Forum shows real faces of the
under- and uninsured

Monet Barton, a single mother with two daughters aged 9 and 11, has run her own child care business in Denver for years. When she developed a hernia several years ago, however, she put off having surgery because she had no health insurance to pay for it.

That stalling tactic, though, came to a crushing end in November 2002 when she felt a painful pop in her stomach and doubled over in pain.

“Twelve hours later, I was in the ER at University of Colorado Hospital, being wheeled in for surgery,” Barton said. “I remember lying there so scared, not knowing if it was life-threatening, consumed by feelings of worry, hopelessness, panic. Would they want to impose impossible monthly payments on me when I got out?”

Monet Barton, a single mother who runs her own child care business, shares her experiences trying to get good health care without health insurance at a forum March 11 in the CU School of Medicine.

Barton is one of the 41 million - 45 million Americans who have no health insurance. In her case, it’s because she makes too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough money to pay for private coverage. One in six Coloradans is uninsured.

She was one of the “Faces of the Uninsured” sharing her story at a campus forum March 11 at the CU School of Medicine. The event was held in conjunction with Cover the Uninsured Week, a public education effort launched nationwide by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

But people like Barton are only part of the story. For every uninsured person, there is someone who is underinsured – who perhaps carries only major medical insurance, or who has such high deductibles that preventive health care and screenings are out of reach.

Tim Cowan, a professional mountain climber who has summited Everest and also owns his own landscaping business, fell on hard times four months ago when he was out on a routine climb and unexpectedly fell 40 feet.

He broke his ankle, sternum, pelvis and four vertebrae and suffered damage to his spinal cord. He was hospitalized for two months

“Even before I got out, I started getting bills,” Cowan said. “It turned out my policy – which I thought had me covered – was very vague and confusing. My entire bill came to $350,000, but I owe $20,000 and have no way to pay for it. I can’t even work at my landscaping business because of my injuries.

“I am thankful to have a wife to support me on the insurance part, all the paperwork and bills,” he continued. “But we worry: Will they come after our house? It puts the fear in me.”

Cowan can’t qualify for disability payments because the government forces people to cash out all of their 401(k) retirement plans first. While his is modest, it is something he doesn’t want to touch.

“You feel like the system is against you,” he said. “We have heard from people that in the disability system, they stall and stall and basically wait for you to die (in an effort to not have to give out payments).”

Cowan, who has a master’s degree in exercise physiology, says he felt like he received pretty good care in the hospital, but that he never saw a neurologist.

“I have a spinal cord injury,” he said. “It’s frustrating, but it was probably because it was too expensive for the hospital.”

He needs to see a urologist now, but is putting off that because he has already used up his policy’s maximum spending limit for the year. “Am I causing more damage by delaying? Is my insurance going to drop me at some point?” he asked.

Barton has faced similar dilemmas.

“I really believe in preventive care – dental care and wellness checks,” she said. “But I put off these things. It’s terrifying to think of worst-case scenarios. What if I get cancer? It won’t be caught early because I don’t do wellness checks. I won’t get treatment until I get so sick, they’ll have to treat me (in the ER). But then, I’m not likely to be responsive to treatment because the disease will be too far along.”

This kind of disparity – between what the medical industry is technologically capable of doing and what it can afford to do – is only growing, said Kathy Kennedy, director of the Health and Environmental Leadership Program, which helped organize the campus event. The question comes down to priorities.

“Right now, 70 percent of all money spent on health care in the U.S. is spent in the last year of life, with no real improvement in the quality of life,” she said. “This requires a real evaluation of our values. We need to look at our priorities.”

Mark Earnest, MD, an associate professor in CU’s Department of Medicine, implored the medical students to become involved in this national crisis and to help change the hearts and minds of fellow citizens in support of universal health coverage.

“Participate in our democracy,” he said. “There is no bigger issue that will affect your careers than this one.”

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