The bills are starting to come in

NCHC | Facts About Healthcare - Health Insurance Coverage

Economist James Smith found that insured households paid an average of $26,957 in total medical spending after the diagnosis of a serious new health condition; uninsured households paid $42,166. (James Smith, “Healthy Bodies and Thick Wallets: The Dual Relation Between Health and Economic Status,” Journal of Economic Perspectives 13(2): 145-166. Quoted in Levy, Ibid).

I'm starting to see the bills for the knee. I've grumbled about the brace, and I've joked that if I had known I would be in harness for this long, I would have limped around a lot longer---but I might also have had second thoughts if I had seen these costs ahead of time. And I am insured!! Of course, I have all the co-pays, as well as the 90/10 coverage, but at least I HAVE insurance. There is still going to be a significant payment out of my pocket. (Overtime, here I come.....) I cannot even imagine having to pay the entire bill out of pocket, though. We're talking the cost of my first house, here. We're talking about the price of a new car. How on earth does somebody with no insurance DO this? I joked about it being elective surgery, painful as the knee was prior. For somebody with no insurance, or even lousier coverage than I have--the "elective" part is no joke.