Repeatedly in recent coverage of the health care debate in southern Indiana, the same woman has appeared in stories.
She’s a curious case.
Her business pays $30,000 a year in health bills, as she told multiple media outlets as she protested a visit to southern Indiana by Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele:
New Albany small business owner Susan Hewitt points out, “Most of us can afford to pay something. We don’t want anything for free, but we would sure like to be able to buy into the insurance and be covered.”
Hewitt was one of about a half dozen people taking the opposite view from Steele’s. She says as a small business owner she cannot afford the current system. “We are actually buying state insurance because we can’t fit into a company plan, we’re paying about $30,000 a year on premimus and medications. We’re struggling.”
Video here.
But she has had to travel to Thailand for a mammogram and is considering driving to Canada to fill her prescriptions:
Susan Hewitt said buying medication is getting so bad that the couple has considered driving to Canada to fill prescriptions.
“It’s unsustainable,” she said.
She has already gone abroad for medical care. After finding out her state-issued insurance would only cover catastrophic operations, Susan Hewitt said she traveled to Thailand for a mammogram and ultrasound, which she said would have cost at least $4,000 in the U.S.
The cost was $700 in Thailand, a total expense for her of $1,900 including the plane ticket. And Susan Hewitt stands behind the quality of the care she received overseas.
She told Baron Hill about her trip to Thailand in video here during his town hall in New Albany earlier this week.
Another woman told a story of how she went overseas for treatment because it was cheaper. “I talked to a good friend of mine. She said: ‘Let’s go over to Thailand and we can get a mammogram, ultrasound and the whole thing printed out for like $700.’ And I took her up on it.”
But she somehow found the money to donate $2,600 to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign last year.
Got to have priorities.
Like I said, a curious case.
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