Guaranteed Healthcare

Colorado Mom Says, "No One Plans to Have a Sick Baby"

Robyn Winters of Broomfield, Colo. writes, "My second child was born with health problems. Now, no one plans to have a sick baby and it just so happens that this is also the time that our insurance increased our premiums and doubled our copays for visits and prescriptions. After being denied the formula that was keeping my son alive we had no choice but to pay almost $400 per month out of pocket.

"My husband, who never gets sick developed an unusual illness and had to have an operation for the first time in his life. Within a year, my family, who was perfectly healthy and never sick was visiting the hospital so frequently that they all new us by first name and joked that it would probably be cheaper if we just paid rent.

Young Mom, Wife's Coverage Costs as Much as Mortgage

"My husband was notified that he was being laid off. Bad news considering the economy, but he's well qualified, and we have hope that he'll find a good job soon," said Kellie Rockey of Denver, Colo.  "Luckily his company gave him two weeks' notice and two months of severance which means our current insurance will last a little while longer.

"My husband is in the tech field and so in any job hunting situation, one avenue of employment is always 'contract' which nearly always means no benefits. Here is the situation for us: Our COBRA payments required to keep our health insurance coverage are nearly equal to our house payment.

Four-Year-Old Boy at the End of His Insurance Rope

"My son Thomas, now 4 years old, was born with severe hemophilia, and a year later developed a resistance to treatment. Basically, Thomas needs treatments that can blow through a $1 million policy in as little as a few days or as long as a year. My employer provided health insurance, but because of the claims history, the insurance company has raised the rates and implemented a $1 million cap," reports Nathan Wilkes of Littleton, Colo.

When Nathan knew his son would soon reach that cap in benefits, he and his wife researched every possible way to handle the situation, including filing for divorce so that their children might qualify for Medicaid. Eventually they found coverage for Thomas through the state of Colorado's high-risk health insurance pool, CoverColorado, but even getting to that point was not easy for the family.

Family Forced to Sell Home and Leave Country to Get Healthcare 

“My husband, Bruce, and I never were able to obtain medical insurance that would cover my condition, a devastating and disabling genetic disease called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome—so we are having one massive estate sale, selling our home, and moving to Belgium, where I can get the care I need at a cost we can afford explains Barbara Calder of Colorado Springs, Colo.”

“Bruce had received insurance through his job, but they refused to cover me, saying that the plan didn’t cover genetic counseling. The insurance company eventually went broke, saying they hadn’t anticipated people getting older or using the insurance they had paid for.”