Money Matters
Essay winner confronts the cost of medical care in the U.S.
As a primary care physician in Baltimore, Laura Sander, MD, MPH 鈥12, chief resident in the School鈥檚 , often witnesses her patients struggling with medical expenses.
The issue became personal when Sander's father was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma while working in France. Her family chose to bring him home for treatment.
With European medical coverage, Sander鈥檚 father was 鈥渦nder-insured鈥 in the U.S. The family was concerned about paying for tests, surgeries and medications. Her parents even considered selling their home to cover costs.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a really tough spot and I know many, many Americans are faced with this,鈥 said Sander, who decided to write an essay about her family鈥檚 experience for a contest sponsored by , a nonprofit that raises awareness of health costs.
Chosen as a finalist and published in Cost of Care鈥檚 blog, Sander recounted care providers鈥 seeming detachment when her family asked about the costs of tests or medications.
鈥淭hey often expressed polite concern, said something along the lines of 鈥業 don鈥檛 deal with that,鈥 then referred us to billing,鈥 she wrote.
鈥淚 think my dad鈥檚 story highlights a lot of the challenges in our health care system and I wanted to add to that conversation鈥 said Sander, who is pursuing a career in primary care and preventive medicine.