Uninsured Sick Student Begged For his Life
Freddie Effinger started feeling what he called a "bizarre pain" in his
upper thigh during the summer of 2007, just before his third year at
the University of Alabama law school. After a scan, his doctors told
him it was probably some sort of mass, nothing serious, and that they
would remove it surgically in September.
Effinger, then 23, didn't have insurance. His parents' policy dropped him after college, and he had figured he could coast through three years of law school and land a job with benefits before suffering any catastrophic illness or injury. ("Superman Complex," he calls it.) The operation to remove the mass would only cost him about $1,200.
But when they operated, Effinger's doctors discovered something more serious.
"The tumor was the same size as my hand," Effinger told the Huffington Post. "And directly underneath that tumor was another tumor, and further down my leg was another tumor."
The following month, an oncologist told Effinger he had advanced stage lymphoma. The oncologist told him that his chemotherapy could cost tens of thousands of dollars per session, and that he would need 12 sessions. Effinger panicked.
Effinger scrambled for insurance. He said he was told that the school's health plan for students wouldn't have adequately covered chemotherapy treatment at the nearby University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital. He had no luck on the private insurance market outside the university.
"After making a couple calls explaining the situation, it was pretty much discussions of blackout periods and 'We wouldn't be able to do it,'" he said. "And it was frustrating and frightening."
Meanwhile, his leg hurt more and more. He was afraid the cancer would spread.
Staff at the hospital, St. Vincent's East in Birmingham, Ala., came up with a solution. "I spoke to someone at the hospital and they mentioned there's a certain number of patients a year they grant charity to," he said. He was eligible because he had zero income. He was indigent.
"They called me that later that day and told me they would grant me 100 percent charity. I broke down in tears. Somebody told me they were going to let me live. It was an amazing feeling."
Effinger finished up chemo and got married in July 2008. He even managed to finish law school on time and score a job with an employment law firm in Birmingham.
But Effinger is still on the hook for about $9,000 for other parts of his treatment. (That's on top of $100,000 in student loan debt, but, he said, "at least the student loan people are being cool" by comparison; debt collectors harassed him over the medical bills.) His credit is wrecked.
And the warm, fuzzy feeling Effinger got from the kindness at the hospital was tempered by the realization that he had to beg to survive, that he owed his life to charity and had added considerably to his debt all the same. He's become an advocate for health insurance reform, going door to door for Organizing for America.
"I'm a pretty humble guy, but it's really demoralizing to have to beg a hospital for your life, to be to be able to be treated for this thing you just found out that you had," he said. "I don't just have a right to be healthy? I have to beg for it? I have to show that I am poor? It's frustrating. It's embarrassing. It's really unacceptable."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/02/uninsured-and-sick-studen_n_306639.html
This is just ONE story, there are thousands of others like it in the US. Call your congressman and let him know how you feel about healthcare today.
12 Comments
marinarayou pick the one case that the horrible health bill would actually solve, that is require everyone to always carry insurance.
gwiz665Everyone should have insurance for free, if they can't afford it. I'm certain that the reform could be done better than what has been proposed, but it's definitely a step in the right direction - better reform it like that now and reform it again later, than wait with the shitty system that exists now.
StormsingerMy problem with the current reform proposal is that it's mainly a windfall for the insurance corps. Do you really think it's going to be easier to make it better when they have -additional- hundreds of billions to spend?
I've pretty much given up on Obama. Everything he said he was for, that I cared about, he's caved on. Warrantless wiretaps, wars of aggression, torture investigation/prosecutions, single-payer healthcare...all gone.
The only remaining benefit to having elected him is that it kept Palin away from the office. But I'm starting to wonder just how much worse that would have been. At this point, I'm about ready to give up and just wait for the blood to start flowing...sadly, I'm old enough that moving to another country isn't very feasible (especially since Wall Street stole my bank account).
marinarahttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-sigalow/the-health-insurance-trap_b_310147.html
spoco2I don't know why the US can't just look to how things like this DON'T happen in countries like the UK and Australia and France etc.
It doesn't because we DON'T HAVE TO PAY. WE GET SICK, WE GET FIXED, and then we can go back to being a productive member of the country, paying our taxes
StormsingerSpoco2, the US in general -does- understand that. The problem is that the people who benefit from our fucked up arrangements are making billions in profits from this psychotic system, and they're quite aware that fixing this system means their profits go away (or are drastically reduced). Therefore, they're more than willing to spend whatever millions in bribes are necessary to prevent the rest of us from putting together a rational system that solves the problem. Sadly, we (the people) simply cannot offer bribes of sufficient size to counter their influence.
Perhaps if every terminal patient (or a family member) who is denied coverage by an insurance company were to commit a violent act upon an insurance executive, we'd get somewhere. But I'm not gonna hold my breath.
spoco2^ I fully understand the enormous corporations who make money from the way it is now. What I don't understand is the PEOPLE... the people who are getting bum screwed by this and yet think that it's best to keep it that way. Somehow there are people (there are some on this sift) who actually believe it's BETTER to have to pay out of pocket for live saving treatments.
Stunning.
