Diagnosed with leukemia three years ago, at the age of 23, she quickly found that in addition to fighting for her life, she also had to fight insurance company to cover the exorbitant costs of her lawsuit. The now 26-year-old Areti Tsoukala described the adventure with her health but also with insurance in USA who was asking her for $13,000 a month.
Areti Tsoukala, daughter of Lefteris Tsoukala, professor of Nuclear Engineering at Purdue University in the US, is one of about 200 CNN readers who shared their experiences with health insurance in the U.S., right after the Brian Thomson’s murderthe CEO of the insurance company UnitedHealthcarelast week in Manhattan. Although the 26-year-old had a good health insurance plan, her insurance company demanded 13,000 dollars a month to cover one of her chemotherapy drugs.
The murder of CEO Brian Thomson brought to the fore again the fact that companies, even in what are considered “good” programs, refuse to pay the (often very high) cost of security, leaving patients struggling with debt. Many times, in fact, this battle becomes a huge obstacle to their treatment.
As Areti Tsoukala described speaking to CNN, while she was fighting her own battle with cancer, she discovered that her insurance company demanded the amount of 13,000 dollars a month (about 12,400 euros) for drug coverage which she needed for the treatment of:
The cost was unbearable for Areti, who had just finished her studies. He was therefore forced to delay treatment for three months before finally obtaining the drug with the help of the pharmaceutical company that produces it.
As the 26-year-old told CNN: “Nobody should fight both cancer and insurance at the same time. It’s a very tough system. We live in a country where people really kick them when they are at their weakest and most vulnerable, physically and emotionally.”
Today, Areti Tsoukala is better now – the cancer has subsided – but it is neither the first nor the last patient in the US who gives this double battle. The problem took on greater dimensions after the murder of Brian Thompson. The suspect, Luigi Maggione, who was arrested for the murder, himself had a rather poor view of the system, largely shaped by personal experiences, having undergone operations on his lower back.
CNN readers who wanted to share their experiences talked about delays, denials of payment, unexplained fees, high costs and the hassle of getting their rights. (However, they also had several positive experiences).
Most Americans, as CNN pointed out, had to deal with at least one problem with health insurance in the last year, according to a 2023 survey. However, eight in ten rate their insurance as “perfect” or “good”, the same survey showed.
There are many who they have no other choice from following the treatment their doctors recommend but their insurance won’t cover the amounts even if it leaves them with huge debts.
About the 41% of Americansin a 2022 survey, had debt from medical or dental treatments. In total, the “mountain” of medical debt reaches 220 billion. dollars, almost as much as the GDP of Greece.
A 70 years old woman, after a lower back operation, needed hospitalization in a rehabilitation center, because it would not be safe for her to be alone at home. Along the way, the insurance company found out that it would not pay. The result: the woman stayed with me debt of $14,000 which he cannot pay even though he was paying good insurance plan. He is now considering filing for bankruptcy even though the company, he says, is making millions.
In some cases, the insurance companies with their attitude they even play with their customer’s life.
Issac Roseblum, 43, told CNN that the insurance company does not approve a lung MRI to see if he really has cancer after some suspicious findings which x-ray showed appendicitis. He plans to ask for a review of the decision, but he doesn’t think anything will change.