My Healthcare Story and the Insurance Company That Bankrupted Me

United Healthcare was the insurance company I bought coverage from. I was considered contract labor so I had to provide my own healthcare. United Healthcare was the only insurance company providing coverage for individuals at the time I needed coverage, so they had a monopoly and could and did charge exorbitant rates. My coverage started at $325 a month one person and increased every four or five months. I got sick and needed tests. My insurance went up to $500 a month. I got a diagnosis they didn't like and my premium doubled. I couldn't afford $1,000 a month for coverage of just me. And every time they raised my rate they raised my copay and deductible. Every charge was denied and had to be fought. I couldn't work because I was too ill. I couldn't fight with my insurance company because I was too ill. I didn't have to money to keep paying $1,000 a month while refusing to cover anything. Then I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and they dropped me. I was hospitalized for two weeks and put on four very expensive drugs. My only option then was to put medical charges on credit cards. I was late with a payment, my interest rate doubled. I got behind on making my minimum payments and the credit card companies came after me. After two years of struggling to make minimum payments while being called a deadbeat twenty times a day by the credit card companies I filed for bankruptcy. Finally I applied for disability. It took two years to get disability, but finally I had coverage for my medical treatments and prescriptions. Medicare has never questioned a test, or change of medication, or treatment by a specialist or a drug order. This is the public option I want for all of you