In March of 2014, I went to a PrimeCare medical clinic to determine why I was feeling so bad. Turns out, as the doctor that was treating me said, “son, you're hours from death”. He told me he was going to have his nurse call an ambulance for me, but I stopped him because I knew if I were to use an ambulance, it would cost a lot of money. So I told him, “forget the expensive taxi, I'll have my wife take me.”

[video:https://youtu.be/G2vmQlnJop0]

I was admitted into the hospital with acute pneumonia and acute septic shock and a fever of almost 104. I spent a total of 8 days in the hospital, and 3 days in ICU. After I was admitted, and over the next two days my condition worsen and they transferred me to the ICU where I spent 3 days hooked up to a ventilator.

Let me just say that being hooked up to a ventilator is not fun. I had to demand the nurse turn down the forced air, or I would, well kick over some coffee tables. (to say it nicely)

I also started to get a build up of fluids in my lungs which they had to perform a procedure where they stick a big ass needle in my back, and try and penetrate the tiny lining between the outer layer of my lungs and the inner layer. The “topical” anesthesia doesn't work very well, and it hurt like a MoFo! But I was just glad, when it was over to be able to breath a little better.

While this all might seem a little benign, imagine being woken up every hour on the hour for three days, to insure you were not dead. It's like sleep deprivation torture. They also pumped me so full of fluids, IV after IV, I gained over 10 pounds and my ankles were almost big as my thighs.

I could hardly bend in places when they would come collect me for some test,blood draw, X-ray or sonogram to see if I was developing blood clots.

It truly was almost like torture. I know they meant well, but sleep deprivation for 3 days is a bit much. I'm just saying.

After I recovered and went back home, in about 30 days I got the bill from the hospital. It was a little over 47 thousand dollars and our “wonderful” (NOT) health insurance company wasn't even going to cover half of it. The hospital was gracious enough to knock off a big chunk, but I still was facing to have to pay thousands of dollars, or have my credit ruined for the next 7 years.

I was already paying medical bills for my wife who had been under going treatment for her Cancer. What payments are more important? Cancer treatments for my wife or payments to try and keep my credit?

For me, it was not a question at all. Since I was married, i.e. signed a “contract”, I lived by an absolute rule, my wife comes first.

Since I chose my wife, obviously not paying the hospital because they would not agree to a payment plan that worked for me, my credit was ruined and condemn me to financial purgatory ever since.

Since January of 2017, I've been “technically” homeless, living in a music rehearsal studio. And it's only by the grace and compassion of the landlord have I not been forced out onto the streets with nothing. If I were in my early twenties, this situation would be totally cool. But at nearly 57, it royally sucks.

The simplest analogy I can find to describe our health care system in this country is, it's based on the Mafia business model, pay or die.

As a result of this business model, I was forced to either accept what ever services and what ever charges they decided, or die. Let that sink in for a moment. And then they have the absolute right, to demand payment within 30 days, no matter what the charges were. No matter how ridiculous they may be.

And rarely, if ever, will they agree to a payment plan that the person can actually afford. It's absurd.

Not to mention the “credit reporting agencies", well, they are not your friend. They make it as difficult as possible for you to clean up your credit, because they are on the side of the “creditors”. And most legislation in this country is based on protecting the creditors interests, not our, ie we the people's interests.

Health Care for All would eliminate this Mafia business model that forces and traps people into systemic poverty for 7 years or longer. Not to mention would go a long way to creating a more fair credit reporting system at least as far as "medical debt" is concerned.

Profiting from the sickness and suffering of our own population, hell, is not only unethical, but to me, it's down right TREASON. It's treason because the healthcare oligarchs are helping the enemies of our country to destroy financially it's people, by this Mafia pay or die business model that we call healthcare in this country.

Zombie Medical Debt

Zombie Medical debt is debt that is "time barred by law", but that can still show up on your credit report. Time barred by law, means no one can legally sue you for the debt, but, it's still allowed to be placed on your credit report for up to 7 years. And debt collector's are legally allowed to try and collect on this debt.

Check your state laws to determine where your medical debt lies...

The Credit Score Trap / Catch 22

If you tank your credit scores, why would you go about trying to get credit, when your scores have tanked? Right? The more you try to get credit, you credit is affected by the number of inquires to your credit report.

The credit reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, will not publish what their specific criteria is for establishing your "credit score". So we have no real clue as to what really defines activities that will enhance or repair our credit scores.

But, if you do not have enough active accounts, then you can't even get a credit score. But you can't get an active account if your credit scores have tanked, like when one is saddled with a huge medical debt, all at once.

It's a catch 22. If you try to get an active account, and get turned down, your credit score takes a hit, and goes down even further. Every time you want to try and get a new account, you run the real risk of hurting your credit score further.

But hey, you need new active accounts to get a credit score in the first place. Go figure!

It' totally absurd!

But all of this is on top of, I was rear ended by a felony hit and run drunk driver that cause a spinal injury that I've been living with since 1996. Heck, I'm not supposed to pick up anything over 10 lbs. So, my employment options are very, very limited.

I need healthcare so I can get my health back, earn a real living and get out of this systemic poverty that our Mafia based healthcare system forced me, and tens of millions of my fellow citizens into, against our will!

It's just that simple.