My father

My father died at 48 because he didn't have insurance he was part of the working poor. One Saturday morning in mid-October in 1987 he drove by two hospitals that would have saved his life but said no it’s nothing. He drove on to his destination and entered my uncle’s home and went into full cardiac arrest.  He didn't want to have the extra bill. He wanted to make sure his family had enough money to pay the mortgages.  He left us that day with more than a whole in our pockets but a whole in our hearts.

My mother was billed $900.00 for the paramedics that transported my father 5 minutes to a helicopter pad.  The Heart flight was over $18,000.00. Let us not forget the emergency room visit of $8500.00 or the mortuary of $7,500.00. I wonder if he would have stopped if he would have realized the catastrophic effect it had on our family.

I was 22 when my father died and my life changed forever.  He was a proud man and he would have never wanted my mother to be burdened with the cost of his death.   She was destroyed and became a widow at 42 years old.  She had to work two jobs to pay her mortgage rent. It changed how she lived her life.

Is medical insurance important? Yes

My parents were hard working people who spent their lives loving and protecting their children. We didn't always have the best but we never went without. My parents scarified their health insurance policy to put food on our table. They never got government help. I wonder if they would be alive today if they had the insurance that would have enabled my father to live a longer life. Instead his grandchildren only know the stories that we have told them.

The changes in the government may not bring my parents back. But maybe it will save the life of the next person who will find a cure for heart disease or cancer.