Does auto insurance cover your health expenses if you don't have health insurance coverage? From the story of this Michigan family it seems that if you don't have health insurance coverage you "better be in a car accident" if hurt. It is very strange is it not?
"I was in the car with my husband when I was 9-months pregnant," explains Karyn McCartney of Mason, Mich. "Our car was t-boned from the passenger side, where I was. My placenta ruptured and severely injured my daughter. My broken ribs punctured and collapsed my lungs. I suffered two pelvic fractures, severe nerve damage, a subdural hematoma – and that was just me."
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"We didn't know what our daughter would have to go through. She wasn’t breathing after undergoing an emergency c-section. She also had a subdural hematoma, severe tone issues, and a fractured skull.
"Everyone told us that if you have to get hurt, you had better hope it's in an auto accident," Karyn recalls, noting that her family doesn’t have health insurance, but could be covered by auto insurance. "My hip was fractured, many nerves were killed, and I had to learn how to walk again."
"Due to the head injuries, it's likely I’ll have seizures the rest of my life. The doctors and staff do all they can, even watching our daughter while I get speech, occupational, or physical therapy. Our lead rehab doctors have been amazing."
"It's scary to think about where we'd be if this wasn't from a car accident."
Eighty-two percent of Americans think the U.S. healthcare system should be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt (Commonwealth Fund, Aug. 7, 2008). America's nurses know that only single-payer, improved and expanded Medicare for all will fix our broken system and the tragedy of our devastated families. HR 676, by U.S. Rep John Conyers, is the most comprehensive, cost effective way to achieve guaranteed healthcare for all. Read prior stories in this series at www.GuranteedHealthcare.org.
For more information, or to contact this patient: Liz Jacobs, RN 510/273-2232.