Medical Debt Essay

592 Words2 Pages

Medical debt is one of the top reasons why many households experience financial hardship. Countries such as South Africa have been living poverty for a very long time. Adding a fatal medical condition in the mix, will only make the financial impact that much greater for the denizens of that country. The South African government has made several attempts to implement a universal health care system across the board. Lanchet writers Bongani M Mayos (2012) and colleagues published an article, stating many challenges that would still need to be addressed in order for national health insurance to become available for all. The article stated: Costing of national health insurance has been supported and criticized by local economists...Much more operational …show more content…

Though some individuals may have health insurance that covers some HIV/AIDS treatment, others are left paying the thousands out of pocket or relying on government assistance. Africans Americans are left with the options of insurances; Private, Medicaid/Medicare, AIDS Drugs Assistance programs and other community assistance programs (Vann, 2009). The Medicare/Medicaid and AIDS Drugs Assistance Programs (ADAP) are both federally funded aimed at helping those with low income needs. With Medicaid/Medicare, you may need to be disabled with HIV before your be eligible to receive any insurance. Due to Medicare Part D annual restrictions, “recipients are required to pay $3,051 out of pocket after their initial, basic coverage benefit is used up and before the catastrophic coverage kicks in to cover the rest of the year’s medication needs” (Vann, 2009). With the AIDS Drugs Assistance Program offered, many state controls it cost by “limiting the number or type of medications that they will cover through ADAP, which may result in shorter life expectancy for people who are depending on these programs to get HIV treatment” (Vann, 2009). If one is not able to access the free clinics that provide antiretroviral treatment, many can expect to pay in the hundreds of dollars for treatment plans. Within unfortunate cases, families are left with paying for funeral

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