implant on the left side. Needless to say, that surgery site is a mess. I've even had two staph infections there, before [antibiotic-resistant staph] was the problem that it is today. "My insurance company dropped me and then told me that I 'could' have insurance with them with a $1,200 monthly premium JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2008 W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G REGISTERED NURSE 13

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