My husband and I were on vacation in Marsh Harbor in the Bahamas. One day we were riding our bikes down the street and I was riding ahead of my husband. A truck, headed in the opposite direction, caught a wire draped across the road on its back bumper, which then caught me right across my neck. The wire instantly lifted me off the bike and dragged me down the road. My husband actually had to hold my head upright to keep my neck stable. It took 150 stitches in a local doctor’s office to fix my neck at a total cost of $400. A similar accident in the States would have cost thousands and thousands of dollars.
My husband retired last year and started Medicare. I currently have coverage through the Affordable Care Act, but the premiums have increased substantially because of an increase in our income. I suffer from headaches and high blood pressure and am happy with the health check-ups. Having health insurance gives us peace of mind, but with a modest income, the cost is just too high. Why can a doctor in the Bahamas provide excellent care at a reasonable cost and why does it have to be so expensive in America?