Are you okay? You don't look so good.
* [[No. I feel sick.->I feel sick]]
* [[Yes, I'm fine.->I'm fine]]What's wrong?
* [[I have chest pain.->Chest pain]]
* [[I have a sore throat.->Sore throat]]
* [[My back hurts.->Back hurts]]Still, you should see a doctor.
[[I can't afford that.->Can't afford that]]
Do you have insurance?
* [[Yes.->What's the problem]]
* [[No.->No insurance]] Let's go to the ER.
* [[NO! I don't have insurance, and I can't afford that! Just give me some advil.->No insurance]]
* [[Can you drive me? Ambulances are too expensive.->Ambluances]]
* [[Okay. Can you call 911?->911]]Let's go to the ER.
* [[NO! I don't have insurance, and I can't afford that! Just give me some advil.->No insurance]]
* [[Can you drive me? Ambulances are too expensive.->Ambluances]]
* [[Okay. Can you call 911?->911]]Let's go to the ER and have them X-ray you.
* [[NO! I don't have insurance, and I can't afford that! Just give me some advil.->No insurance]]
* [[Can you drive me? Ambulances are too expensive.->Ambluances]]
* [[Okay. Can you call 911?->911]]Why not?
* [[I got laid off two months ago.->Laid off]]
* [[I'm not a full-time employee. I work two jobs.->Two jobs]]
* [[I drive for Uber and they don't provide insurance.->Uber]]Are those not covered?
* [[I don't know what's covered, but I've heard horror stories.->Ambulance maybe]]
* [[It's covered, but it's way too expensive.->Ambulance yes]]
* [[It's not covered.->Ambulance no]]Sure, I'll call now. Just hang tight.
* [[Okay, I'm sure they'll be here soon.->Dial wait]]What's the problem then? let's go!
* [[I can't afford the copay.->No copay]]
* [[The deductible is too high.->No deductible]]
It can't be that bad, right?
* [[My copay is 15% of the cost of the visit. Who knows how much that could be.->Big bill]]
* [[$150 for an ER visit.->Big bill]]How big is your deductible?
* [[$6000.->Big bill]]
* [[I don't know.->Call Blue Cross]]Isn't there a way for you to get insurance anyway?
* [[Yes, but I can't afford it.->Cobra yes]]
* [[No, it's way too expensive.->Cobra no]]
Wait, neither of them give you health insurance?
[[Nope. I'm part-time at both.->Both no]]Uber doesn't give you health insurance?
* [[No.->Uber no]]
* [[Kind of.->Uber yes]]That's shitty. You drive for them like 45 hours a week.
[[I know. It sucks. I don't know whether to go to the hospital or not.->Question]]What does that mean?
[[If you're between jobs, you can get COBRA continuation coverage for way too much money, but if you're a full-time driver, you have to enroll in a plan through the ACA.->Uber yes 2]]You can't get health insurance at your part-time job?
[[They don't offer it, and insurance is tied to employment. If you don't work a full-time job with benefits, you're on your own.->Both no 2]]
How much is it?
* [[$600 per week.->600]]
* [[Too much for me to even think about.->Too much]]Isn't your health worth more than money?
* [[Yes, but I just can't make it work.->Too much]]
* [[No, I need to make sure I can survive and pay my rent.-> Too much]]Okay, I'll drive you to the ER.
[[Thanks.->Yes hospital]]Really?
[[Yes, I don't have the money for it.->Ambulance yes 2]]
Oh, I didn't realize that. I can drive you if you need.
* [[Thanks, I appreciate it.->Yes hospital]]
* [[No, it's okay. It's probably not a big deal. I don't have the money for the ER anyway.->No hospital]]
The ambulance is on the way to bring you to the hospital.
[[//wait//->Yes hospital]]Well, you should still go to the hospital.
[[I know.->Question]]
Well, you should still go to the hospital.
[[I know.->Question]]
Do you qualify for medicaid?
* [[My unemployment makes my income too high for medicaid.->No medicaid]]
* [[Yes, but I'm nervous to use it.->Yes medicaid]]Let's go to the hospital.
[[I'm not going, I can't afford it and I don't have insurance.->No hospital]]
If only there was a better way to get insurance.
[[Yeah, if only.->Other option]]Why?
[[I don't know, but I guess it's through the Government, so it can't be too bad.->Yes medicaid 2]]That can't be right. It can't be that much if you need to go to the hospital!
* [[It is.->Not right 1]]
* [[It's that much. I don't know what to tell you.->Not right 2]]Why don't you call your insurance company?
* [[I can't get through when I call them.->Insurance sucks]]
* [[Okay, I'll try it.->Call insurance_]]
Did you check the online portal?
