For those who don’t know, two weeks ago I broke my back. Technically it was a rib-back break; the joint between the bottom floating rib and the thoracic vertebrae was cracked. It was a hairline fracture, nothing was displaced meaning no need for a cast or a brace. The injury caused some complications, the most severe of which was a hemothorax — bleeding into the chest cavity — which required a chest tube and several days in the hospital. Even heavily medicated the pain was extraordinary.
I’m lucky, not just that there’s no permanent injury like paralysis, but the company I work for provides health insurance for its employees. They pay 100% of the premium, I pay zilch, which means my effective wage is really a couple of hundred bucks higher than my monthly take home. Moreover, it’s incredibly good insurance. Time and time again the docs treating me remarked on that. I didn’t have to wait for any approvals for expensive tests like CAT scans, if I needed it, I got it right away and the results were available immediately.
The downside in modern corporate America is in attendance policies. A year ago I was just-a-temp for the same company I work for as a full time regular employee now. Had this accident occured then, when I had no insurance or sicks days, not only would I be in hock to the tune of 50 grand right now — assuming I got the same degree of care which is debatable — I would have been fired while in the hospital. As is I managed to stay just under the threshold of my employer’s point system. No consequences at all for the missed time. Had I been out one more day, or if I miss another day for any reason over the next six months, well I’m not sure exactly what happens but consequences kick in and escalate from there on for any more missed time.
I was in the hospital for almost a week, went to home for a few hours, and then right back to work full-time, nine hours a day. I could have taken a half day or two without getting fired, but that would have pushed me past the threshold where consequences come into play. I chose to avoid that, my decision and all, but it came at one hell of a painful price and whole jug of narcotic painkillers. If there was any other way I’d have taken it
It strikes me through this ordeal that our system of healthcare is fucking insane. It’s completely reasonable for a company to expect its workforce to show up, and the company I work for probably compares favorably to others in that regard. But loosing a job when you’re going to need money and/or health insurance the most serves no one. It means the docs and hospital probably won’t be paid, and it means bankruptcy and misery for the patient.
And how many corporate serfs who have the capability to strike out on their own don’t because they’ve got families who need the health-care cover?
Glad you could get back to work on time. You are a “resource”, not a person…so if you don’t get back on time, top management expects that the middle management will let you go and they will find a replacement. Since I’m at the top of the middle management bunch, I can assure you that this is true.
My own personal tale of disgust with the insurance situation happened a little over 6 years ago to my oldest child. He was diagnosed with a brain abscess (not good; not good at all). He was been filled up almost continuously with 3 different anti-biotics to kill the bacteria (very odd condition of a sinus infection that reached his brain, but since he didn’t have a fever he was originally mis-diagnosed…but that’s a different problem with our health care system for another day).
My wife and I rotated staying in his room night and day (he was in the hospital for 12 days). About 1/2 way thru, my mother flew down so that my wife and I could “celebrate” our wedding anniversary for one night. While we were out, the head of the hospital collections department comes up to my son (11 years old at the time) and demanded to know how he was going to pay the $400 deductible. Yes, you read that correctly. There was no problem covering this for me, but words can not describe the complete disgust with this person who was so focused on her job that thought no longer entered her brain as to the situation at hand. How many other serious cases are approached this way at this hospital? At all the hospitals around this country?
But the way the US is going either you need to be healthy or die. Health insurance will become only for the rich.
I understand that the US is a democracy – most of you have the vote. It really does not have to be like this – in this country (UK) it isn’t and the same applies to most other democratic countries.
We respect your national sovereignty, nobody is going to invade you to force you to do something about it, it is entirely up to you.
When I had to go into hospital (it turned out to be nothing serious but involved an anti-biotic drip and a number of tests using rather shiny, expensive, equipment) there was no question of a charge or even of whether I had insurance. When I was discharged, I left with a course of medication, also at no charge, and a certificate giving me a further two weeks off work. My employer not only continued to pay my salary during all this time but would not have allowed me to return to work until a doctor had certified me fit for work.
alanuk,
Don’t worry. David Cameron and his bunch of soon-to-be highly-paid advisers to US private healthcare management companies – sorry, I mean to say his government – are sorry you had such a good experience, and are working overtime to ensure that it never happens again.
