Elder Law Expert Weighs in on U. S. Healthcare Crisis

Gene L. Osofsky of the law firm Osofsky and Osofsky asserts that U.S. medical care has become a "mountain of cost."

Elder Law attorney Gene L. Osofsky, like many Americans, recently
read a feature article in the April 27, 2009, issue of The Nation that
gave him pause. The article, entitled "A System from Hell" by Kate
Michelman, detailed the tragedy of a family that, despite possessing
adequate insurance coverage, has nevertheless been pushed to the brink
of destruction." Her young adult daughter was paralyzed when a horse
fell on her; her husband, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's
Disease, was then crippled and lost any hope of independence in the
twilight of his life, after shattering his hip; and now the mounting
medical bills keep on exacting a terrible toll – all this happens to a
responsible couple who had seemingly prepared for health-related
contingencies. How could this happen in America?" Osofsky asks.
Michelman's husband was placed in assisted living after surgeries and
hospitalizations for his fractured hip. Ironically, the couple had
thought to purchase private long-term care insurance years before their
crisis, but although their insurance plan nominally covered long-term
care, it did little to address her husband's long-term care in respect
to its actual costs. "How does one plan for a situation such as this?
Kate Michelman certainly thought she and her husband had planned for
every eventuality – she is a well-known and well-to-do public figure,
he was a tenured college professor, they had excellent medical
insurance, even long-term care insurance, and still it wasn't enough,"
Osofsky says, "They still found themselves on the brink of losing
everything."

According to Osofsky, Michelman's story is frightening "precisely
because it could happen, and is happening, to any of us." The
unfortunate truth about medical insurance, long-term care insurance,
and Medicare/Medi-Cal for those who qualify, is that they often cover
"most of the cost" of medical treatment and rehabilitative care.
Asserts Osofsky, "Most is woefully lacking when we must face the awful
reality of how high the costs actually are. Deductibles, co-payments,
share of costs, and uncovered services have become a huge personal
obligation, a black hole of debt where accumulated life savings can
disappear in a heartbeat." Is there a solution? The key is to enlist
the help of committed experts who know how to navigate the convoluted
worlds of the medical industry, insurance industry, and government
benefit programs. Osofsky suggests "finding professionals who can help
you build a plan to make the best use of those systems and what they
offer." But even that's not a complete solution. Something needs to
change. Concludes Osofsky, "Medical care in the United States has
become a mountain of cost that even the young and the healthy ignore at
their own risk."

To learn more about East Bay elder law lawyers, East Bay elder law attorney, Medi-Cal planning, Medi-Cal planning lawyers and The Law Offices of Osofsky & Osofsky, visit Lawyerforseniors.com.