Mr. Romney, I was nearly one of those people who died in their apartment
because of not having insurance.
I was in my 20s, and had no insurance because I was paying student loans. I had some mild stomach pain, and odd looking stools but didn't think it was urgent enough to go to a doctor.
I went to the ER for x-rays for shoulder pain after someone rear ended my car, only because I knew that my car insurance would cover it. I left with pain meds but nearly passed out outside the ER, and my friend insisted I go back.
An ER nurse looked me up and down, asked a few questions, and said, "You have a GI bleed - we're getting blood work done on you."
It took two units of blood and a 5 days stay in the hospital to stabilize me.
If I had not had that accident, or I had made it home and taken those pain meds, I would have bled out from those ulcers that night in my apartment - because I decided to be a good citizen and pay my student loans instead of health insurance.
...and the hospital refused to set up a payment plan, and immediately turned it over to a collection agency. 10 years paying off that bill was 10 years I couldn't put money away for retirement.
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