Barbara WoodwardI haven’t had health insurance for the last 5 years. In 2001 my husband William was injured on the job and we gained custody of our10-year-old grandson. While William became eligible for Medicare, we struggled to make COBRA payments so I could have health insurance as well. We just couldn’t keep up with the payments and we had to drop it. I was very reluctant to do that, because my job working in a doctor’s office didn’t include any kind of health care benefit.

As our grandson got older, he required more attention from us. He was getting into adolescence and needed more supervision to keep him out of trouble. So, I had to retire from my job in order to be more involved. At that time, we were the only guardians he had.

I was relatively healthy until July 2005 when doctors discovered that a tumor was developing in my throat. I had trouble swallowing, sleeping at night and even just breathing normally. My throat was swollen and I had ear and headaches from the pressure.

During the next two months, I researched what kind of financial help was available to me. In September 2005 I was eligible to take advantage of Sea Care, a local non-profit organization that assists with helping the uninsured gain access to medical care. Then, with this coverage I visited an ear, nose and throat specialist. At the specialist’s office, I was treated like a second-class citizen. Because I was receiving care at a reduced cost, I was made to feel as if I was using them or something.

The specialist sent me to a hospital to get an ultrasound. The folks at the hospital made it clear that I wasn’t getting the ultrasound for free. So again, I spent some time reviewing my options. After lots of paperwork and negotiating with the hospital, it turned out that I was indeed eligible to have the cost of my ultrasound covered. By this time, another month had gone by and the tumor was continuing to grow. It was late October when I was officially referred to a surgeon.

I really credit the hospital with finding me a surgeon who was going to charge a reasonable price. They went to bat for me. The surgeon assured me that he was not looking to make a profit, and that the cost was simply to cover the operation. Still, it would cost me $1500 out of pocket. At the time I was quoted the price, I didn’t have the money available to me, so we had to schedule the surgery for January.

As the weeks went by, the tumor continued to grow. Some medical professionals suggested that I wait until I became eligible for Medicaid in September 2006 before having the operation. I didn’t want to delay the surgery any longer than was absolutely necessary.  It was getting worse and worse. Because it affected my breathing and my eating, I was worried that I would need medical attention in advance of the surgery. I was told that if I had a problem at anytime before the surgery, I would just have to go to the emergency room. That would have meant more money out of pocket and I was hoping to avoid that.

The weeks leading up to my surgery were stressful times. I was uncomfortable all the time. I was nervous about the surgery. I was working with Sea Care, doing my own accounting and negotiating to cover the costs associated with anesthesia, radiology and blood work.

 In January 2006 I had the tumor successfully removed. Fortunately, the surgery went very well. The surgeon said it was the largest tumor he had ever removed and I was lucky it worked out well for me.

I took quite a few things away from the experience. I’ll never forget how the staff at the specialists’ office treated me. No one should be made to feel like less of a human being because they take advantage of free or reduced care. These days, I’m concerned that other people who are worse off then me won’t be so lucky, and it makes me feel awful. Something needs to be done so that everyone can get the care they need, whether they have insurance or not.