Going From Rich Health Insurance to Being of the Uninsured.

My father has two Masters' degrees and was on his way to receiving his Ph.D over 30 years ago when he lost funding and stopped in the middle of his studies.  He's a highly educated man who worked as an academic advisor for over 22 years with the same office. 
In July, he was laid off.  Just like that in a matter of minutes. "Today is your last day and here are your pay checks. Please collect your items."

How hurtful is that to someone who has worked in the same location/office for over 22 years?!  The indignity of it. 

Now, on to one of the side effects of losing your job- losing your health insurance.  He was given 6 weeks to decide if he wanted to continue with the same health insurance benefits and pay his own way ($1700 a month just for him,  $5000 total for him and his family; inconceivable amounts for a sick man who has no prospect of getting another job).  This is what COBRA is- a blessing if you have the income.  Baba would've continued with the best health insurance that anyone could've dreamed of. 

We thought it would be necessary to keep my father on this health insurance because of his lymphoma (cancer) and heart issues, but reality struck in and my father/brother decided to switch my father to my brother's insurance plan which would be much less.  Alhamdulillah for that benefit.

But for some weird technical reasons, my mom's insurance papers went through quickly and my father's stalled. We bugged my brother for days to call them and get it straightened out NOW b/c my chronically sick father was refusing to go to the doctor for any reason till he had his insurance papers in hand. 

Towards the middle of Sept, my father starting exhibiting serious symptoms that required a doctor's visit, but he brushed it aside.  When his eyes starting turning yellow, my sister insisted he had to see a doctor.  He agree, but not for his yellow eyes/skin, only for his bloody stools and only to a doctor friend of his who might charge us a lower office visit bill. 

That doctor wanted us to go to ER immediately, but baba resisted b/c of the insurance. I texted my brother and asked him to call his insurance and aggressively demand coverage for a month in which we'd applied much earlier.  The next morning we took my father for a CT scan and blood tests to be paid for out of pocket.  The doctors decided it was an emergency and we really had to go in. We were ready for it, and prepared my father for it.  On our way there my brother called and told us that the insurance would cover this month, alhamdulillah.

But oh, the woes of the uninsured in America.  To have to wait till you're absolutely sure that your body has reached the point of an emergency to seek medical care... Never wanting to be charged thousands for only a possibility...