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Grand County health insurance story was right on the money

To the Editor:

My husband and I were long-time Grand County residents ” me since the early ’80s and then we both moved back to Grand County in the early ’90s. We both worked in food and beverage for many years at Winter Park/Intrawest ” my husband in management for 13 years while I worked off and on there in many capacities. I still certify swim instructors for the Fraser Valley Metropolitan Recreation District.

We have lived in Salida since 2005.



In 2002, my husband was diagnosed with colon cancer and given a 40 percent chance of survival. I had been diagnosed with a rare disease several years earlier.

When my husband was diagnosed, I was pregnant with our first baby.



My son came five weeks early. I had to be rushed to a hospital in Denver, while my husband was in another hospital in Denver, recovering from his colon surgery. We had three major medical catastrophes at the same time. Me (I went in to anaphylaxis and ended up in ICU), my husband and my premature baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care.

We had insurance. But due to our circumstance ” and because of the plan we chose ” we had close to $20,000 in deductibles. It might as well have been $1 million dollars.

This situation was emotionally and financially bankrupting. We almost lost our home. Not to mention pride. And we had insurance.

We are all fine now. I still have to manage my rare, hard-to-manage disease, but both Steve and Nate are healthy.

Any day that we are all healthy and happy ” and we have good health insurance coverage ” is a good day in my book. We almost lost it all.

Jan Marie Smith

Salida


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