Bill and Brenda Hawn
Single Payer Action Network
Ohio
Retirement- we all look forward to it. Time to fish, time to travel; time to play with our grandchildren; time to do the things that you enjoy. This dream was squashed for Bill and Brenda Hawn. Bill was forced to retire so his wife’s medical bills could be paid. A Single Payer Health Care System as proposed by the HCFAOA (Health Care For All Ohioans Act) would have prevented this. The HCFAOA would cover all medically prescribed procedures regardless of employment status or pre-existing condition. Everyone in, no one out.
Bill and Brenda were married for 36 years and raised three children. For 34 ½ years Bill worked at Republic Steel/LTV Steel that is now WCI Steel in Warren, Ohio. Bill loved his job in the Ironworkers department and was very good at it, a valued employee of the company. Bill & Brenda were in love and Bill was very good to her. In May of 1997 Brenda was experiencing considerable abdominal pain and went to her doctor.
Brenda had a blood clot on her intestine that caused gangrene. After several operations to try to save a portion of Brenda’s intestine, it was decided to remove the entire intestine, colon and ileocecal valve in July of 1997. On July 4, 2001 Brenda had an intestine transplant. The medications that Brenda was taking cost about $3,000 per month, which Medicaid picked up. Brenda now had no energy, couldn’t gain weight, had trouble sleeping and had neuropathy (no feeling in her legs) not to mention that she also had her past medical bills to worry about.
The Hawn’s exceeded the $1,000,000 cap on their insurance and were not informed of this until they were $58,000 in medical bill debt! At present they owe well over $500,000 in medical bills. The Hawn’s had always thought they were safe. Bill had a good job; they were model, law abiding citizens; had raised three wonderful children and there was a million dollar cap on their insurance. They weren’t safe and neither are you.
Unfortunately just before Easter of this year Brenda died - the bills remain.
Senate Bill 263 was introduced into the Ohio Senate by Senator Bob Hagan (Youngstown) and House Bill 263 was introduced into the Ohio House by Michael Skindell (Lakewood). The Health Care For All Ohioans Act (HCFAOA) is a single payer bill. SPAN Ohio (Single Payer Action Network of Ohio) is circulating a petition that mirrors the language in the Hagan/Skindell bill. We need 97,000 good signatures to have the petition considered by the Secretary of State House & Senate to be put on the Ballot. Let the voters decide!