Swine Flu and Unemployment: The Worst Combination Ever?

I’ve been at home sick with a cold for the past few days, which, when you’re out of work, is not a lot unlike being at home and healthy. The only major difference seems to be that I drink more tea than diet coke, and when I’m not writing and engaging in futile attempts to find journalism work, I watch TV laying down instead of sitting.

I’m exceptionally lucky that I seem to only have a cold, and not swine flu. But it has certainly gotten me thinking about what I would do if I did indeed become seriously ill, and needed to see a doctor, since I lost my employer-provided health care back in October and can’t afford COBRA payments.

With unemployment still soaring, especially in California, swine flu has to have hit many people who no longer have insurance, right?

I went to both the Department of Health and Human Services’ Flu.gov site, and the CDC site looking for guidance. I couldn’t find any information regarding what people who have H1N1 but are without health coverage should do. While flu shots are available (in short supply) for free, both sites urge people who have already contracted the virus to visit with a doctor. But how are people supposed to do that if a doctor’s visit, let alone medications, would be a substantial financial burden? If it were me, I’d stay home and risk developing serious complications because I wouldn’t want to deal with more money problems, especially near Christmas.

My dad recently came down with swine flu and pneumonia, but because he’s both 65 and a retired military officer, he is eligible for multiple types of government-sponsored health coverage. If the tables were turned and I were the one who got sick, I’d be completely screwed.

Perhaps there is indeed an easy, free or affordable way for people with H1N1 to get treated, and I’m just not finding it. But if I can’t track it down, chances are other people can’t either.