The "Bankrupt for Life!" Story

It was an ordinary day. My wife and I are talking about a friend we know who is 63 years old and has no health insurance because she can't afford it. She owns a small art gallery in a town in Maryland where she sells some of my photography. I hobbled into her shop this morning, still suffering from the shingles I have in my left leg. We got to talking and she told us she can't wait until she turns 65 and is covered by Medicare. She said last year she had to have some kind of procedure that cost her $10,000 and she's still paying for that. Wow, we then realized how much we appreciate the health insurance we have. I am covered by Medicare and a supplemental policy that I have through a teacher's group while Carol is in her last year of Cobra coverage and then will be covered by my teacher's plan until she is 65. My costs are very reasonable, but we pay over $600 for Carol right now and next year it will be about $700. And, that's per month! But, we figure we have to have it since one surgery or major procedure could bankrupt us for the rest of our lives. And we can't afford to gamble with our health. We feel for our friend and the fact that she can't afford the costly premiums that she would have to pay for her insurance, being she has a pre-existing condition. But what are her alternatives. None! Recently I inquired with my supplemental plan as to what is paid by both my Medicare and their plan when Carol and I travel out of the country; to say the Caribbean. Medicare will cover nothing! But, my supplemental will cover approximately 80% of my costs, after I pay the initial deductible. I must pay the bill I incur, get a statement from the provider converted into US dollars, and supply them with a current published conversion chart, validating the conversion from the foreign country's currency into US dollars. Wow! Carol and I will be traveling soon to the Caribbean. When we booked the resort and airfare, we bought the travel agency's standard protection insurance plan that they offer. Does cover quite a bit but they also offer a deluxe protection plan that covers more, especially when it comes to airlifting service back to the states. What to do? I hate to pay for too much protection, but with the cost of health care today, I don't want to buy insurance that means nothing. I also read a few travel forums who allow you to ask questions and I have asked what other people do for health coverage when traveling. As you would expect, I get all types of answers. Some even say that they wouldn't hesitate to travel out of country to get surgeries that are more costly in the US. Lasik surgery in the US costs approximately $4,400 for both eyes while in India it costs $500. In Mexico you can get a colonoscopy for $800 instead of the average $3,080 in the US. Heart bypass surgery in the US costs $144,000 while in India it costs $5,200. I can see where people who have no or very little coverage would opt to have their surgeries done in a foreign country, but for me the risks of traveling for a major surgery are too great. And, we all know that health care costs are never going down. As for Carol and me, we are hoping the new health care plan that is starting to take effect will help with health costs. That is unless it is repealed. Here's hoping our friend can soon afford her insurance. Before she has another major catastrophe. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.