Melissa Mia Hall Didn’t Have to Die

If you’re wondering what prompted my last furious post, here is further explanation:

An uninsured Texas writer by the name of Melissa Mia Hall died of an undiagnosed heart attack a little more than a week ago, and a group of writers on Live Journal are busy trying to spread the meme that she died precisely because she was uninsured and was afraid she wouldn’t be able to pay the bills if she went to see a doctor.

Now, if I read the posts on her untimely death correctly, Hall lived in the Fort Worth area. Provided my information regarding place of residence is correct, here were some of the patient assistance programs that were available to her (found via Google-fu):

• The hospitals in the Texas Health Resources Network offer charity care for low-income patients. They also offer discount pricing for uninsured patients and financing options for those with a balance above $250.
• The JPS Health Network also offers at least two patient assistance programs for those struggling to afford medical care.
• Baylor Health offers charity care to patients whose total medical expenses exceed a certain percentage of their annual income. Their services also include charity care for those with “catastrophic” medical expenses.

Those are the first three medical entities (besides the children’s hospital) that pop up when I Google for “hospitals near Fort Worth, Texas.” I don’t know Hall’s income, so I don’t know exactly what she would’ve qualified for, but this notion that there was absolutely nothing out there for her is a complete lie. Don’t accept it.

ETA: By the way, Hillbuzz has published my letter regarding charity care. Keep an eye on the comments section. It may end up being a source of some important information.