Guaranteed Healthcare

Hello - my name is Diane, and in desperation I pleaded over the telephone with a woman who worked in the billing department of the hospital which a doctor ordered my son to be transferred to when his condition was fatal and the hospital did not want to admit him because my insurance said this hospital was out of network and only covered 90% instead of 100%.

The doctor that was treating him said it was imperative he go to this hospital and placed the order on a Tuesday and my son did not get there until Friday evening at 10:00 p.m. His condition was so grave that he had to be accompanied by a nurse in the ambulance and by the time he reached the other hospital and was administered the nuclear medicine he needed, he was so weak and frail that he could not withstand the medicine and emergency surgery was imperative. My son had just turned 21 years old and he had to have his entire colon and rectum removed. This might have been avoided if he had reached the hospital on Tuesday evening instead of Friday evening.

I cried and pleaded every day from Tuesday until that Friday with the woman in billing at the hospital, but she just didn't care. I told her that I would do anything they wanted that he just had to get there. I told her I would sign an agreement for the difference, but it didn't matter. I was totally helpless. Nobody that needs medical attention and is in that severe of a condition should be refused. I don't care if you have 90% insurance - 50% insurance, or no insurance at all. This is a young boy who needed help and because he was refused the help he needed has had his whole life affected.

I am appalled and can't believe the way the health system treats people in this country. Something has to be done.

My son goes through lengthy interviews with Social Security so he can get unemployment benefits while he is out of work and waiting for his next surgery, with a ostomy bag attached to his stomach and is told that he is able to work and denied benefits. How could he work when he told the doctor at the Social Security office that he was going in for his next surgery in a few weeks. Do you honestly think his employer wanted to risk him working in such a weakened state knowing that it would only be for a few weeks and he would be on a leave again for his next surgery?

This is pure and utter nonsense, but again something my son had to accept, because he just was tired of trying to fight the system and getting nowhere. His employer was the one that told him to file for Social Security benefits because they knew he was unable to perform his job. I have written letters to so many people about this, but never get any answers. There is complete silence when this subject is brought up. Something needs to change and change quickly!