First of all, she's fine now. But talk about really, really, really bad timing.
JB is my Pilates teacher who I wrote about last week. She of the congenital twisted bowel issue with no health insurance. So what could be about the worst thing that could befall someone with a bowel issue?
Well, remember how JB said she didn't plan international travel because she was afraid of getting sick overseas and couldn't afford getting shots before she went to protect herself from digestive issues? I guess you don't need to go out of the US to get food poisoning.
Yup, last weekend she ate at a restaurant to which I've actually been many times and got food poisoning. She suspects the potato salad. For JB food poisoning probably has a little more impact than on the rest of us. She ended up with so much pain she was afraid she couldn't get herself to the hospital, so she had to call 911.
Ambulance rides...very pricy.
She ended up in and out of the hospital over the next 4 days...they had to give her drugs to stop the spasms; they had to put her on fluids.
She is hoping that the restaurant's insurance may cover her, but without a doggie bag containing the offending food I wonder how you prove they sickened you if they don't want to cop to it?
In the meantime, she got sick on Thursday and was back teaching her classes on Monday. Because you know, she's got a mortgage and she hasn't got any health insurance, and if the bills do come to her...she's going to have to work extra hard to pay them off.
She'd been avoiding sporty pursuits and international travel because of her lack of coverage. What's the next step...just going to work and staying home? Not having insurance sucks.
it sure does.
Posted by: enoch choi | May 05, 2005 at 03:15 PM
I just saw her today at Pilates. Her bill came in at $5000.
And get this: the restaurant is asking to see her ENTIRE medical record...like lifetime!! What's that about? Slight invasion of privacy, no?
Posted by: Elisa Camahort | May 05, 2005 at 03:27 PM
Well, no . . .
If JB is asking someone else to pay her bill, don't you think they have a RIGHT to see medical records?
Put yourself in their shoes. If someone presented you with a $5k bill, wouldn't YOU want proof you were at fault?
BTW, at $5k for 4 days in (and out of) the hospital, plus an ambulance ride, she got off easy. It could have been 3-4x that amount depending on her level of care.
Posted by: Bob | May 07, 2005 at 03:30 AM
Nope. Don't agree. Her entire life's medical records? Maybe, MAYBE for her gatro-related issues. But they don't have a right to see if she's ever been pregnant or had an STD or battled depression etc. etc. etc.
(PS-I agree that I thought $5K sounded low. I wonder if she's gotten every bill yet.)
Posted by: Elisa Camahort | May 07, 2005 at 08:01 AM