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Rising Costs
Laura
Laura is the single mother of a twelve year old boy with asthma. His condition stems from several allergies, both environmental and food related. His primary care physician has prescribed daily doses of several medications including Singular, Allegra, an Advair inhaler, and an Albuterol inhaler. Add these medications to the Strattera he is already taking to regulate his ADD, and you can see that access to medication plays a vital role in enabling Laura’s son to lead the active lifestyle of a typical twelve year old boy.
But the story doesn’t end there. Unsuccessful in her attempts to collect child-support, Laura has been the sole provider for herself and her son for some time. She has a stable full-time job earning a salary of $31,000 a year plus benefits. At first, Laura’s health insurance premiums were relatively affordable — at $105.00 per month, they reduced her paycheck by only $52.50. However, costs have risen dramatically in recent years — Laura is now paying a total of $308.00 per month for her premiums alone. This obviously does not include her $500.00 deductible, or her share of office visits and prescriptions. The yearly cost of health care for herself and her son is now so great that it exceeds the annual total of the association fees for her condo by $1,007.00. Between these and other necessities such as food, gas and car payments, Laura is barely scraping by. Laura has refinanced her condo twice this year just to stay out of credit card debt.
Laura has tried everything to bring down her health care costs. With the help of an insurance agent, she researched her options on the private market. However, as a result of her son’s pre-existing condition, she was denied coverage. Next, Laura applied to the state run program, AllKids. However, she did not qualify because there is currently a waiting period for families that already have insurance.
Laura laments the fact that under our current system families such as hers “fall between the cracks.” Laura insists she is “not looking for a hand-out.” She just wants some help from the society she contributes to as a tax-paying citizen. Laura’s story is a prime example of why the health care system needs to be radically reformed. Too many families are being forced to deplete their savings or choose between medical care and other necessities. This is unacceptable. As Laura points out, “We all need a little security for the future.”
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