Guess How Much My Recent Heart Procedure Cost

The whole procedure took less than an hour. It prevented what could have been a major heart attack.

I recently had a stent put in an artery near my heart. This stent opened up the artery which was clogged so that blood could once again freely flow through. I was in the hospital for one day, not overnight. A tube was inserted in my wrist, directed through arteries up to my heart where a camera took a look at what was going on and installed the stent.

I was in recovery for a few hours after that. I am in cardiac rehabilitation for three months.

There is no doubt that it was a remarkable procedure. You could even say that it was a miracle of modern medicine. You could argue that it prolonged my life for many years.

Here's a fact that you can't argue with: the cost of having this done was over $74,000.

Here are my thoughts after seeing that figure on my insurance claim:

• I'm lucky I have health insurance through my employer.
• I'm lucky I could swing the nearly $2,000 copayment.
• If I didn't have insurance I would have been financially wiped out by this one, single medical event because in the United States, not everyone has the right to health care.
• If I didn't have insurance, I probably would have opted not to have this procedure done. I would have taken my chances, risking a heart attack or a stroke later on.
• If I didn't have insurance, I would have ended up in an emergency room with a heart attack or a stroke, leading to my own bankruptcy, and/or costing someone (either taxpayers through public subsidies or the hospital resulting in higher health costs for everyone who can pay) much more than if I had been able to receive the less expensive earlier treatment in the first place.

I still don't know what the cardiac rehabilitation is costing. But I think it's worth it because it will help prevent future cardiac events. Fortunately, I'm in a position where I can work my schedule around the three times a week appointments, and I'm fairly certain I'll be able to afford the co-payments. 

But I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't know what poor people are supposed to do. Just get sick and die I guess.

National Health Care Couldn't Be Worse Than This

When I call, I'm always put on hold. Then, I can't get an appointment for a month because the specialist is just too busy. Once I get into the doctor's office, I have to show the special card with my identifying number. People who don't have a card get turned away. I've seen it happen. When my name is finally called, I see a technician who takes my vitals and reviews my history, followed by a nurse who does a test, and a nurse practitioner who does a preliminary diagnosis. Finally, I am seen by a doctor who reviews everyone's notes and makes a final pronouncement before I'm hurried out the door.

Is this the nightmare of a government managed, single payer, national healthcare system?

Nope. This is my private, state-of-the-art, all-American, employer subsidized insurance paid, health care provider.

After the appointment, when the test results are in, I'm telephoned by an administrative assistant who reads the results to me but who isn't allowed to interpret them and is unable to answer my questions. It's a little more personal than the other doctor's office which refers me to the lab's website so I can read the results myself, regardless of whether I understand them.

The pharmacy does not have the specialty drug I've been prescribed. They can order it, this one is on the list of insurance approved medications, but I'll have to wait, and it will cost me the higher copay.

Endless paperwork. Limitations set by insurance companies. Overworked professionals.

As a regular consumer of medical services, I honestly don't believe that a government run health system could be any worse than the one I have to deal with. Is a faceless, soul-less, government-run bureaucracy that considers you a number and doesn't really care about you any worse than an insurance company that considers you a number and doesn't really care about you, and in addition, seeks to make a profit off of you?

I don't blame the individuals, usually, who provide the care. I blame the insurance companies who dictate the kind of care that can be provided.

I am luckier than many Americans. I at least have health insurance through my employer. I have some choice in who my doctors are. My prescriptions are covered (sure, I have copayments, but it's a tiny fraction of the actual costs). Most common tests and treatments are readily available to me should I need them.

Plus, I'm relatively healthy. I usually have the strength to assert myself through the maze of receptionists, insurance bureaucrats, answering services, and technicians to eventually get what I need.

I've asked before and I ask again: how do really sick people navigate the system? What do people do who are weak with cancer or AIDS? What if you can barely hold the phone, let alone speak up to someone who is giving you the runaround about a bill or information about your treatment?

I don't want to hear about how our health care system is better. It's not. It's at least as broken as your average government run system. It has to be. All things considered, I'd just as soon put my trust in a universal government run system, which would at least guarantee the same healthcare for everyone.

Dear Dan Savage: Health Care Takes Priority

See Dan Savage on CNN (YouTube).

Dear Dan Savage:

You are one of our most articulate spokespeople. I love to watch you stand up to wild-eyed right-wingers and your writing is some of the best out there. But I'd like to respond to what you are saying these days about President Obama.

I want to remind you how much our country has changed from a year ago. This African American president is young and smart. Intelligent utterances now come from the Oval Office. We can hold our heads a little higher in the global community.

Mr. Obama is unflappable. He reasons with opponents, advocating for mutual respect and civility. When so many, from town meetings to talk shows, believe that "whoever yells the loudest wins," I have yet to see this president lose his cool.

His challenges are undeniable. He inherited two untenable wars, a terrible economic crisis, and a seriously divided and increasingly polarized political landscape. While giving his all to handle these, he also manages to pursue issues unique to his tenure.

While campaigning, he spoke out more than any presidential candidate in history about the need for LGBTQI* equality. While falling short of endorsing gay marriage, he let it be known that DOMA (the Defense of Marriage Act) was bad policy. He promised to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, which effectively bans gays and lesbians from the military. As significant as anything, his speeches included consistent inclusion of the word "gay." To a minority group largely conditioned to hide in silence, hearing a prominent politician openly acknowledge our existence was exciting. It sent shivers up my spine.

But some of the citizens are getting restless. Gay activists like you are increasingly impatient with Obama. Seven months into office, the president seems to have edited us out of his speeches. DOMA and Don't Ask Don't Tell are, at best, on the back burner. You and others call on us to hold his feet to the fire and keep his promises.

I agree that Obama and all the Democrats in congress should be held accountable. They need to be reminded of the money we raised and the large number of votes we optimistically cast to get them elected. They cannot be allowed to take our support for granted while continuously pushing us to the side so "more important" issues can be dealt with first. It happened in the Clinton administration and it could be happening again. They need to hear you calling for the progress we were promised or they risk losing us.

At the same time, I must distance myself from your rhetoric. While LGBTQI issues are important to me and I'll be happy to defend our rights to anyone, anytime, I am not just a gay man with a single interest in what our country does.

As a voter living with multiple chronic medical conditions, I believe that health care reform takes priority, for the moment, over gay rights. Poverty and bankruptcy are only one hospital stay away for a huge number of Americans. For now, I want Mr. Obama to focus on that.

Dan, I'm sorry, but climate change resulting in melting ice caps and world-wide coastal flooding are also more urgent than gay rights. The potential social and environmental instability resulting from global warming render all other issues moot. I'd like the president to spend his capital on clean energy, alternative fuels, and high speed rail which are not only good for the environment, but for the economy as well.

Dan, I'm always happy to see you on TV or read you in the Advocate. Keep it up. But you don't speak for me. I am a loyal supporter of President Obama. If he can get health care reform accomplished now, I'll wait off to the side a while longer.


*Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Intersex (this acronym is a topic for another time)