This blog is a reaction to the article: “What’s Next For The Health Insurance Landscape In Wisconsin?” by Donna Friedsam, UW Population Health Institute
I have often said that if we had true universal health coverage, I probably would not have a job representing injured people.
A great number of the people who walk in my door do so because of unpaid medical bills. I am not just talking about the uninsured; I am talking about people with insurance. Many of those people actually have more than one insurance policy potentially on the hook to pay bills: Health insurance, workers compensation, medical payments coverage on an auto policy, and the liability coverage of an at-fault driver. Sometimes the insurance companies all deny the bills, such as when a health insurer denies payment because its insured allegedly suffered a work injury, and the workers compensation insurer denies payment because it was allegedly not caused by a work injury. Other times, my insured clients have such large co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-network charges that they are left with massive bills to pay. Before Obamacare, my clients also frequently faced insurance company denials due to their supposed pre-existing conditions.
Obviously, these expenses can be devastating for the working poor who are living paycheck-to-paycheck, but it goes well beyond that group; unpaid medical bills can very quickly deplete an insured person’s substantial savings account.
For those people who have never been faced with medical bills you simply cannot afford, consider yourself very lucky, and then realize that unfortunately, tomorrow you might not be quite so lucky.
