It is harder to find better example of the reality of financial toxicity and insecurity for patients than Hilary Swank's "Ordinary Angels".
Set in Louisville in the 1990s, it stars a struggling alcoholic and hairdresser, Sharon Stevens, who finds purpose in helping a widow, Ed Schmitt, raise money for his daughter Michelle's medical bills. Due to Michelle's biliary atresia requiring a liver transplant and her father's lack of health insurance, the family racks up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills.
Though it was "feel good" movie about the power of community and the human spirit which is highly recommended, with many tear-jerking and heart-warming moments, the underlying theme was very disheartening. These patients are already vulnerable, overwhelmed, and scared from their underlying illness, and it seems many accept financial toxicity as the norm, not realizing that deciding between health and having food on the table should not be a given.
Frankly, very few have the fortune of a relentless advocate such as the character played by Hilary Swank, much less the knowledge or resources to have a fighting chance. Audience members are left hanging, hoping that the movie would show some of the things that doctors and health systems could do better in order to help provide financial assistance.
Nevertheless, this movie does an outstanding job of laying out the facts about this vicious, generational cycle of health-care related financial toxicity. Director Jon Gunn incorporates these themes which come across through the screen very palpably via the characters played by Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson.
This movie inspires the audience to empower all people to have a chance to regain their health and dignity, by addressing the reality of gaps in care and health-related costs. Essentially, films like this help provide the motivation to make this extraordinary Hollywood tale one day seem nothing more than the ordinary.
Set in Louisville in the 1990s, it stars a struggling alcoholic and hairdresser, Sharon Stevens, who finds purpose in helping a widow, Ed Schmitt, raise money for his daughter Michelle's medical bills. Due to Michelle's biliary atresia requiring a liver transplant and her father's lack of health insurance, the family racks up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills.
Though it was "feel good" movie about the power of community and the human spirit which is highly recommended, with many tear-jerking and heart-warming moments, the underlying theme was very disheartening. These patients are already vulnerable, overwhelmed, and scared from their underlying illness, and it seems many accept financial toxicity as the norm, not realizing that deciding between health and having food on the table should not be a given.
Frankly, very few have the fortune of a relentless advocate such as the character played by Hilary Swank, much less the knowledge or resources to have a fighting chance. Audience members are left hanging, hoping that the movie would show some of the things that doctors and health systems could do better in order to help provide financial assistance.
Nevertheless, this movie does an outstanding job of laying out the facts about this vicious, generational cycle of health-care related financial toxicity. Director Jon Gunn incorporates these themes which come across through the screen very palpably via the characters played by Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson.
This movie inspires the audience to empower all people to have a chance to regain their health and dignity, by addressing the reality of gaps in care and health-related costs. Essentially, films like this help provide the motivation to make this extraordinary Hollywood tale one day seem nothing more than the ordinary.