A California man has shared his final moments with friends on
Facebook before he died, because he did not want to feel alone.
Conan Sorrano, who had been ill while recovering from a motorcycle accident, posted the heartbreaking message on the social media platform and died shortly afterwards at his home.
He had been regularly posting content on Facebook regarding his health and his ongoing struggles to afford healthcare in the United States.
Credit: YouCare
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He was, according to one post, "vomiting buckets full of blood" several days before his death, but was unable to go to hospital to have it checked out because he did not have healthcare coverage.
"I think it's because they upped my blood thinners. I really should have gone straight to the hospital" he continued.
The 39-year-old photographer had posted appeals for funds so that he could have treatment via social media but when they were unsuccessful, he resorted to selling his Jeep in order to make rent rather than paying for hospital admittance.
"It was really serious for a couple days. I even called people at 3am so I wouldn't be alone when I died," he wrote in his final Facebook post. "My rational (sic) that kept me out of the hospital was I couldn't go because then I couldn't sell my jeep and then I would be able to pay rent.
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"Pretty f***ed up that some people have to make hard decisions like that. Hospital or homeless."
America has no universal public healthcare like that found in the United Kingdom or Canada, and health insurance must be purchased.
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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, lifted millions out of health insurance insecurity but the Republicans, led by President Donald Trump, have been attempting to repeal the law.
They have as of yet been unsuccessful, with former presidential candidate John McCain making a key intervention to stop the repeal of Obamacare when the bill was recently debated and voted upon.
Obamacare was brought in in 2010 and provided basic healthcare to the estimated more than 20 million people who were previously uninsured.
It restructured Medicare, the system by which most low income Americans got healthcare, and vastly increased the amount of people in the healthcare system by reforming the way that insurance providers were able to deny coverage to certain people, particularly those with pre-existing conditions and by subsidising the health insurance costs of millions of Americans.
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Words: Mike Meehall Wood
Featured Image Credit: YoucaringTopics: Donald Trump, Barack Obama, US