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Old 03-24-2004, 11:13 PM  
Paul Markham
Too old to care
 
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Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: On the sofa, watching TV or doing my jigsaws.
Posts: 52,943
Quote:
Originally posted by roly
what happens to a critically ill person in the US if it turns out they don't have insurance or a means of paying?
It happened to my father, he had a heart attack and got rushed to Harbour hospital in Long Beach. They performed heart surgery on him before they knew he did not have the money or insurance to cover it.

Once they admit you they are committed to care for you I believe.

12 months later he had an anurism, the hospital that sent the paramedics thought because he had the surgery he had money and kept him all day doing "Tests".

The delay in sending him straight back to Harbour killed him. The specialist who looked at the case afterwards decreed, that following the anurism he had less than a 50/50 chance of surviving, which is the level of liability for the hospital, but said if he had of been taken directly to Harbour it would of been better.

Left my mother alone and penniless, we now support her.
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