StormsingerPersonally, I'd use a different word. Anyone who doesn't have millions invested in heath insurance stock, but somehow believes our system is worth keeping is either stupid, delusional, or a liar...I think it pretty much has to be one of those three.
I strongly suspect that most of the "average joes" who don't want change are blinded by ideology or bigotry, just like those who cheered when Chicago lost their Olympic bid. They'd rather see us all go down in flames than see Obama get any credit for any success.
imstellar28 says...Effinger, then 23, didn't have insurance. His parents' policy dropped him after college, and he had figured he could coast through three years of law school and land a job with benefits before suffering any catastrophic illness or injury.
What do you think happens when you gamble with your life? You die or you are lucky enough and some nice doctor operates on you for free.
Why don't we hear about the student who skipped law school and accepted a full-time job with benefits out of college so they wouldn't have spend three years uninsured and risk a costly terminal cancer? Instead you want me to feel sorry about the cocky asshole who gambled with his life and then let some kind stranger pay off the $120,000 result of his bad wager for him?
Thats the whole purpose of insurance...to protect people who don't want to gamble with their lives. This greedy prick is going to lawschool, and you are telling me he can't afford a $200 monthly payment for health insurance? Get a job or take out a loan to pay for coverage and stop bitching about it when your stupid uninsured ass gets cancer.
Should have let him die on the street, he'll probably grow up to be the type of sleazy ass capitalist all of you are always complaining about. When he gets that fancy lawyer job he risked his life for, making $100,000 a year, do you think hes going to donate $120,000 to the hospital to help pay for charity cases for people who can't afford it? Fuck no.
Who here doesn't know someone with cancer, someone who has died from cancer, or someone who can't afford to pay for it, or is struggling to pay for it?
I know at least a dozen off the top of my head so tell me why then should have to pay to live, when this sleazy fuck thinks he can skip on the health insurance and then "beg for his life?" As if a hospital or agency would really turn someone like that down. Most people just aren't assholes and take responsibility and pay their bills, or else the whole system would come crashing down with a bunch of greedy fuckers who don't have insurance begging for charity.
The new health care plan, spend $100,000 on tuition but neglect to get $200 health insurance and then beg for free chemotherapy when your stupid ass gets cancer! Coming soon to all 300 million americans!
Did they leave a contact address for donations? I want to send him an email telling him I hope his cancer returns.
JiggaJonson^imstellar28:
As if a hospital or agency would really turn someone like that down. Most people just aren't assholes and take responsibility and pay their bills, or else the whole system would come crashing down with a bunch of greedy fuckers who don't have insurance begging for charity.
The new health care plan, spend $100,000 on tuition but neglect to get $200 health insurance and then beg for free chemotherapy when your stupid ass gets cancer! Coming soon to all 300 million americans!
Did they leave a contact address for donations? I want to send him an email telling him I hope his cancer returns.
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As the article explains in some detail, he didn't exactly come from a wealthy family. College students don't have cash to spare and he's not alone in this situation. People aged 18-25 make up the largest group of uninsured in the country because of their "Can't get sick" attitude.
It, of course, may not be the wisest choice but for many people it's a fiscal impossibility. I don't understand your callas attitude towards someone who is struggling with a low income family who is in a difficult situation. It's not really a gamble if you dont have a choice. OF COURSE the kid would have preferred to have health insurance.
I wonder would you say the same thing to someone who doesn't have renters insurance. Lets say my neighbor decides he's going to burn the place down. "Well it's a good thing JJ lost all of his worldly possessions, that's what you get when you gamble with your apartment. I wish i knew where he lived so I could kick him in the balls," or here's an even better one.
Say in a freak accident (hey cancer isn't all that common) my arm gets burned off because of a deep fried turkey burning (i said freak right?) and here's you: "Well that's what JJ gets for not having accidental dismemberment insurance, that's what he gets when he gambles with his arm. I wish i knew where he lived so i could burn the other arm until it was useless."
imstellar28 says...^He has a $100,000 student loan. Maybe go to a slightly cheaper college if you can't afford health insurance? I had private health insurance in college...it was $150 a month if I recall. You can make $1800 in one summer working at burger king so I don't wanna hear any bullshit excuses about a 23 year old not being able to afford health insurance. A lot of people who can't afford college work for a couple years, then go to school, and vice versa. Some work during the year and some work during the summer. The article said this sleazy piece of shit had "zero income" so he obviously wasn't too hard off....with his $100,000 loan and $120,000 in charity. He had a choice, he just chose to take the risk and ended up weaseling his way out of the consequences.
If you are that poor, go to fucking community college instead of groveling for your life because you can't pay your cancer bills.
The only thing that makes me feel better is the 4th hit for "freddie effinger email" on google turns up this thread with my comment "i hope his cancer returns" in the description.
Seriously, let me know if someone finds his contact info.
chilaxeBehavioral economics shows us the human brain has many predictable irrationalities.
Government intervention, like mandatory health insurance or prohibiting restaurants from using needlessly deadly trans fatty acids, seems to be an appropriate strategy to correct those predictable limitations of the human brain.
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