Izgad is Living in Poverty

Last May, while coming back from a Cirque De Soleil show, I was jumped by a group of youths, who attempted to rob me. I was knocked off of my bike and suffered a fractured clavicle otherwise known as a broken collarbone. I was taken to Riverside Methodist Hospital where I was given a shot of cortisone for the pain, an MRI to make sure I had not suffered any head injuries, a slink for my arm, and an icepack. I spent about three hours in the hospital before going to bed and teaching the next morning. Due to the wonders of our health care system, I got handed a bill for over $5000. I have been going through the hoops of my insurance company in order to get them to cover as much of this as possible. I also applied for aid under the Ohio Victims of Crime Compensation Program. A few days ago I received a letter from the Attorney General of Ohio, Marc Dann, that I was exempt from paying over $2000 worth of bills due to the fact that I live below the Federal poverty line. It seems that according to our government I am living in poverty due to the fact that I supported myself on under $10,000 last year. This is news to me I have never considered myself poor. I eat three meals a day. I regularly have meat in my diet. I have plenty of clothes and I even own two suits. I have a room to myself, which I pay about $400 a month for. I regularly purchase such luxury items as books, CDs, and DVDs. I am typing these words on a laptop which I purchased last year. I even have health insurance. I confess I do not own a car. I get around on my bike and the bus system. I will grant you that most people have more than I do. I have made certain lifestyle choices. I want to be a historian and I am willing to live on little in order to achieve this. I certainly do not need any major government programs in order to help me. Could someone just fix the health care system? There is something off when a trip to the hospital that did not require any surgery costs over $5000.