I didn't catch the whole thing but, Nancy Pelosi had a press conference this morning and dragged out cancer patients who each had specific tales of woe with regard to their existing health insurance companies.
The one woman I did hear was a woman who had cancer and racked up substantial medical bills and almost lost her home.
First, the woman complained about the having to get stuck with a $500-a-day charge to control her nausea while receiving chemotherapy. I might be wrong but, I think that $500 a day shot might not even be covered under the proposed tamped-down and government dictated health care system; simply because it would be too expensive under the government guidelines. That's one of the primary complaints about nationalized health care in many other countries.
Second, it appears she survived her cancer. However, in both Britain and in Canada, many types of cancers have lower survival rates than in the United States. Much of this has to do with the long queues and delays in receiving care. For sure, cancer never takes a vacation while you wait to see a doctor or wait to get any needed procedures. Furthermore, the newer and better, but more expensive, procedures and drugs aren't always available in many countries with nationalized healthcare. Again, purely because of the costs. This, too, is responsible for the lower-than-U.S. survival rates in places like Britain.
Third, she apparently had a low cost but high-deductible insurance policy. Not all medical insurance policies are equal. Some have low monthly costs but have high deductible rates when it comes to certain types of medical procedures, like surgery, or, as in this case, chemotherapy. People don't seem to understand that many insurance policies only pay 90% or 80% of their medical bills for much of the medical care that is outside of routine tests and doctor's visits. It is truly a pay me now or pay me later kind of situation. If someone has a policy that covers 80% of the cost of surgical care and they have a bill for heart surgery that is, say, $200,000, they will owe $40,000 of their own money against that billing. When people buy insurance, they need to understand this.
Lastly, she acknowledged that she had a sub-prime loan on her home and that she was, at one time, about to lose it because of her medical bills. She also said that she was only able to keep it because of the intervention by her Congressional Representative, Jim Cooper. That says to me that she apparently is a person who went on the "cheap" for both her home mortgage and her medical insurance. It is truly too bad that she has had these problems on top of cancer. However, people get themselves into problems by not understanding or reading the contracts they commit too. Further, no one should ever assume that their life will be a life without problems. All too often people gamble that they won't get sick or they won't lose their jobs. However, life hardly ever deals anyone that lucky of a hand. In fact, more than 1/3 of the 46 million who "don't" have health insurance could afford it but elect not to buy it. In most cases, they are younger people who think they're to young to get seriously ill.
Contrary to today's dog and pony show by Nancy Pelosi, the health care reform that is being proposed by the Democrats isn't better care. This woman has her life; even though she's got some financial problems. Under the government-run health care system that is being proposed, every patient will get their medical care with, figuratively, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid looking over their doctor's or surgeon's shoulders and advising that physician as to what they can or cannot do. What Pelosi did today was what most lawyers do in medical malpractice lawsuits to garner even bigger jury awards. Nancy found the worst of the worst examples of people who had problems with the current health care system. But this is a distortion.
I think everyone wants some kind of reform of our health care system. But, people are balking at Obama-Care because they see less care and higher costs. Many don't trust the Democrats after the debacle of the failed Stimulus Package. Even many Democrats are now having trouble buying into Obama-care.
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6 comments:
Dear Cranky George
I am the whiny women who survived 9 months of chemotherapy and radiation. I didn't realize I was complaining. My point was the because of the extreme and debilitating nausea the chemo cocktail I was subjected to caused, the doctors recommended the only drug on the market that would combat it. It was $500. and not covered by my insurance. I had to tough it out. When I tell you it was brutal, that doesn't quite fully express the pain.
My mother is a Canadian citizen and all of my relatives who for the grace of their health care system have been treated and cared for without becoming bankrupt. No one in over 40 years has gone without treatment nor complained they were not being cared for. You don't know me so perhaps you don't care about me, my situation or the 47 million others and that is understandable.
The point that was being made by having 4 people at the press conference--3 of whom were women with very different insurance situations and all recovering from pretty brutal cancer treatments was to juxtapose those experiences. One who didn't have insurance at all but was covered by her state, and a woman from san francisco who will be paying over $100,000 over the next 10 years of her life, maybe more to make up for the astronomical costs.--and she had blue cross insurance. And I, who was in an even better position in that my costs were covered more than hers but still got clobbered. We all experienced the same 6-9 months of grueling chemotherapy and radiation knowing all the while, that we must keep our stress low to survive--two of us doing battle with creditors and health care companies who want the money for the services that are keeping you alive. There is humiliation, guilt and hopelessness to ensues all simultaneously. If we met I would describe the daily routine of someone with cancer receiving treatment. Some times the pain is so excruciating that you feel as though your entire body will explode--and sometimes you hope it will. These are the days--sometimes weeks when watching the bills flood the mailbox seems like a cruel hoax. It is not about you paying for me, it is about everyone having the same opportunities in a system that is broken. And that is what health care reform is about. Having a system where one shot doesn't cost nearly $6000. I had to have 6 of those shots during my chemo and that didn't include anything else. The system needs reform so that some who work just as hard as you--myself included are not punished for becoming ill. I am 15 months in remission and my promise to my doctors and myself is to keep the stress low in order that I will make it to the 5 year mark. It was painful to read your words minimizing my (and thousands--perhaps millions of others) but I wish you good health always because once that is gone, there is little else.
God Bless,
Molly
Dear mollmaud (aka Molly Secours),
I am sorry that you had so many problems in you life.
But, at the same time, you were not upfront about having been "quite" the political advocate for Democratic causes. You aren't necessarily the "whiny women" or woman with a simple story to tell as you claim to be and as supported by your website, http://www.redroom.com/member/mollmaud, and other droppings I have read on the Internet.
