Uninsured Women Negotiates With Hospital, Pays Less Than She Would Have For COBRA

As part of its Bearing Witness 2.0 project, the Huffington Post is rounding up a few of the best local stories of the day.

Tammy Compton of the Wayne Independent reports that a Waymart, Pa., woman managed to save money on health care costs by foregoing insurance. Carol (she withheld her last name) recently quit her job of six years at a utility company because of high stress, which made her ineligible for unemployment benefits. She opted to quit her employer's health insurance plan instead of extending it via COBRA, figuring she'd stay healthy enough to do without.

But she wound up in the hospital twice, first because of kidney stones, then a breathing problem. Her bill was $6,900. After talking to a representative from the hospital in person, though, the bill was dropped down to $2,350 -- less than she would have paid for five months COBRA, which she said would have cost $538 a month.

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Andy Parker of the Oregonian writes about students enrolled in a late-night welding class, which does not finish until 2 am. Many are taking the class in addition to long work days, and the trend is growing: an extra section was added this semester to meet student demand.

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Peggy Lowe of the OC Register highlights a local man, Leslie Carldera, who used to love to ride his bike to work every day. He was laid off two years ago, after 23 years on the job, and has been unable to get a new one since. "As time has gone by, it's kind of like the frog-in-the-boiling water syndrome," he said. "So much time has gone by and day-to-day, I don't really notice a difference. But it really has become a major concern and a dire situation."

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A cobbler couple in Kempsville, Va., is helping laid-off neighbors put their best feet forward by providing free shoe shines, reports Staci Dennis of the Virginia-Pilot. "I thought about what we had to offer and that's when I came up with the free shoeshines," said Danita Pierce, who has owned a shoe repair shop with her husband, Vincent, for 20 years. "This is our resource and how we can help."

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Sign of the times: Almost 3,000 land plots in Mahoning County, Ohio, are late on taxes for the first time, reports WYTV. The county treasurer, Lisa Antonini chalks it up to high unemployment, but is nonetheless calling on landowners to pay their taxes, which add up to $3,300,000.

HuffPost readers: Seen a good local story? Know of a neighbor going to bizarre lengths to get through the recession? Tell us about it! Email [e-mail].

Comments

[JohnFromCensornati]

"But she wound up in the hospital twice, first because of kidney stones, then a breathing problem. Her bill was $6,900."

What does "wound up in the hospital" mean? I don't see how two admissions could total just $6,900.

[GirlFriday123]

Maybe she went to the ER. It doesn't take much to get up there - especially if you're uninsured and don't have the prices the insurance companies have strong-armed out of the hospital.

[JohnFromCensornati]

I went to the ER for kidney stones several years ago. I spent 5 hours there and the bill was over $5,000. I don't see how her bill could be this small.