My 20 yr. old son called me tonight because one of his roommates is coughing up blood for the second time in less than 3 weeks. The roommate refused to go to the emergency room the first time and is refusing again to seek treatment because he is uninsured and afraid of being saddled with debt that he can't afford. My view is that he can't afford not to seek treatment for what could be a very serious condition. Furthermore, he could be putting everyone around him at risk if he has TB. If I recall correctly from a previous conversation, he's working as a dishwasher at a restaurant
Short of being very Republican about this (hauling him off to the hospital in chains), what are his options in this situation? What options are available for a person who is seriously ill, uninsured and minimally employed, but probably makes just enough to not qualify for medicaid?
He doesn't understand the seriousness of the situation. He's young, afraid, confused and distrustful...all of it probably justified. He is refusing to go to the hospital unless someone can guarantee him that he will not end up on the street, hounded by debt collectors, or marked with a capital B for bankruptcy for the next 10 years. I don't know what the options are for him, and I won't lie to him just to get him to go.
This is a young man in his early twenties, surviving on menial jobs. I've never had to deal with one of these issues and I know enough to be aware that what the government tells you is frequently wrong or misleading. I've thought of calling the Dept of Public Health in Pennsylvania, but I can only imagine the kind of jack-booted response or glib lies that might issue forth in their attempts to deal with a potential public health risk. Ultimately, I'll do what I must to get him into the health system, but I rather not put him through hell in the process.
I was hoping that someone on dkos has expertise in the area and could offer a suggestion or concrete steps to take or accurate information that will reasure him that his fears are unfounded. The possibility of his being a public health risk is significant. He's being foolish but for now that appears to be an insurmountable obstacle.
Assuming that we can point him in the right direction (he lives in Pittsburgh) this whole event makes it clear that if a public health crisis arises (e.g. a recurrence of swine flu), all the planning by US authorities will go for naught because millions are without health insurance and many will react in a similar fashion. Will someone please tell me again why socialized medicine is such a bad idea?