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  • HEALTH INSURANCE CASUALTY OF THE DAY: Paul Stephens - Princeton, IN - 09/05/08

    COBRA Benefits Exhausted, Indiana Man Sued for Medical Bills

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    "I was downsized from my company and unable to make the COBRA payments to continue healthcare coverage. I did not realize that my inherited diabetes resulting in artery disease would prevent me from buying health insurance. While searching for a job I had to have quadruple bypass surgery. The result was filing bankruptcy to wipe out the medical debt," Paul Stephens of Princeton, Ind., said, echoing the experiences of so many Americans caught in the economic downturn.  More than 50 percent of personal bankruptcies in the United States are now attributable to medical crisis, and 75 percent of those individuals and families had health insurance coverage. 

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Patient Submitted Stories

Find out more about real people's stories struggling with the healthcare system.

Disabling the Middle Class: One Claim at a Time

Annette
NC
Heathcare Status: Employer Insured

I have been a nurse for the past 14 years. As a single mother trying to care for a disabled child, I have had to fight for care every step of the way. It was never about what my son needed - his options were always framed by the question "What will the insurance pay?"

Submitted on January 22, 2008 - 6:29pm.

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We'll be dropped by our insurance company

Heathcare Status: Self-Insured

My wife and I are semi-retired at an early age, 48 and 47 yrs old. We recently took out our own insurance in 2007 and payed the whole years premium up front to be covered that day.

Submitted on January 5, 2008 - 9:02pm.

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Real People Denied Real Healthcare

  • What Are You Waiting For? (Video 1)
    Hundreds of people recently waited in line overnight in the bitter cold to receive health care. From the elderly, to students, to women who hadn't seen a doctor in years; All lined up to receive healthcare from Remote Area Medical (RAM). And many of the people in line wanted to know, why can't the United States provide health care for everyone? Hear it first hand from Jasmine.