A few late term issues that came with my age but nothing out of the ordinary. No long hospital stay and no complications for my son. My out of pocket costs were somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000 when all was said and done. This was 2005 so pre-ACA. We're self employed and thus self-insured. Our deductible (the only plan we could really afford) was $12,000 and we had a 70/30 co-insurance with that plan. We had to re-finance our home to pay the bill. Many would say that I should be grateful that I had a home in which to leverage to pay the bill. Don't get me wrong. I am grateful but it should not be this way.
When my son was 7 years old, we found a tumor in his inner ear, sitting on the dura of his brain. It required a very complex surgery to remove the tumor and to replace hearing bones and rebuild his ear drum. I had to re-finance my house a second time to pay for the surgery. This type of tumor often requires a second surgery because the chances of regrowth are high. My son had both surgeries in one calendar year so even though we had met our $12,000 deducible with the first surgery, the need for the second surgery was considered a pre-existing condition. There was no ACA at that time and there were no pre-existing condition protections. Hence, the second surgery was, for the most part, paid out of pocket to the tune of $60,000.
When the ACA passed I remember weeping with relief. It meant, at least for a while, an end to panic welling inside me any time one of us got hurt or sick. Barack Obama has a special place in my heart for many reasons...but the ACA is first and foremost.
= new reply since forum marked as read