* [[No, it was broken last time I tried.->Broken]]
* [[I'll check it. Woah, my deductible is $9000.->9000]]Damn, you've been on the phone for a while. Did you get through?
[[I had to get through this bot and wait an hour, but I found out my deductible is $9000.->9000]]$9000! That's bullshit. That can't be right!
* [[It is.->Not right 2]]
* [[It's $9000. It's not fair, but it's correct.->Not right 1]]Well, let's just go to the hospital and hope it's not too bad.
* [[No way! I can't risk it financially.->No hospital]]
* [[I don't like it, but let's go. I'll just skip some blood tests to save money if I have to.->Yes hospital]] [[You skipped a hospital visit.->UI facts]]
[[You went to the hospital and got treatment. But what happens now?->Yes facts]]Well, let's go to the hospital and hope it's not too much.
[[Hell no! I can't risk it financially.->No hospital]]Well, let's go to the hospital and hope it's not too much.
[[I don't like it, but let's go. I'll just skip some blood tests to save money if I have to.->Yes hospital]] Okay, I'll drive you to the ER.
[[Thanks.->Yes hospital]]Woah - that's more than I thought. That's about $2400 a month.
* [[Yeah, it's wild.->Wild]]
* [[What other option is there?->Other option]]If you decide to go, I can drive you.
* [[Thanks, I appreciate it. Let's go.->Yes hospital]]
* [[Nah, I'm not going. I can't afford it.->No hospital]]And, you don't have those?
[[I can't afford them.->Uber yes 3]]Well, you should still go to the hospital.
[[I know.->Question]]Well, you should still go to the hospital.
[[I know.->Question]]Medicaid covers everything, usually. Let's go - I'll drive you to the hospital and you can sign up on the way.
[[I guess you're right.->Yes hospital]][[Today in America...->UI facts 2]][[30,000,000 people are uninsured...->UI facts 3]][[Medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States...->UI facts 4]][[America spends more of its GDP on health care costs than any other industrialized nation on Earth...->UI facts 5]]
[[Health insurance and pharmaceutical companies spend billions to make sure that their profits are safe...->UI facts 6]]Have you skipped a Doctor's visit in your life because you couldn't afford it?
[[Yes.->Yes]]
[[No.->No]][[You're not alone...->Skipped]][[As it turns out, most people do skip visits to the Doctor...->Skipped]]
[[Today in America...->Yes facts 2]][[30,000,000 people are uninsured...->Yes facts 3]][[Medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States...->Yes facts 4]][[Health insurance and pharmaceutical companies spend billions to make sure that their profits are safe...->UI facts 6]][[America spends more of its GDP on health care costs than any other industrialized nation on Earth...->Yes facts 5]]
[[Because of the high cost of healthcare, 44% Americans didn’t go see a physician last year when they were sick or injured...->Skipped 2]][[40% of Americans say they skipped a recommended medical test or treatment in the last 12 months due to cost...->Skipped 3]][[32% of Americans were unable to fill a prescription or took less of a medication because of the cost...->Call to action]]The good news is, there's something you can do!
Get involved and help elect Senators and Representatives who support a Medicare for All single-payer system.
If you don't know where to get started, (link: "check out the Justice Democrats platform")[(goto-url: "https://www.justicedemocrats.com/issues")] to donate, volunteer, spread the word!
[[Credits->Credits]]The Case Against Private Health Insurance
By Nicholas Trieber
This interactive narrative guides you through scenarios that real Americans face each day.
You'll be asked to make decisions that have serious financial consequences.
Though the decisions you make in the game won't impact you financially, the decisions that uninsured and underinsured people make daily impact them for years and lifetimes.
[[Click here to begin->Intro]]Credits
* (link: "Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2018")[(goto-url: "https://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2019/demo/p60-267.pdf")]
* (link: "This is the real reason most Americans file for bankruptcy")[(goto-url: "https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/11/this-is-the-real-reason-most-americans-file-for-bankruptcy.html")]
* (link: "U.S. Health Care Spending Highest Among Developed Countries")[(goto-url: "https://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2019/us-health-care-spending-highest-among-developed-countries.html")]
* (link: "Health Care as a Human Right - Medicare For All")[(goto-url: "https://berniesanders.com/issues/medicare-for-all/")]
* (link: "Poll: 44% Of Americans Skip Doctor Visits Because Of Cost")[(goto-url: "https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2018/03/26/poll-44-of-americans-skip-doctor-visits-due-to-cost/#63bf3f486f57")]
* (link: "Who's Responsible for Your Uber Driver's Health Coverage?")[(goto-url: "https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/10/11/447157698/who-s-responsible-for-your-uber-driver-s-health-coverage")]