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In 2015, days shy of my 28th bday, I tore my ACL and meniscus playing football. This severe knee injury could have forever altered my life: without surgery, many physical activities would be impossible. With surgery, costs would be $55K or more. (A MEDICARE FOR ALL THREAD)
2 months prior, I began working as a journalism prof at my alma mater, VCU. I made a choice during orientation that ended up being consequential beyond my wildest dreams - when presented w/ numerous insurance plans, some cheap, some expensive, I chose the most expensive one. /2
This was 40% luck/40% privilege/20% smarts. Though I had mounds of student loan debt ($77k), I didn't have a car payment and I wasn't paying rent (at the time, I was living with my mom). So I could afford the extra paycheck deduction, which was sizable, for premium coverage. /3
Even still, there was a brief moment where I was tempted to go with the cheapest, much less effective plan. I could've used that $ to pay off more loan debt. Now imagine someone else faced with the same decision, only they're struggling to afford food or clothes or rent. /4
Suddenly, the decision isn't so clear. Especially if you were like me - someone who'd never broken a bone, torn a ligament, or been in a hospital in 20 years. I was what most people would consider to be low-risk and healthy. Inexpensive, mediocre insurance might've made sense. /5
But it very possibly would've led to financial ruin. From the onset, the costs were prohibitive. The MRI cost me $300. Without insurance, it would've been $2200. The surgery itself only set me back $500. Without insurance? $41,000. (According to the hospital bill.) /6
So now we're up to $43,200 w/out insurance. Post-op, I was going to physical therapy 2-3 times a week, for several weeks. Without insurance, those visits would've been hundreds of dollars each. With insurance? $40 a pop.
20 visits x $40 = $800.
20 visits x $300? $6,000. /7
20 visits x $40 = $800.
20 visits x $300? $6,000. /7
Make it $49,200. Now add in the cost of the large, bulky leg/knee brace you wear post op ($900 w/out insurance; $100 with it). That's a cool $50,100. All for a freak health accident that happened while playing non-tackle football. My insurance total was around $1,700. /8
If I'd chosen the cheaper insurance option, I would've paid $15k out of pocket. To put all this in perspective, 67% of 18-24 olds have $1,000 or less in savings. Sandwiched between two recessions, it's easy to see why. And, in the midst of a pandemic, they probably have less. /9
Medical catastrophes should not dictate whether or not you go bankrupt. I'm all in on @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris but the @DNC needs to embrace Medicare for All now. There has never been a more perfect time. Covid-19 has proven, once again, that employer-based healthcare.../10
is not the answer as a primary source of insurance. It stifles occupational and geographical relocation, and dissolves during economically tumultuous times. @ewarren and @BernieSanders were 100% correct: health insurance is a right, not a privilege. It's a platform to run on. /11
Do it for people whose depression and anxiety require appointments with mental health professionals. Do it for diabetics spending hundreds a month on insulin. Do it for cancer patients selling their homes for chemotherapy. Do it for the stuff you haven't even thought of yet. /12
Most importantly, do it because counting on the odds, or lucking into the exact right choice at the exact right time, shouldn't be what prevents you from financial destitution. That's no way to live. /end rant #Medicare4All #MedicareForAll