Anyone who thinks that this this health care package will be better health care isn't really looking at the bill.
I understand the seriousness of heath care and it's cost. I've had a serious heart attack at age 49 and because of the fast response of our existing health care system, I survived. I am thankful that I didn't have some government agency telling me that I couldn't have a $2000 shot of the chemical tPA to bust up the clot so that I could survive long enough to make it to surgery. It was frightening to have 5 or 6 people working on you while having unbelievable pain and with alarms going off and you can only feel that you are just about to die.
If we want to change health care, let's start with first things first; like tort reform. That will automatically produce savings. But, majority of Democrats in Congress (including our President) seem to have a conflict because most were lawyers and most all receive hefty contributions from other members of the "bar".
I want everyone to have good health care; not rationed health care. There's more to health care that just having coverage. You more than anyone should know that!
If my words were hurtful, I apologize with the reservation that you put yourself out there as an advocate for what most Americans can now see as a politically misguided attempt to reduce, not improve, health care in America. As a result, you have made yourself subject to scrutiny.
George
Please note: I deleted my previous comments so I could include my personal situation on health care which I, too, have had to pay thousands since. I initially wasn't going to say anything about it but you gave the impression that I, somehow, was ignorant of the hardships of illness.
Dear Cranky George,
I'm not sure exactly how having advocated for issues you don't agree with during my life diminishes my health experience or minimizes my suffering or millions of other--but perhaps anyone who disagrees with your position is suspect--otherwise maybe you wouldn't call yourself "Cranky George"?
It seems you do understand the value of having good health care and hopefully you are able to imagine being less fortunate than you are and perhaps unable to get any insurance at all--for a whole host of reasons-- how terrifying that might be.
As I stated, I too was fortunate to have at least some insurance and if not for the pharmaceutical companies and HMO's given full license to charge whatever they fancy, countless people wouldn't be going bankrupt and becoming homeless. I made a film several years ago about the demise of the healthcare system in Tennessee and the aftermath. Several of the people I featured in the film who had worked their entire lives, some two and three jobs died shortly after for being cut off from TennCare completely. It was one of the saddest things I've ever witnessed. Ironically 2 years later I was diagnosed myself which is why I feel compelled to speak now for others who don't have a voice. And although you seemed to have a visceral dislike for 'my kind', I assure you we are probably not that far from having some common experiences.
I'm sorry about your heart attack. It must have been frightening and I hope you remain in good health.
best,
Dear Molly:
I pointed out you political affiliation and advocacy because I am tired of the tactic of dragging out people like Mary Tyler Moore, Michael J. Fox, Christopher Reed, and yourself in others to disarm both logic and reason in the discussion of important issued of our time. Instead, every time an issue gets heated up or looks to be failing, it is being boiled down to an emotional one that is supposed to be based "compelling life stories" being (no offense) dragged in front of the camera or some Congressional hearing. It is like the trial attorney dragging a handicapped or brain-dead child in front of the jury in a medical malpractice suit in the final arguments to "up" the award and frustrate any true reason in the case. Again, no offense, but I think the intent of yout appearance had all the earmarks of that kind of legal theatrics.
I have seen what government run health care can do to the lives of the elderly. My father-in-law suffered years in decline due to Parkinson's disease. His last 5 years were totally bed ridden. He should have been in a nursing home. But, instead, Medicare required that his wife sell her home and half the proceeds be directed to pay for his care. In her 70's and in the desperation to keep her home, she was forced to care for him until his final days.
When she, too, became so riddled with arthritis and congestive heart disease and high blood pressure and could barely walk 15 feet without having to sit for 15 minutes before taking another 15 feet of steps, Medicare denied her an electric wheel chair. After fighting for years, we managed to finally get her one; but, it was almost too late. She finally succumbed to her diseases in just a few months after that. That is what government-run and rationed health care is all about. If a person is elderly and of no use to the "ideal" society, they will be tossed aside. That's the reality of government controlled health care and I've seen it first hand.
Bureaucracies are heartless and unthinking. TennCare apparently proved that. My concern is that we are ramming a health care program through that is designed to be the real "soylent green" for aged of this country in order to save both Social Security and Medicare through the denial of the more costly care towards the end of life. After all, if you can shorten the life span of the aged, you solve Social Security's biggest insolvency problems: too few young supporting too many old.
I've lived long enough to understand that there is always and ulterior motive behind anything done by our country. And, it doesn't matter which party is doing the "anything". No one should ever sign a contract without thoroughly reading it; and, more importantly fully understanding it. There are between 1000 and 5000 pages of contracts floating around Congress which have been made intentionally cross-referenced and so complex as to hide much of the intent. A sheister will always stick a contract under your nose and say: Just sign it...this deal could go any minute..its just the standard legal stuff that everybody signs... you don't need to read it. That, to me, sounds a little to familiar these days!
I wish you luck on your efforts in getting done with what you think is right. I will continue to express my concerns to the contrary.
This is my last comment on this subject and in response to this particular blog entry of mine.
George
By the way... I call myself "Cranky" and my blog is called "Cutting through the Fog" because I don't like to be lied to by our media and our government. I only seek to expose what I think is the truth. This is a rant of mine to let off steam. I really don't care if I'm the only one reading it. It is an outlet; an expression; my feelings and my ideas and my ideals. When I started it, I was literally talking to myself. Today, I have a following that are either as insane as I am or liked minded about what I think is right for America. The great thing about this is that no one is ever forced to read my stuff; it's there choice. Just like what I think health care insurance should be in this country. (I couldn't help that last line).
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