A Long, Painful Wait for Clarity
Difficulties in Healthcare
A fall changed everything. One moment, I was walking. The next, I crashed down. Pain jolted up my leg and settled in my ankle. A grapefruit-shaped bulge soon appeared, dark and throbbing. Urgency filled my mind. I drove to the hospital and limped toward the ER. An X-ray gave me only partial answers. The doctor insisted on an MRI. A same-day scan sounded perfect. I craved relief and clarity.
Then, an obstacle. My insurance company had strict rules. They demanded a 48-hour heads-up for scans. They also demanded I visit a partner facility. I felt cornered. I could surrender four thousand dollars and get an immediate MRI. Or limp around on an unknown injury for days. I chose the second route. I did not have the spare funds for a full-priced scan.
During those 48 hours, I tried to confirm which imaging centers worked with my coverage. The insurance website acted like a labyrinth. My phone calls bounced from one operator to another. Each day brought minimal progress, more confusion, and mounting frustration. My ankle grew worse, or so it felt. The doctor’s staff felt powerless to help. They shrugged and referred me back to the insurer.
Four days later, I finally had the MRI. The diagnosis? A severe sprain, borderline tear, and a high chance of surgery. I needed a boot right away to keep the joint stable. Any further movement risked additional harm. The clock had been ticking for days, and my foot had become a ticking time bomb of swelling and bruising.
Yet the insurance puzzle continued. The doctor’s office could not confirm coverage on the boot. Time was short. My ankle was unstable and in danger. So I bought the boot. Out of pocket. The alternative was another round of waiting, calling, verifying, and an extra layer of damage to my ankle.
This entire process revealed a glaring truth: the patient’s comfort and speed of care mean less than labyrinthine insurance policies. It was an expensive, convoluted, and risky road. All for a simple ankle injury.
Exorbital aims to solve exactly this. We want immediate access to coverage details and anticipated costs, so people can make informed decisions without endless phone calls and false starts. Our plan is simple: build a system that lists compatible hospitals, imaging centers, and other specialists by your insurance plan. Show the out-of-pocket expenses if insurance does not apply. Offer coverage details that are accurate and easy to find. Then let the patient decide.
Imagine a healthcare system with fewer mysteries and zero confusion. Imagine pressing a few buttons on your phone and seeing where your insurance actually works. We dream of that world. We plan to release our platform soon. It will be free to use. We believe that knowledge and clarity can empower patients. We want you to avoid the anxiety and frustration I faced during a mere ankle injury.
This story is personal, but it reflects a system that often fails us. Every day, people endure rejections, phone tag, and last-minute surprises. Many pay more than they expect. Many find themselves stuck because they lack the funds to proceed. That signals a broken market. It signals a need for better solutions.
Exorbital’s team hopes to become that solution. We will push for transparency. We will share exact numbers and insurance constraints. We will help users reduce wasted money and time. We will also keep everything easy to navigate. In the end, what matters most is a patient’s well-being, not a web of cryptic policies.
Thank you for reading. I hope this gives you a clearer view of our mission. My journey with an injured ankle opened my eyes to deeper flaws in healthcare. Our aim is to address them head-on. We strive for a future where patients skip the confusion and go straight to healing.
Exorbital | Keenan Cunningham
Further Reading
• Healthcare Access Data from CDC
Visit us at Exorbital’s site to learn more and follow our progress.
