Eight Days in Hospital $123,000 AFTER INSURANCE!

Paramedics Load Stabilized Patient

In September 2013, as Maria Evans walked casually left from a community meeting on healthcare, while searching her purse for car keys, she suddenly felt light headed and blacked out from a stroke. It felt, she recalled, as if “my body seized and my mind was floating away.”

She woke up at Philadelphia's Thomas Jefferson Hospital . After surgery and a eight-day hospital stay, Ms. Evans owed about $123,000 — which was the balance after insurance made its payment.

Ms. Evans, working as a manager at CVS Pharmacy, could pay that extraordinary amount on her $36,000 annual salary. The community organization at which she volunteers, Change for Tomorrow, located free legal council, and with many hours of dedication from both the lawyer and organization, negotiated with doctors and the hospital to reduce the balance to $8,300. The balance of which neighbors and family raised to alleviate Ms. Evans' burden. They were also able to get a $1,400 ambulance bill discharged.

We spoke to nearby residents and students about Ms. Evans and asked if they had heard of similar cases. Jamar Washington a retired school teacher from the Philly school district said, "I remember when one of the teachers had a stroke in the faculty room at Frankford High, she had big bills." Washington went on to explain how his colleague had roughly a $50,000 bill for a six day hospital stay. 

A neighbor of Ms. Evans, Agatha Simmons told us that she would "rather die" than burden her family with medical expenses. In center city, we met Nick Carangi, a Temple University graduate who was distributing leaflets concerning homelessness in Philadelphia.  Mr. Carangi urged people to act saying Ms. Evans case was "one among thousands", he went on to say that "it is a systemic problem with healthcare providers and insurance companies". Others that we spoke to were outraged and even said they would write letters in behalf of Ms. Evans to Jefferson Hospital.

The story doesn't end there for Maria Evans. Although purging that hospital bill was vital for Ms. Evans credit and future, continuing therapy, doctors’ visits, and expensive medicine has become an issue of great concern. Having to meet those expenses, she is now in debt and behind on her rent and bills. Several organizations have stepped up to help Ms. Evans for which she expresses gratitude but she urges that independent people and organization take the initiative to save others in like situations.

Source: Philadelphia Independent