A Spot of Bad Luck, Duck!

My mother-in-law (MIL) had her first brush with the American healthcare system Friday when FIL rushed her to the emergency room in the wee, dark hours of the morning. MIL has a pretty high pain threshold, so for her to demand a hospital visit meant it was serious. Turns out it was her gall bladder, which was removed later that day.

Their first brush with the American healthcare system does not involve insurance. They do not have individual insurance in this country. To get health insurance at their age would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $2000 a month and more, which wasn't something they could afford.

I don't think they really know what they're in for yet as the bills will start to roll in. In the UK, they could go to the doctor or hospital and be treated without worrying about going bankrupt (although they have to put up with what they get. Socialized medicine is like that.). I don't want to disturb my MIL's much-needed recovery time with talk of how much money this will end up costing; but you, who have experience in this, will understand. There is the bill for the emergency room visit, the physician's bill, the bills for each of the tests they ran, the surgeon, the anesthetist and medicine, the recovery time, medications, etc. She went home instead of staying a night in the hospital, so that will cut out about $1000 or so from the total cost.

I'm afraid for them. I have my theories about why the American healthcare system was broken and the cost of health care is so high, but I am also absolutely and utterly convinced that this Obamacare crap will only make it far, far worse. In any case, the reckoning will come soon for my naive and innocent British in-laws, who, I want to point out, came into the country legally and who will do everything they can to pay what they owe.