Nicole’s credit card bill skyrockets every September – time for back to school clothes and the annual check-up at the doctor for her two girls. Clothes, sure. But doctor visits? Since they can’t afford health coverage, she says, “My Visa is my insurance card.”

It’s not that they haven’t tried. This mom in Chittenango, NY has done research on state programs that cover kids and priced out family health insurance plans. At $900 a month the insurance would have been more than their mortgage, and besides, wouldn’t even cover the treatment and monitoring of her youngest daughter’s heart condition.

The state programs weren’t the answer either… their family made just above the minimum income requirement and would have had to spend down their bank accounts and sell off assets to qualify.

Nicole, like many people we’ve talked to, doesn’t expect free health care. She’ll pay – she’s GLAD to pay – but couldn’t there be a sliding scale? Does it have to be all or nothing?

So in the meantime she and her husband forego care, and the girls get the annual physical. Optimistic as ever, she subscribes to the “we’ve just been lucky” policy for her family’s health and hopes that streak of luck continues.

But she thinks it’s only a matter of time before health coverage is a necessity, especially for her husband. He’s a contractor after all, and that’s tough work… bad back, bad knees… not to mention the prescriptions he’d take if they were insured.

It’s the middle class squeeze: making too much but not enough, forcing families like Nicole’s to avoid doctor visits and just keep their fingers crossed.

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comments (3)

Comments

1 Posted by Richard Klix at 06/09/08 10:26 PM

Please name the countries that have mostly content citizens with there Medical Plan. Canada? no! France? no!I await your answer!

2 Posted by Nicole Shane at 06/10/08 03:40 AM

You guys couldn't have reported it any better. Thanks for sharing my story - great job! Good luck with your travels and I will be checking back here to see how you all are holding up. I'm always around if you need another good dose of reality (or a place to stretch your legs!) Thank you so much, it was great to meet you all.

3 Posted by mike at 06/10/08 04:30 AM

Richard,

An interesting question... one that the Commonwealth Fund looked into last year with a survey of patients and primary care physicians of six developed countries(see link). Here is an excerpt: "Compared with five other nations—Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom—the U.S. health care system ranks last or next-to-last on five dimensions of a high performance health system: quality, access, efficiency, equity, and healthy lives."

So the short answer to your question: the United Kingdom.

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=482678

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