Uninsured students face debt, health issues

United States residents spent a total of $1.26 trillion on health care in 2009, a study released last week found. The top 1% of health care consumers accounted for 22% of the total cost, equaling about $90,000 per person.

That may sound shocking, but to Julio Manceras, a pre-med student at Texas Christian University, that��s nothing -- especially if you’re uninsured.

It was an early fall morning in 2009 at the University of Texas in Austin when Manceras, then 19-years-old, first experienced what would become a life-long medical condition.

“First, I started to feel dizzy and light-headed with a pounding heart that felt as if it was going to come out of my chest cavity,” he said.

He was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. While his heart rate soared over 222 beats per minute, his face and hands numbed and his speech slurred.

Manceras spent a week in the hospital, and went home undiagnosed.

On his third week-long trip to the hospital for the same symptoms, he was diagnosed with Supra-Ventricular Tachycardia, a condition that occurs when one’s heart has irregular electrical pathways.

“They informed me that my estimated cost of treatment for that period would be over $100,000,” he said.

Because he and his parents did not have health insurance, the hospital offered to apply his financial aid at UT to his bill. However, his financial aid money was funded through federal grants, and this was impossible.

The hospital charged Manceras $3,000 up front, and sent a bill for $80,000 shortly after he was discharged.

By his tenth stay in the hospital, Manceras had racked up over $500,000 in debt, all before he turned 20. He was told that because he was single male in college and legally an adult, he was not eligible for Medicaid.

“I have enough to worry with school at the moment, and I’ll cross the bridge of paying off the debt fully when I have finally finished my career,” he said.

Manceras dropped out of UT in October of 2009, trying to get healthy before he transferred to TCU in the fall of 2010. Now approaching graduation as a pre-med student, he says his medical past inspired him to become a doctor.

“I saw how the medical system worked and how expensive and ridiculous it was. For two Tylenol they charged me $50, which I thought was outrageous,” he said. “Through my hardships of medical problems and observing my environment, I wanted in return to give the care many people cannot afford.”

The Affordable Care Act was passed in March of 2010, extending parent’s health care to cover their children until they turn 26. But this hasn’t helped Manceras since his parents do not have insurance, either.

“We pay our taxes and we are legal, so why shouldn’t the government take care of its people?” he asked. “The way that I view it, where would the government be if we were all sick and couldn’t work" and subsequently could not afford to pay taxes, he inquired.

Manceras is not alone -- 20% of traditionally-aged college students do not have health insurance, according to a 2008 study from the United States Government Accountability Office.

David Mesa, a junior at Kansas State University, is among that 20%.

“I haven't gone to a doctor's office in years. I think I was in junior high the last time I had a check-up. It's sort of scary not knowing what’s going on with your body, if you're sick or not,” Mesa said.

But for Mesa and Manceras, being uninsured is just an unfortunate fact of life.

“You have to do what you have to do in order to live I guess. Get help first, then work out the money situation later,” Mesa said.

Emily Atteberry is a Spring 2012 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about her here.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.