In Tough Times, health care seen as a luxury

 

Tuesday, Mar 10,2009, 1:08:50 PM   Click:

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CNN.com

5 March 2009 Thursday 8:57 AM EST

SECTION: POLICIES

LENGTH: 799 words


TITLE: King: In difficult times, health care seen as a luxury

Signature: By John King CNN Chief National Correspondent

DATELINE: Winston-Salem, North Carolina



For Doug Pegram, it is a simple math: The cost of medical bills at about $ 300 a month and a health insurance policy cost $ 550.

"Two or three hundred dollars is a long way," said Pegram. Especially when you live on unemployment benefits.

Simple math, and a huge bet: Pegram has a rare disease, the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, that some patients can be fatal.

"If something happens, that's another story," said Pegram. "But you have to do what you have to do sometimes, and you just hope for the best. And do it. "

Life on the edge began in November, when Pegram lost his job at Hanesbrands Inc., the clothing manufacturer where he worked for three years. Ironically, Pegram of employment as senior analyst included Hanes for preparing management reports on sales and economic trends.

"Every two months, it [dismissal] was passed by the company and a few people here and there and it was worse," he said. "I knew it was somewhere in the future."

Now he is looking for a job and keeping his fingers crossed his condition does not worsen. Ehlers-Danlos is a group of hereditary disorders that affect connective tissues. In the case of Pegram is a pain in the legs and other joints.

"One type is that you can have heart failure, if you have not checked, it is very serious as you go to the doctor," said Pegram.

His visit is $ 150 monthly - and Pegram patients who are without insurance are asked to pay in advance. Medications run $ 126 with a discount pharmacy. Pegram has invoices showing that old when he was at Hanes and insured, the cost of drugs in the same insurance company $ 68 because of its reduction. His doctor has also accepted a lower rate negotiated by the insurer.

"So everything is inflated," he says of her medical expenses now.

He could have signed for the COBRA health coverage available to workers who lose their jobs. It was said that the policy would have cost him Pegram $ 550 or nearly half of what you receive every month in unemployment benefits and to let "not able to pay for a place to live, and food, and everything. "

In an interview at his condo, Pegram, we asked: "If you do more If you had insurance, would you do more, see more doctors?"

"Yes, I would."

"And what is the risk of not doing so?"

"I could go downhill fast. It is a debilitating condition, and finally I could, I do not know."

Yet he is very optimistic about his health and the prospects of finding a job before running his benefits in a few months.

"I think I'll find something before," said Pegram, while admitting that it may soon be forced to lower his sights and look for work that pays less than Hanes its position as it provides coverage health care.

The unemployment rate in Winston-Salem in the metropolitan area was 7.6 percent in December 2008, against 4.4 percent a year earlier. With rising unemployment is the increasing number of residents without health insurance.

Wham Dr. Bruce has been a dental practice of 26 years and an amateur economist of the past year.

"Most people think like this will get worse before it gets better," said Wham we visited during his practice. "Talking to patients, talking about buying cars, any type of renovation of houses, education as well - sending their children to college, there is great concern about the purchase of these things and how they do things and dentistry is sometimes considered more of a luxury hotel than a need and we pushed to the back lot. "

One way Wham can tell whether a patient for a long time is about to lose her job if she is suddenly the timing of treatment and repairs have been putting off. It is a sign they are about to lose their insurance coverage.

"Especially if there is something they need to be or have been scheduled for treatment and were informed by the dentist, hygienist, in lieu of that, yes, they are more likely to want to present and get that done as soon as possible, "Wham said.

The dark side: a patient in need of major work that takes place the pain persists, or Wham asked whether there is a cheaper, but perhaps temporary, solution.

"If there is something that can be delayed or postponed, they do. They are asking us, 'Is it possible that we can expect? Is there anything less involved less expensive, until I get my job until I know my insurance is being returned? in force.

"And we do a lot of it, not necessarily temporary restorations, but the things that might not last as long and May not be as expensive to try people over the oil for the short term."

Thus, it is perhaps not in the best interest of the patient in the long term, but perhaps better in their portfolio in the short term?

Better on their portfolio. That's right. "

LOAD-DATE: March 8 2009

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