Health care in America: For one family, a $300,000 debt nightmare

Mom Cathy smiles tenderly as she scrolls through photos of Olivia on hospital beds at various ages, from a baby to toddler to a teen.And dad, Dan, is close to laughing as he reads from bills sprawled out on a table cataloguing medical costs going back to 1996 -- including parking tickets and hospital meals.

Despite spending the most on health care in the world, 27.5 million Americans are without any health insurance. The level of reimbursement varies from case to case. There are different levels of"deductibles" -- the amount paid by the patient before the insurance kicks in, as well as"copays," the fixed amount of out-of-pocket costs for doctor visits or drugs once the deductible has been met.

From 1996 to 2004, he estimates the costs were around $130,000 -- with the two figures combining to around $322,000. In 2001, their woes multiplied when their second youngest, Traci was diagnosed at the age of 11 with complex regional pain syndrome, a rare affliction that started in her leg and spread to her arms .

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