I have a cyst on my testicle. I have had it for 4 years. I also now have thousands of dollars in medical bills. I still have the cyst. I have also heard excuses like “Lots of men just live with it” and “Well, how would you pay for the surgery?” Countless doctors have told me that I am exaggerating the pain, but they don’t have to deal with the debilitating agony or the constant nausea. I have also had countless HIV tests because when doctors find out I’m gay, they assume that’s what is wrong, and when it isn’t, they give up and show me the door. They have tried to shame me. I have shame, thousands of dollars in medical bills, and I still have a cyst on my testicle.

It’s no secret that, while the field of medicine in this country is quite advanced, the field favors pharmaceutical and insurance companies. It does not in any way, shape, or form; favor the patients. If you break it down, medicine is a business, and logically the patients should be the customer. But we, as patients are not, and thusly we are not their primary concern.

There are many doctors out there that do have our best interests in mind, but it would be naive to think that all do. When a doctor rushes uninsured patients out the door without proper care, where are they left? With a large bill that they obviously can’t pay. If they could pay it they would have been able to afford insurance. Granted most insurance companies will not accept you if you have an ongoing condition.

If an American is not treated with the care they deserve or their medical issue persists and the doctor will not do anything about it, the patient still has an exorbitant bill hanging over their head; a bill for a service which was not adequately provided. The money is not even the largest issue, but it does add insult to injury. Doctors rush patients through because of discrimination all the time, and then send the bill.

Please sign this petition if you believe there should be a legal way in which a patient may contest their bill if they were not given adequate care or treated with obvious disrespect. If you or anyone else you know, have ever received a medical bill for a problem that wasn’t resolved, please sign. Sign this if you have ever been discriminated against in a hospital. Sign this if you felt like there wasn’t a place to go that had your best interest in mind. I propose the state or federal government establish a program wherein individuals would be able to contest a medical bill without being given the runaround by the hospital which is only concerned with their own interests.

To read more about my story, click here.