Vic Chesnutt Struggling to Pay $35,000 Hospital Bill

I wish he had had the strength to move over... I am very sad that he saw no other way than taking his life.

Hello Vic Chesnutt, we Canadians love your music. Please move here and eliminate this health care stress from your life. XO

I am 100% disabled at 43 years old I take 14 different medications a day. I was just told I need another surgery. With my out of pocket I already cannot afford to feed my son and am facing eviction. Everyone is fussing about OBAMA and their pitiful little lives. Why not reach out and help those that cannot help themselves??

Who are you people that think you deserve everything for free or at rates you are able to comfortably pay. Health care is not a right- you have no right to something that other people have to pay for. There are so many whiny, entitlement-addicted people on here who blame everybody else for their own self-neglect and poor life choices and life-planning. How many of the hard-luck stories here contributed to their own situations by smoking, drinking alcohol in excess, over-eating and becoming overweight/obese? How many who don't have health insurance or are poorly covered have low-paying jobs without good benefits because they decided to take the easy way out earlier in life and not pursue education and a better job. Or became addicted to drugs and alcohol?

Now that the rest of us, who worked hard for years to get where we are with good benefits, are doing ok, you whiny entitlement-mongers want us to pay for your handout. Thus, the public option sure looks good to you now, doesn't it? Where did self-reliance go? Where did a sense of shame and humility go in this country? People have no problem asking, no- expecting- everyone else to take care of them. People are shameless today.

Doctors are to blame? So while they went to medical school for 4 years and took out loans (that they now have to pay back) many of you whiners were out partying, getting pregnant out-of-wedlock and going on welfare,not saving money, not planning for your future, and not taking care of your health. This is the doctor's fault? It's his responsibility to take care of you and accept your crappy insurance or welfare because you weren't responsible or make good decisions in your life? Come on-start taking some responsibility. That doctor treating you has to go on to do a 5 year or longer residency after medical school where he gets paid next to nothing. How about you give him money for all his costs and student loans? How about his deferred compensation- most doctors don't start practicing until they are about 30 years old- at which time they have the privilege of paying off there loans. Many of you whiners were working, or had the opportunity to work, since finishing high school or college.

Oh yeah- the idea that people go without care in this country is ridiculous. This is the big lie. There are underinsured or uninsured people but everyone gets taken care of through free clinics, welfare health insurance and the ER. When was the last time you saw someone dying of cancer in the streets on the news? Never. And you never will.
So wake up America and the whiners on this blog- this country owes you nothing. You deserve what you earn and have a right only to what you earn. Health care cannot be your "right" when the rest of us have to pay for it. You are not entitled to anything. Stop looking to your neighbors, ie, the taxpayers, to pay your bills and take care of you. Have some shame.

We should vote to take away every Senator and Congressman's Health Coverage. Let them try to pay for Health Coverage on their own. Most of these old men have pre-existing conditions, they would be paying through the nose for just a fraction of the benefits they now have with their Government Health Plan. Yet these Men keep telling us that the Government can not run anything right. Well it sure seems to be working just fine for them and their families. I'd like to see them walk a mile in my shoes. I bet that after that they would be more in favor of a Government Health Plan for all their constituents.

Oh, and BTW, physicians don't "accept" various types of insurance....it is the other way around. Insurance companies "accept" or pay for certain physicians and their practices! Insurance companies pay for physicians and services based on a set of criteria that they themselves have set up, supposedly to save the patient money, but certainly to save themselves money, and even make profits. Very few insurance companies will actually reveal what the criteria consist of, however.

Anyone who has served in the military knows a little something about going to "salaried" doctors. Most of them don't give a s**t because they are going to get a pay check regardless, or they simply have "questionable" skills, to say the least. Some of us cannot afford to pay for insurance and for those of us who can pay the insurance companies are not giving us what we pay for. Medicines are so expensive some have to choose between buying needed pills or food. But if we don't pay, pharm. companies won't spend the money or time necessary to research new drugs. Fraud is rampant and it seems like the only people that are ever questioned and investigated are the ones who actually need help. What in Gods name are we going to do?

I don't understand everyone who is complaining about doctors and hospital fees. Doctors spend time working and schooling until they are 30 years old, making nothing, delaying gratification, and most come out hundreds of thousands in debt. They earn what they make, absolutely. I work at a large outpatient surgical center and we do not accept insurance as a form of payment. In EVERY other industry you are responsible to pay at the time you purchase something- whether buying a car, a house, clothing, a haircut. Medicare is not run well - it is bankrupt. They reimburse HORRIBLY, not nearly enough to cover the actual costs. They pay only $8 for a doctors office visit. That is barely above minimum wage. For the surgical center, they want to pay only $600 to cover the costs of the operating rooms, expensive surgical equipment, nurses, staff, etc. The actual cost is around $12,000. This is not feasible. We already have the government running Medicare and Medicaid. Terribly. They do not pay enough to cover the services. And more and more doctors are not accepting this. If we do get a government run insurance option, do you know what will happen? The same thing. More and more doctors will require patients to pay for everything and not participate in these programs. Think about this: Lets say you were a dress designer, and let's say it costs you $200 for the material, plus $100 for your labor. Someone comes along and tries to offer you $25 for the dress. It would be crazy for you to accept that! If that is all you could make, and you are losing money, why would you continue to make dresses?
I speak with patients from Canada all the time, and they are coming to see us in droves. Why would that be if they have government run healthcare in Canada? Reason: It takes sooooo long to get anything done. They may be having heart problems, so they see their primary doctor (after 3 months of waiting), and then are put on a list to see a specialist. Which could take another 2-3 years. Not kidding. And if they are "too old" - 65, 70 - they are sometimes even denied the care because "it's not worth it". Do you want the government making these decisions for you? Be responsible for yourself. Everyone will face a crisis or two in their lives. It's inevitable. Save your money, be prepared, be responsible, be ready. It's unfortunate that we get sick, family members get sick, etc but it is a part of live and there's no getting around it.

If you're lucky enough to be healthy then IT IS inexpensive to get medical insurance; so according to Dr. Ed G. we should be able to pay the small stuff. If you've got a chronic condition you're screwed. Covering the expense of insulin for a Type 1 diabetic is not "small stuff" and when insurers deny you because you have a pre-existing condition...where do you turn? The high risk insurers can't offer low(er) premiums unless you take a higher deductible...it is a vicious cycle. The doctor requires an annual visit before renewing insulin prescriptions, runs labs and sends you for an eye exam and the clinic bill comes in with a grand total over $800.00 and the insurance deductible hasn't been met....those are out of pocket expenses...not small stuff. What is the best solution for the majority of the population? There in lies the rub! So many variables and our representation in D.C. cannot come to the table and figure out how to approach this monstrosity of a dilemma. They have done a good job of disseminating disinformation but that is about it. The current systems whether it be VA or Medicare/Medicaid aren't perfect but maybe they're a starting point. Nixon wanted to do it during his tenure as Prez, Ted Kennedy wouldn't support him, Hilary Clinton tried to provide a framework for a health care system and very few people supported her efforts and now fast forward to today ....we are no further along and 30+ years have passed. It is about time that we had a system that all Americans could utilize.

We have this problem in New Orleans. Many musicians do not have health insurance. Now 5 years after Katrina, we still lack adequate health care for the uninsured. Tipitina Foundation and a Music Co-op has been providing health care for musicians with little cost to them. Maybe the music industry needs to take a look at this co-op and model something after it.