My Dad Died Because He Couldn’t Afford a Lung Scan
This is what it looks like when health is a transaction and life is optional.
My dad didn’t die because he had cancer.
He died because he didn’t want to go into debt.
That’s not a metaphor. That’s the system working exactly as designed.
He was in the hospital for the second day.
We were watching a Tigers game on TV. It was his first time seeing one in years.
We couldn’t afford cable growing up. He usually listened on the radio.
He looked over at me and said,
“Wow. It’s a lot different actually being able to watch the game. I could get used to this.”
He was there because he’d been pooping blood.
The doctors said it was ulcers, nothing life-threatening. It would heal on its own.
Still, they wanted to run more tests.
He was already frustrated.
“I swear to God, if they make me do another test. They’re just trying to extract as much money from me as possible while I’m here.”
And then a doctor walked in.
“We’d like to scan your lungs. Just to rule everything out.”
He didn’t even hesitate.
“That’s enough. I don’t want my lungs examined. I can’t afford to be in medical debt for the rest of my life. I’m ready to go home.”
So he left. No scan. No follow-up. No warning.
He thought he was avoiding a financial collapse.
He didn’t know he was walking away from the thing that would kill him.
He wasn’t alone.
One in four Americans skip necessary medical procedures because they can’t afford them.
That’s more than 100 million people choosing between care and survival every single year.
Sometimes it’s a dental visit. Sometimes it’s chemo.
Six months later, we were back in that hospital.
He could barely speak. When he tried, his words sounded wet and slurred, like he was drowning while talking.
The doctor pulled my mom and me into the hallway.
“Your dad has tumors throughout his body. It looks like the cancer started in his lungs and spread. He has about two weeks, if the tumors don’t close his throat first.”
His lungs.
The scan he skipped.
We could have caught it.
Maybe we could have slowed it down.
At the very least, we could have told him what was coming.
When I explained it to him, he just repeated the same three words.
“Oh my God.”
Over and over. For days. Until he couldn’t say anything at all.
He died two days before his 52nd birthday.
He choked as the tumors closed his throat.
This wasn’t just a tragedy. It was a business outcome.
We’re told the system is broken.
But what if it isn’t?
Sixty percent of bankruptcies in the U.S. are caused by medical bills.
Since 1970, healthcare costs have risen by over 6,000 percent.
And in just the past few years, 66 percent of all new wealth went to the top one percent.
We are not broke. We are being siphoned.
In 2023, private health insurers made more than 31 billion dollars in profit.
UnitedHealth alone made over 14 billion.
They didn’t earn that money by helping people. They earned it by algorithmically denying care.
In fact, a UnitedHealth subsidiary used an AI model to reject rehab coverage for elderly patients.
The model had a 90 percent error rate, but the denials were upheld.
One woman with advanced cancer was denied a PET scan. She died shortly after.
That same year, the company broke its own profit record.
This is what happens when a corporation’s success depends on your silence, your patience, or your death.
And what do we get in return?
The United States spends more per person on healthcare than any other country on Earth.
But our outcomes are worse.
Shorter life expectancy.
Higher rates of infant mortality.
Millions of people afraid to go to the doctor.
Meanwhile, countries like South Korea, Portugal, and Slovenia cover everyone, for less.
They don’t ask for a co-pay when you’re coughing up blood.
They don’t bankrupt you for living.
They don’t let people die afraid to ask for help.
We like to say America is the greatest country in the world.
But what kind of country lets a man choke to death because he’s scared of a bill?
My dad didn’t fail. He didn’t freeload.
He followed the rules.
He just couldn’t afford to gamble.
And so he made a choice that millions of Americans are quietly making every year.
He walked away from care.
He died confused, afraid, and alone.
Not because no one could help him, but because help was for sale and he couldn’t pay.
We don’t need another tweak.
We need Medicare for All.
A system that guarantees care to every person, funded by the people who have more money than they could ever spend.
Not just because it’s fair.
But because it’s human.
People like my dad shouldn’t have to choose between dying and going broke.
And if we don’t change this now, someone you love will have to.
There will never be adequate words to describe the horror of your experience and the heartbreak of a system that could be easily set up different.
I'm from Australia. Last week my little sister went to the ER because she had suspected Giant cell arteritis and her vision started blurring.
Yes she had to wait 6 hours but that night they did every single test possible to diagnose her ailment - thankfully not GCA but migraine.
She left after 10hours having been loved on, locked after, and treated... and didn't have to lay a cent.
Its not perfect but it is possible.
Very strong writing. Thanks for sharing this important reflection!