Question

Case Scenario 1: In 2012, Dan was a 52-year-old handyman who worked odd jobs and did not carry insurance. He earned more than 150% of the poverty level so didn’t qualify for public health coverage, yet he could not afford to pay the high medical premiums insurance companies charged people with pre-existing conditions. One day, Dan fell from a ladder while working on a project. He did not seek medical attention despite severe back pain because he could not afford to pay medical bills. After that accident, he experienced chronic shooting pain down his leg. He did not take medication for the pain because he could not afford the doctor’s visit or the cost of the prescription. Because of the pain, Dan was frequently unable to work and struggled to pay his rent and buy food. Question 1: How does this scenario exemplify the health impact of health-care inequality faced by the poor and uninsured as described in the assigned reading? Question 2: Evaluate the indirect costs of the uninsured to society as a whole likely to arise in this scenario.

Answer 1

1.The scenario describes the inability of a poor person to afford medical care at reasonable rate.He is unable to pay the bill due to high price.The reason is he has no no insurance,he has not enrolled for an insuranc due to high premium rate which he cannot pay.This ultimately has resulted in health inequality by people if have insurance can be treated without fear of any major expenses and people with no insurance cannot pay the bill.

2.The person can choose a public care hospital or a charitable trust for his treatment .The average cost is $40000 to $80000 fir a person.The average expenditure for back pain is about $6096

It costs nearly $240 billion a year for musculoskeletal disorders.The low back pain has costed over $100 billion yearly.