I found myself watching Alex Carter’s monologue, where he movingly recounted the health crisis of his newborn son, and I couldn’t help but shed tears, just like many others who were touched by his heartfelt words. One line struck me profoundly: “If your baby is going to die and it doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t matter how much money you make.” That powerful statement transported me back to my own health crisis five years ago, during a conversation with my doctor that transformed my life forever.
At 19 weeks into my first pregnancy with twins, everything seemed to be going well until I went in for a routine ultrasound. Unfortunately, my doctor discovered a critical issue. I was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix and informed that I was in labor, despite having no clear warning signs or contractions. Essentially, my cervix was open, and if no medical action was taken, my water would likely break within a day, leading to the certain loss of my twins who were not yet viable.
What came next was almost as stunning as the dire news itself. My doctor calmly laid out three choices:
- Rush to the hospital for emergency surgery to stitch my cervix closed, followed by strict bed rest for the next four months.
- Allow nature to take its course, resulting in stillborn babies in the following days.
- Terminate the pregnancy immediately.
For any parent-to-be in such a situation, the first option would seem the only viable choice. Instinctively, I chose to fight for my children’s lives, and soon my husband was racing me to the hospital. During the ride, I couldn’t help but question why the last two options were even presented. Why would any parent not fight tooth and nail to save their baby?
Fortunately, after a grueling 122 days of hospital bed rest, I delivered two healthy twins who required no time in the NICU. It was a month after their birth when I received the itemized hospital bill that made it clear why the other options had been presented.
One million dollars. That was the staggering cost of saving my twins. Thankfully, I had comprehensive insurance, and my out-of-pocket expenses were just over $4,000—a fraction of the total bill without insurance. Suddenly, it all clicked: the reason for the mention of those other options.
This was in 2011, long before the Affordable Care Act, and the stark reality was that financial circumstances dictated decisions about life and death. If my twins were born prematurely but survived, they could have faced months in the NICU, likely incurring even higher medical bills.
As Alex Carter poignantly stated, “No parent should ever have to decide if they can afford to save their child’s life.” Before the Affordable Care Act, parents without sufficient insurance faced these impossible choices. Imagine having to forgo medical intervention simply to avoid crippling debt due to a situation beyond anyone’s control. It breaks my heart to think of families who had to navigate these gut-wrenching decisions, hoping for a future pregnancy that would be free of complications and financial burdens.
I commend Alex Carter for bringing this vital healthcare discussion back into the limelight. There should only be one option for doctors to offer their patients: to do everything possible to save a life without worrying about the financial implications. For more insights on related topics, you can check out this blog post on Intracervical Insemination.
In summary, the conversation around healthcare and its costs is critical. No parent should have to face the choice of saving their child’s life based on financial limitations. We must advocate for a system where the health and lives of our children are prioritized over monetary concerns.