I wonder how good it is for the companies too. I’m sure letting you recover at home for a couple of days is going to be cheaper than firing you. I mean, it’s not like they’ll have a replacement the next day, so they’ll have to work without you for at least some days anyway. Then add the time and effort conducting job interviews and getting the new person up and running, and I can’t see why they should want to fire you instead of give you some extra time to recover.
It seems that those sorts of calculations aren’t made in the US anymore, though. It’s not about what is most cost-effective anymore, it’s about how much you should punish the unproductive to keep the rest of the workers in line.
You should notice that most companies no longer have Personnel Departments, they now have Human Resources Departments. The change is more than semantic.
Hey Deen. Well, in fairness my employee has treated me fine and it was their insurance that covered my treatement, so I do feel an obligation to return as soon as possible. Nevertheless that policy sent me back faster than I would have liked. A half day for the first few days would have been ideal, it might have actually helped; nine hour days right off the bat were just too much. I’d wager good odds it slowed the recovery down and these kinds of policies are the norm for entry level employees. Thing is, I doubt these policies are intended to cause potential harm, they’re put in place to keep people from taking a day off every week or two for kicks, but in a borderline injury like mine that’s how they played out in practice. If I’d have been knocked out for weeks or months I have really good short term and long term disability, but I wasn’t hurt quite that bad. In my particular situation, where the sole measurement is time missed, there was no distinction between “In the trauma ward with internal injuries” and ” too hungover to work” … I have discharge paperwork and diagnosis and a freakin time/name/date stamped CD ROM showing CAT Scans and X-rays. It’s not like there was a lack of documentation, it just didn’t matter whay I missed the time, the consequences were the same for me as for someone who really was too hungover to work.
When I have employed new staff, I’d estimate it costs around $20,000. It also takes on average 3 months to get someone. Then there’s induction, training, etc. Not to mention the low morale of the workforce. If corporate America is behaving in this way, it’s no surprise the US economy is the basket case it is. This looks like ideology (right wing loonies) trumping pragmatism.
It does make me appreciate so much more the Australian health care and employment laws.
I was in an accident and seriously injured about a year ago. Apparently after admitting me to the ER (in a helicopter) I signed something saying I would pay if I didn’t have insurance or some such. I have no recollection of this as I had been knocked out for the ride to the ER.
I had no family there to intervene for me either. They could have handed me anything and I would have signed it.
It gets even better though. My insurance didn’t want to pay because it was an accident, so the other person’s insurance was supposed to pay. But they won’t until a certain amount has been reached. I’m at home, stuck in bed, unable to do much of anything (literally) and having to call the various insurance folks while receiving warnings that my accounts are going to collections soon if I don’t pay the thousands of dollars it cost to treat. A year later I’m still sorting it out.
Did I mention I was in bed, in pain? The only good thing is I didn’t have to worry about my job. Oh…but I did have to worry about how I would get paid while I was on my 3 months of bed rest.
Moral of the story…don’t get sick or injured in the US no matter how good your insurance is.
“Single payer is off the table.’ Yeah, thanks Barry.
Unreal. I had elective surgery at the beginning of the year, for carpal tunnel syndrome. Painful, and it was affecting my ability to do my job, but not a broken back.
I paid nothing for the surgery. I was off work for four weeks, at 75% salary (my job offers nearly unlimited sicktime at a reduction in pay, which I’m fine with as I’m off sick a lot). When I returned I was asked repeatedly by my supervisors if I was sure I didnt want to do a gradual return? (I didn’t because I had a lot of planning to do for an upcoming 4 wk biz trip).
Hearing your story makes me feel sick – abd very glad I live in Canada and work for a large, unionized organization.
Having surgery on the other wrist in the New Year – will be off another four weeks, my boss just wants me to be in less pain, so he’s all in favour of it.
Your company doesn’t have a work from home policy?
I am very thankful that I work where I do. Sorry.