New Mexico Technical Rescuer & Climber Needs Help

I posted this in the regional New Mexico section and someone suggested I post it to “general” to reach more people on the forum.

One of our own needs our help.

A long-time member of the New Mexico climbing community, a very active and highly skilled technical rescue volunteer with the Albuquerque Mountain Rescue Council (AMRC), past Chair of the NM Mountain Club's Climb Section and a part of my extended climbing family for the last 10 years needs the climbing community's help. 

Cassy Aguirre took a long fall this past Saturday after rock broke just as she neared the end of her climb in the Sandia Mountains.

She was airlifted off the mountain to save her leg and taken to Albuquerque’s main trauma hospital at the University of New Mexico. Unfortunately, her health insurance does not cover care at this hospital. This means the bills for her 6 day hospital stay are Cassie’s responsibility. 

A GoFundMe campaign was started to help support Cassy with the bills for the ambulance, hospital stay, extensive tests & imaging and medications.

Additionally, the GoFundMe will help with Cassie’s future loss of income. She had just started back to work two days prior as a high school science teacher in Albuquerque. As she goes through the surgeries requires to reconstruct her knee, she will be out of work without a salary.

If you’re able, please support Cassy as she starts on this long road to recovery.  

https://www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-cassy-aguirres-medical-and-rehab-costs 

Thanks for posting this Anna.

Selling some gear, donating half of any sales to help out Cassy.  No direct connect, just a fellow SAR member and climber.

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/126660421/fs-arcteryx-touring-pack-silo-40-nuts-belay-devices-half-of-sales-go-to-benefit-#ForumMessage-126697364

That’s very generous Andy! Thank you so much. You have friends in Albuquerque next time you drive through town on I-40. Please stop and say hi. 

I hope they make a full recovery, will donate to this.
F-U american health care system, you're whack.

It is really messed up! I can’t believe this is allowed. 

Warning to all climbers. Make sure your insurance will cover your emergency visits and hospital stays at the main trauma hospital near where you climb.

This same thing happened to another climber friend who fell and walked away from a 10 hour ER trip with a $5000 bill because her insurance wouldn’t cover the visit. 

Mr Rogerswrote:

I hope they make a full recovery, will donate to this.
F-U american health care system, you're whack.

What's more fucked up is that she's a teacher at the public school system in Albuquerque, and her insurance doesn't even cover care at the only level 1 trauma center in the city (and state). I guess insurance is nice, unless you actually really really need it.

slo tawrote:

What's more fucked up is that she's a teacher at the public school system in Albuquerque, and her insurance doesn't even cover care at the only level 1 trauma center in the city (and state). I guess insurance is nice, unless you actually really really need it.

Huge oof! Works for the state govt. and the healthcare doesnt even work at the states only hospital that provides that level of care.
Idiocracy indeed. Shameful.

Mr Rogerswrote:

Huge oof! Works for the state govt. and the healthcare doesnt even work at the states only hospital that provides that level of care.
Idiocracy indeed. Shameful.

That’s because the employer (Albuquerque Public Schools) does not provide healthcare. They provide the opportunity to sign up for a HMO that is run by a private, for profit entity. Presbyterian Medical Services or Blue Cross/Blue Shield for APS employees. This is just how the healthcare system works in this country. 

Frank I know how the system works. I'm pointing out another one of the many reasons our system is f*cked.
The point remains, our healthcare system is shameful. A go fund me should not be standard beta after a life altering injury, yet here we are.

to not take up more space in response to big country:
Insurance has limits if the place where you get care does not accept it despite however good of insurance you pay for. Your deductible and good financial standing with a for profit company means nothing a that point.

FWIW, I have SPOT supplemental insurance and covers me 20k for $20 a month. Climbing covered. Well worth it IMO in case you end up somewhere that doesn't accept your normal insurance.

I seriously hope that she gets out from under those bills and makes a full recovery.

As someone who went through a traumatic injury and hospital stay this year, insurance does work if you're willing to pay it and the deductible. Damn glad I did and will continue. Not saying the system is perfect by any means. But it is a choice. Frank's just reiterating the point.

The same thing happens when climbing out of state if you need to visit a hospital. I fell 5 years ago at Red Rock and my insurance wasn’t very helpful. My options were emergency room with a $7,500 deductible or self pay at urgent care to get X-rays because they didn’t take my insurance. I ended up just finishing my trip and driving back to New Mexico to visit urgent care here for x-rays. I had cracked my elbow and broke a bone in my hand. My choice of insurance at the time was cheapest available and so then I had to make decisions around that which I was fine with. I upgraded my insurance after that trip to something a little better but I think I’ll still have issues when out of state.

We should all really consider disability insurance also. If we can’t work, then what? There are bills that need to be paid. Injuries while trad climbing are not generally quick recoveries. 

So sorry about this especially as it's on her home court.  A public employee (and teachers should be on the highest pinnacle of public employees) not be given adequate coverage as part of her job is tragic.  

It's time to stop wringing our hands and complaining about the state of medical insurance in this country and start using our votes to get a meaningful change.

I'm fairly sure that according to the Emergency Care Act(or the No Surprises Billing act?or both?), emergency life-threatening medical care is covered but you need to be informed that your longer(non-critical) stay isn't covered by your insurance, because obviously nobody would choose to rack up 1000s in medical bills. It might be a drawn out process, but if she wasn't informed she can fight with the hospital and have the hospital eat it. They'll bill the fed anyway. I hope she's okay otherwise.

Edit: No surprises

Gonna look into what you posted Eric. Thanks for that seemingly valuable info around healthcare nuances I did not know about.

Don’t know you Cassy, but you got this. Sending positivity

Donated. Best wishes Cassy. 

Thank you all so much!

An update was posted on her GoFundMe saying she has a blood clot and her surgery is postponed until November. This delay will allow time to resolve the blood clot without taking her off the blood thinners. It looks like she won’t go back to work until next August. 

So sorry, I will definitely donate. Fortunately, modern medicine can work wonders. I’m sure she will be back at it with a vengeance!

She absolutely has that fire to come back strong! Cassie lives for being in the mountains. 

Raised another $32 for Cassy this morning through some small gear sales.  Not much but it's probably an hour's take home pay recovered.  According to the post on her GoFundMe, Cassy is on unpaid leave starting yesterday, with a long road back to normal life.

Thank you so much Andy! You are a lovely human being