After 37 years as a solid American, I’ve left the U.S. My wife and I have been living in her home town of Melbourne, Australia since January, shortly before our baby was born.
We’d always talked about doing it someday, but something happened last year that forced our hand. 1/
We lived in Tampa, FL where I worked for local news. My wife got pregnant. We had insurance through my job, so we thought we were golden.
We weren’t. We still faced high copays for OB visits and meds for my wife, who had a brutal pregnancy. But that wasn’t what drove us out. 2/
What drove us out were the OBs. They deemed my wife high-risk and an insurance liability, discharging her on the 1st pretext they could find and effectively blacklisting her from all OBs in-network.
Another group transfered her, claiming they didn’t have the right specialist. 3/
They then set her up for a transfer to one of a handful of hospitals, including one they said could probably only do a “consultation” in January…when my wife would be 8 months pregnant.
Most maternal health specialists wouldn’t take her on because she was “too far along”. 4/
We were near 8 months, no delivery team, no word from the hospitals, no OB, no other resources.
My wife, afraid for her safety, flew to Melbourne and found a full medical team to help her deliver safely. I followed as quickly as possible and arrived with only a week to spare. 5/
After our baby was born (hospital bill: $50), we decided to stay in Melbourne. We had a home, resources for parents, healthcare, and a high quality of life.
In FL, we faced low pay, high medical bills, inflation, gun violence, and other struggles for survival…at least. 6/
The choice wasn’t hard. Now we’re happy. We’re a family, and we feel like we have a future.
My privilege isn’t lost on me. I’m still voting as an American and advocating for those less fortunate. No one should be left feeling trapped by their own medical providers. Period. /End
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