“Do you have your insurance card?” “I don’t have insurance.”

My Trip to the ER Without Medical Insurance

So, for the first time in my life, I don’t have medical coverage. For a few days, my heart rate and diastolic pressure (bottom number in a blood pressure reading) were fluctuating between high and “oh my God I’m going to die.” I can understand now how some people just stay home and get worse or die. I used to work in the hospitals. I know the outrageous costs. Sitting on my mother’s couch, short of breath, my heart beating like I was running a marathon, I had to decide if I should go to the emergency room or just wait for my heart to exhaust itself and stop. It was a hard decision.

Let me air a little dirty laundry. I am recently divorced, already bankrupt, living in my parents’ home, and making barely enough money to pay for my car insurance and phone bill each month. You know how it is, something always comes up. Car repairs, a lost filling in a cracked tooth, a child’s birthday or school fee. Saving money is next to impossible sometimes.

138/114, 136/108, 140/110. My pulse was rising. 99, 104, 111, 120. I couldn’t just sit there and die. I slowly and calmly gathered an overnight bag and the medication I was taking for an infected tooth. Trust me, if you can bring your own meds, you’ll save yourself a lot of money. I changed my underwear and socks just in case I “crashed” and the hospital staff had to cut off my clothes. No ambulance for me. That’s just another bill. No thanks. I should’ve called for help, though, because when I walked into the ER, my heart rate was 186. The young lady, who had been nonchalantly taking my information, dropped her pen and fumbled with the phone while she spoke in code to alert the medical staff about bringing me straight back. There was a flurry of activity…an IV and oxygen started, question after question, monitors attached to leads, blood drawn, the bar code bracelet put on my wrist, and more questions. Eventually some kind of medication was pushed through the IV, and my heart slowed down to a trot.

Sometime during all the chaos, somebody came in and asked the standard demographics questions. My address, employer, phone numbers, emergency contacts, etc. Then the dreaded words, “Do you have your insurance card?” My response was sort of guilt-laden and apologetic, “I don’t’ have insurance.” Like I said, I worked in hospitals. I can promise you that the care you receive in the emergency room for a true life or death situation is not dependent on whether or not you have insurance. Yet, I worried that they’d disconnect me and send me home with some Tylenol. Of course, they didn’t. The young man taking my information gave me a pamphlet and told me not to worry about it, to call this circled number when I could and maybe the hospital could write off a portion of the bill.

That was a relief. They didn’t kick me out and might help me with the bill. After all the STAT tests were done and my heart stabilized, the doctor decided to keep me overnight for observation. Cha ching. My head was dizzy with dollar signs. But, I had already come this far, what’s a couple thousand more? Right? As a former Unit Clerk, I know insurance or the lack of is discussed by the staff. It does play a role in a patient’s care. However, I have never been on this side of the bed sheet.

Everyone treated me wonderfully, and I am grateful. I took my own antibiotic. I refused a pregnancy test because that would be a miracle even the Pope would have trouble believing.  I used my own shampoo and soap. Whatever I could do to keep my costs down, short of refusing care, I did it. The staff and doctors treated me with respect and true concern of my well-being.

Now, on to why I’m telling you all this. After I returned home, a pleasant woman called me from the hospital. She is a Case Manager and wanted to ensure I had the proper resources for living.  A roof over my head, food, utilities, and so on.  She mentioned Project Access, which I recently blogged about. She promised to send out a stack of information on other community resources for which I may be eligible.  I explained my blog and asked if it was okay to pass the information on. “Of course! You’ll be able to reach out to other people in need. God Bless You!”

So, without further ado, I will post the information the Case Manager sent to me on the Resources page. Just click the tab at the top of the page to find programs and assistance you may be eligible for.

A final thought…When you are trying to make up your mind if you should go to the hospital for a life or death situation, it may help you to remind yourself that your life is worth more than a few thousand dollars. Oh, and by the way, I called the hospital today. They are willing to completely write-off my almost $6,000 bill as Full Charity. Thank you very much!