Skip to comments.

Who should save sight of S.C. man who cant afford surgery?

Charlotte Observer ^ | 05/12/2015 | ANN DOSS HELMS

Posted on by GIdget2004

To start a lively discussion of Americas health care system, lets consider whos responsible for saving the sight of Luis Lang.

Lang, a 49-year-old resident of Fort Mill, S.C., has bleeding in his eyes and a partially detached retina caused by diabetes.

He will lose his eyesight if he doesnt get care. He will go blind, said Dr. Malcolm Edwards, the Lancaster, S.C., ophthalmologist who examined Lang.

Lang is a self-employed handyman who works with banks and the federal government on maintaining foreclosed properties. He has done well enough that his wife, Mary, hasnt had to work. They live in a 3,300-square-foot home in the Legacy Park subdivision valued at more than $300,000.

But he has never bought insurance. Instead, he says, he prided himself on paying his own medical bills.

That worked while he and his wife were relatively healthy. But after 10 days of an unrelenting headache, Lang went to the emergency room on Feb. 25. He says he was told hed suffered several mini-strokes. He ran up $9,000 in bills and exhausted his savings. Meanwhile, his vision worsened and he cant work, he says.

Thats when he turned to the Affordable Care Act exchange. Lang learned two things: First, 2015 enrollment had closed earlier that month. And second, because his income has dried up, he earns too little to get a federal subsidy to buy a private policy.

Lang, a Republican, says he knew the act required him to get coverage but he chose not to do so. But he thought help would be available in an emergency. He and his wife blame President Obama and Congressional Democrats for passing a complex and flawed bill.



(Excerpt) Read more at charlotteobserver.com ...

TOPICS:

Government

News/Current Events

US: South Carolina

KEYWORDS:

badgamble

blindrdbythelight





To: GIdget2004

He rolled the dice and lost. Sounds heartless, but that he choose not to get insurance.



by 2 posted onby Gamecock (Why do bad things happen to good people? That only happened once, and He volunteered. R.C. Sproul)

To: GIdget2004

I thought he couldn’t be denied insurance for having a pre-existing condition?



by 3 posted onby agere_contra (Hamas has dug miles of tunnels - but no bomb-shelters.)

To: GIdget2004

Sell the house! There ya go!



by 4 posted onby dware (In 2016, the GOP has 2 choices: CRUZ OR LOSE!)

To: GIdget2004

So the question is doe the taxpayers pay for his surgery or do the taxpayers pay for him to go on the public dole? I think it would be cheaper to pay for the surgery.



by 5 posted onby Blood of Tyrants (A free society canÂt let the parameters of its speech be set by murderous extremists.)

To: GIdget2004

He and his wife blame President Obama and Congressional Democrats for passing a complex and flawed bill. It's not complex and flawed just because you screw up.



To: agere_contra

He missed the open enrollment period.



by 7 posted onby Blood of Tyrants (A free society canÂt let the parameters of its speech be set by murderous extremists.)

To: agere_contra

“I thought he couldnt be denied insurance for having a pre-existing condition?” That’s not why he was denied.



To: Blood of Tyrants

So the question is doe the taxpayers pay for his surgery or do the taxpayers pay for him to go on the public dole? I think it would be cheaper to pay for the surgery. South Carolina disagrees with you.



To: GIdget2004

The thieving slime in the medical cartels who bill $800 for an asprin and $300 for a band-aid should have no problem paying for his surgery. After all, they’re stealing 1/5 of the US economy.



To: GIdget2004

It really is a bad situation, but this is where standing on principle can hurt. He didn’t follow the “rules “ figuring there wouldn’t be a need. We made a decision based on principles and now it looks like it may finally cost my husband his job of twenty years. It happens.



by 11 posted onby NorthstarMom (God says debt is a curse and children are a blessing, yet we apply for loans and prevent pregnancy.)

To: Blood of Tyrants

Oh right. And I guess hanging on for the 2016 enrollment with his eyes bleeding is not going to be an option. Medical tourism to Mexico.



by 12 posted onby agere_contra (Hamas has dug miles of tunnels - but no bomb-shelters.)

To: DoodleDawg

If he went on the public dole, the cost would be in the tens of thousands of dollars every single year.



by 13 posted onby Blood of Tyrants (A free society canÂt let the parameters of its speech be set by murderous extremists.)

To: Blood of Tyrants

I'd agree. Government rules are really idiotic in this respect. Lots of people are in nursing homes or assisted living facilities because the government will pay for that at $4K per month or more. But they won't spend much less money for architectural modifications to allow them to remain in their own homes.



by 14 posted onby Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)

To: dware

Sell the house! There ya go! That was my first thought as well. But a $300,000 house might not have any equity in it at all. There are a lot of lessons in this story. One is don't buy a $300,000 house. Put some of that money into basic health insurance instead. Beyond that, I sure hope the man can work out some sort of deal with his bank, the doctor, and the hospital. This story need not have a sad ending.



by 15 posted onby Leaning Right (Why am I holding this lantern? I am looking for the next Reagan.)

To: NorthstarMom

We made a decision based on principles and now it looks like it may finally cost my husband his job of twenty years. Just wait til SCOTUS rules in favor of gay marriage, and FedGov starts threatening churches with loss of 501(c)(3) status if they preach against it. I'm afraid the further we go down the rabbit hole, the more we'll all be required to either stand on principle or kneel and accept the chains of slavery. And unfortunately, the consequences for standing on principle will continue to grow. Then we'll TRULY know who the real Patriots are.



by 16 posted onby dware (In 2016, the GOP has 2 choices: CRUZ OR LOSE!)

To: agere_contra

That’s the answer. Tell them to pound sand for their $9000 in trumped up ‘fees’ and go down to Mexico for the surgery, paying cash for it. Then, come back and negotiate some kind of payment plan over as many years as possible.



To: dware



Yea, grab that mortgage and get those eyes back if he's not underwater. Doesn't say he owns the house, it only says he lives in a 300k home.Yea, grab that mortgage and get those eyes back if he's not underwater. If he planned ahead for healthcare maybe he should've changed his diet

and taken care of himself. Smoking restricts vessels and that cannot be

helping his eyeball situation. But after 9k he's broke and living in a 300k home?

Something is hinky with those numbers.



by 18 posted onby MaxMax (Call the local GOP and ask how you can support CRUZ for POTUS, Make them talk!)

To: GIdget2004

“He and his wife blame President Obama and Congressional Democrats for passing a complex and flawed bill.” Sell the $300,000 house, move into cheap apartment and pay for your own damn surgery. Then, for once in you life, see the light, and take responsibility for your lift. You started having major health issues ten years ago when Obama was a freshman senator. You have no one to blame but yourself.



To: Leaning Right

There are a lot of lessons in this story. One is don't buy a $300,000 house. First lesson! I try really hard to not "own" anything - home, vehicle, etc. Makes you beholden to too many people. Takes sacrifice to live like that, but in the end, it's worth it.



by 20 posted onby dware (In 2016, the GOP has 2 choices: CRUZ OR LOSE!)

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

FreeRepublic , LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794

FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson