Jean doesn’t want ‘socialized medicine.’ But she also adds that the current system doesn’t pay (or reward) for preventative care. But it wasn’t clear to her how either the free-market or government could change that. “People have to take responsibility for their health,” she told me.
Serving up a cup of coffee, Holly, at the Rooster coffee shop, told me she doesn’t have health insurance. “I hope basically not to get sick,” she said with a serious look beyond her youth. “Pretty much that’s it.”
John, on the right, told me “I have good insurance but premiums have gone up 30% in the last year.” He took me into his garage, out from drizzle, to meet his family and friends. “I’m not happy with the way healthcare is now,” he told me.
Mike, in the middle, shared with me his father’s situation. “He’s 52 years-old, a retired GM, Delphi employee, salaried, he was.” Mike looked at me to make sure I understood. “He was a salaried worker,” he repeated. “Which means they took away all his health benefits last April. Wage-earners got to keep their benefits, you know.” I nodded in acknowledgment. “So, he’s too young for Medicare, and now has a bad, bad situation.”
Todd recently lost his job as a machinist. His wife gets health coverage as a schoolteacher but “It’s not good insurance,” he tells me. “The out-of-pocket payments are ridiculous,” he added. They have two kids—two and four years old—and he wonders what will happen if they get sick. “It’s a great thing you’re doing,” he said, as I shook his hand, thanking him, too, in return.
Tara, the cook at the ‘Rooster’ truck stop near Middle Point, Ohio, has no insurance. “It’s just too much ... that’s the situation.”
Dee told me the story of her uncle. He had a heart attack a few years back resulting in cardiac surgery and a bill for $145, 000. “Dee, I'm dying,” he said, not clear, as Dee told me, whether he was referring to his health troubles or the financial burdens. Dee told her uncle to change his diet, do yoga, lots of walking, and other things to improve his lifestyle and health. And so he heeded her advice and actually, to do these things, went back to India. Returning some months later, he proudly called Dee telling her that he was healthier, no longer had diabetes, and no hypertension. But, he lamented, “I still owe $145,000.”
