The US healthcare system is showing all its weaknesses in the face of the COVID pandemic.
John Druschitz, 65, spent 5 days in a Texas hospital with fever and shortness of breath. Suspecting he had a coronavirus infection, doctors hung a sign on the door to his ward demanding to wear protective equipment. The research results were inconsistent: several molecular tests for coronavirus tested negative, but the antibody test was positive. Drushits was also diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat and blood clots in his lungs.
Having decided that the patient did not have the coronavirus, Drusits was prescribed oxygen therapy at home. This outcome did not bother the pensioner until the fall, when he was billed for treatment in the amount of $22,367.81.
“I thought everything was going well, and then in October I received the first bill, which said that I owed 20 thousand dollars”, – Druschits lamented.
Later, a patient advocate explained that the bill was linked to a diagnosis. When doctors ruled out infection with a coronavirus infection, Drushits also lost his right to government benefits. It also turned out that the case did not meet the criteria of other federal health programs very slightly.
“This shows the insanity of the health care system, where literally a clinical diagnosis determines whether someone goes bankrupt”, – said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.
As noted by The New York Times, the American health insurance system is seriously different from similar systems in other countries, where an integrated approach is preferred. In the States, this system can be compared to a patchwork quilt: people have the right to participate in various health programs depending on their age, employer and health status. If people do not meet the standards of one of these programs, they are among the uninsured, of which there are almost 30 million in the United States.
“All my life I have been insured, except for one month, when all this happened”, – said John Druschitz.
To close the gap in the pandemic, the US authorities last spring approved a program that will cover the cost of treating uninsured COVID-infected people. But the terms of this program are too harsh. So, a patient with a secondary diagnosis of coronavirus will no longer be able to take advantage of benefits.