Falling Through
Casualties of the Health Insurance Crisis
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Facing a chronic illness with no insurance
A barber with a chronic disease falls deeper into dept.
During his ordeal, there were several medications doctors told him would help. But he skimped on dosages, or went without.
Contact staff writer Michael Vitez at 215-854-5639 or mvitez@phillynews.com.
"One anti-inflamatory, Pentasa, is $392 a month," he says. "The amount they want me to take - I take half of that."
Among his many debts, Grassia said he owes Booth Radiology about $3,000, and sends them $50 every time he gets a bill.
"I constantly use them, so I constantly pay them and pay them and pay them," he said.
Jeanne Stark, director of marketing for Booth Radiology, says her company works with patients on a case-by-case basis when they have trouble paying bills, and if patients make a good faith effort to pay each month, their accounts won't be sent to a collection agent.
By the end of summer, Grassia was looking and feeling much better.
He is upbeat, confident he'll make it through the next crisis.
But he has a simple philosophy he wishes the politicians in Washington and insurance companies would follow:
"If you're a hardworking American," he says, "you should have affordable health care."
What Went Wrong
Marty Grassia owns a small business and his home, and supports a wife and three children. But he says he could not afford to pay for health insurance. The premiums were just too high, especially because he had a preexisting condition - Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammation of the intestines. When his disease flared up in the last year, he spent $40,000 on doctors, tests and medications. He has exhausted all savings, and owes $20,000 on his credit card.
Next Installment
Karen Goroncy works for a home health agency and takes care of people for a living. Her agency pays her about $10 an hour and offers her health insurance, but the premiums are too expensive, so she goes without it. She has developed a hernia and other health issues from years of lifting and taking care of others, yet she can't afford to take care of her own health concerns.
Who Are the Uninsured?
More than 70 percent of uninsured adults below retirement age are working.
About half are white, 30 percent are Hispanic, and 14 percent are black.
About 85 percent have less than a college degree.
Those from ages 18 to 44 compose 60 percent of the total.
Children make up only 19 percent, since many are covered by government programs.
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, U.S. Census.
Contact staff writer Michael Vitez at 215-854-5639 or mvitez@phillynews.com.
