Susan Reabuck: When the Cost of Coverage Became a Matter of Life and Death

High health care costs can force families into impossible decisions. For Susan Reabuck, a 48-year-old mother of two living in Allentown, Pennsylvania, those decisions nearly cost her life.

For years, Susan was covered through her husband’s employer-sponsored health insurance. But over time, the cost of keeping her on the plan became too much for the family to manage. Adding her to the policy cost an additional $150 per week and came with a $12,500 deductible. At the same time, the family already paid another $200 per week to cover her husband and their children.

Faced with rising costs, the family made a painful choice. Susan removed herself from the plan so the rest of the family could remain covered. “My husband and kids still have the insurance, but I dropped off of it because we just can’t do that,” she said.

Without insurance, Susan began avoiding medical care, even as new health concerns began to emerge. At one point, she started experiencing unusual symptoms in her feet. “I thought it was like perimenopause stuff, but apparently it was a cellulitis infection,” she said.

Without coverage, she tried to treat the symptoms herself rather than see a doctor. “I didn’t go to the doctor because I didn’t have any health insurance,” she said. “I was trying to treat it at home. I kept trying all sorts of herbal remedies and Google remedies.”

As the infection worsened, the fear of medical bills weighed heavily on her mind. “We’re going to bankrupt the family if I have to go in the hospital,” she said. During one frightening moment, Susan began experiencing chest pain. Her husband urged her to seek emergency care. “He’s like ‘I need to call the ambulance,’” she said. “And I’m like ‘no, it would be cheaper if I died.’”

Eventually, the situation became impossible to ignore. By the time Susan arrived at the hospital, the infection had progressed to a life-threatening stage. “When I went in, my liver was shutting down, my kidneys were shutting down,” she said. “I was in full sepsis.” The infection had spread significantly. “I had wounds over about like my whole feet and then part way up my legs were getting green,” she said.

Doctors were able to save her life. But the cost of that care followed her home. Susan now faces a medical bill of approximately $107,000. “That’s more than my house cost,” she said.

After her hospital stay, doctors recommended home health nursing visits to support her recovery. But when she asked about the price, she learned each visit would cost about $150. “I can’t afford that,” she said.

Because she declined the recommended care due to cost concerns, hospital staff contacted Adult Protective Services. Through that process, Susan was eventually enrolled in a Medicaid waiver program that provides temporary coverage while she is still seriously ill. “They finally did get me on a waiver program,” she said. “I have a temporary insurance as long as I’m sick.” But the coverage will not last indefinitely. “Once I’m any better, that goes away,” she said.

The delay in receiving care has had lasting consequences. Because the infection went untreated for so long, Susan is still struggling with her recovery months later. “I still can’t walk 6 months later,” she said.

Her daily life has changed dramatically. “I can’t work. I can barely leave the house. I can hardly get out to the car. I only go to doctor’s appointments,” she said.

Before her illness, Susan worked part time while raising her family. Now she cannot work, yet she does not qualify for disability benefits because her condition is not considered permanent. At the same time, the family is trying to cope with the loss of her income and the overwhelming medical debt from her hospitalization.

Susan says bankruptcy may be the only path forward. “At this point I’m going to see if this insurance is going to last for very much longer. If not, I might just file bankruptcy,” she said. “I don’t know what else to do.”

Looking ahead, she is also worried about what will happen if her temporary Medicaid coverage ends. Because of her husband’s income, the family does not qualify for many assistance programs. Private insurance options remain far out of reach. “I was looking at $1800 a month for a decent deductible or even $700-$800 a month for a really, really high deductible,” she said. “And even if I joined my husband’s plan, it’s not like we have $12,500 laying around for the deductible.”

Without affordable coverage, Susan fears she could once again be forced to delay care. “I wouldn’t be able to afford any of my health care anymore. I would just probably stop going to the doctor again and drop the health insurance,” she said.

Susan and her husband are also thinking about the future of their two teenage sons. “I don’t want to affect their future because mom got sick,” she said. “I’m certainly not going to destroy their future because of this.”

For Susan, the experience has made one thing painfully clear. High health care costs are not just a financial burden. They can put lives at risk. “If I was sitting in front of somebody who could actually make a difference, the thing I would tell them is you’re literally killing people.”

Her concerns extend beyond her own experience. She sees the same painful choices affecting others in her family, including her mother. “She’s choosing between food and medication,” Susan said. In a country with vast resources, Susan believes no one should be forced to make these kinds of choices. “In the richest country in the world, that’s absolutely disgusting,” she said.