Paul Jason White: Killed at Age 40 by a Mysterious Illness and the Lack of Medical Care. He Was My Cousin.

Author and her late cousin, Paul
Author and her late cousin, Paul

Yesterday my mother called and said, “I have bad news, and it is not something you would expect.” At first I was a little relieved (my grandmother has been ailing). But I braced myself… oh no, what could it be…??

“Your cousin Paul died this morning. He had a high fever for several days. He went to the doctor and they told him it was just the flu. This morning, while in the bathtub to cool his fever, he just stopped breathing.”   

Me:  He stopped breathing?! How is that possible? What kind of flu simply stops your breathing? (choking back sobs…)

My mother:  Well, now they think it was some kind of aggressive pneumonia. He didn’t want to go to the hospital because he was worried about the cost. I’m pretty certain he didn’t have medical insurance. Even those new exchanges are just so expensive.  

I say it over and over again on this blog – the American medical insurance system is AWFUL. Not everyone qualifies for government assistance, and our prices are JUST TOO HIGH. No one should be paying the cost of medical insurance with THEIR LIVES.  

R.I.P. Cousin Paul. You were beautiful soul, and your joy for life touched us all. I won’t forget what happened to you, and I promise to fight so that others are not ripped from this earth at such a young age, just because insurance and medical care are too expensive.

Has the death of someone you love been hastened by the lack of medical care, or because health care is too expensive? Please share your story. kathleen@defeverlaw.com

3 comments

  1. This is why I wanted Kathleen as my co-author on our soon to be released book about how to profit from your insurance. She is an expert and this is the very kind of personal tragedy that can affect all of us.

    My deepest condolences, and Kathleen will give us guidance in our book.

    The title of the article says it all!

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  2. […] The UDHR was unanimously adopted by the United Nations in 1948 (48 yays and 8 abstentions). So how is it that sixty-six years later, in 2014, we are JUST NOW readjusting our health system so that those without insurance coverage have a new chance at obtaining it? While it is true that medical care can be accessed without insurance, in the United States it has become largely unaffordable for the uninsured. Quite simply, people die early and easily preventable deaths in our country, because they are un- (or under-) insured. It happened in my own family, as recently as February. […]

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