Phil Atkinson

For 23-year-old Phil Atkinson, $73.58 per month seemed like a lot of money.
...
That could buy a quick trip to Denver or a couple of nights out, so Atkinson opted out of the insurance coverage he was eligible for as a snowmaker at the Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp.

"I decided to take the chance and let my insurance run out," he said."It's probably the stupidest thing I could have done."

Atkinson wishes he made a different choice."I could have paid off insurance for 10 years with what I owe in doctor bills," he said.

One minute he was riding his long skateboard, the next minute he was on the ground.When he tried to stand up, something was wrong with his knee.

With one fall, he did $13,500 worth of damage to his meniscus -- a c-shaped piece of cartilage that lines the outside of the knee joint.

Atkinson went to the emergency room, and the bills started with that $510 visit.

With more than $13,000 in debt and a job working as a doorman at Levelz, Atkinson needed help.

The hospital pointed Atkinson to the state-funded Colorado Indigent Care Program.After a lot of paperwork and more phone calls than he could count, CICP agreed to cover part of his surgical bill.

Atkinson still owes $4,500.

"Get insurance," Atkinson said."It's a necessity in a mountain town.