This is the latest in a long list of medical horror stories that have appeared on these pages. It is by no means the worst of them. After all, my family is among the lucky ones. We've made it through our medical emergencies physically intact; we have health insurance; and we are, at least in theory, middle class. Imagine what it must be like for those on the bottom of the economic heap, uninsured, and facing crippling illness as well as the billing department. In fact, you don't have to imagine it. Their tales are found right here.
Nevertheless, this is still George Bush's America, and the Naismith clan is faced, if not with complete ruin, then with extreme financial burden.
