Health Care – The Local Version
This week, during ”Thursdays in the Mud” on the Shannyn Moore Show on KUDO 1080am, Shannyn and I talked a lot about health care, and about that little widget in my sidebar that keeps counting up the number of people who have lost health care in the last two years. I watch that number every day and wonder, each time it rolls over, who that person must have been, and what very real consequences it will have for them and for their family and friends to lose coverage. Each number is a man, a woman or a child who could be any one of us, or our parents, spouses, siblings, or children.
Even if people have insurance, sometimes it is not enough. High “co-pays” and deductibles, inadequate coverage, denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions, lifetime caps on benefits… all of these things can render the technicality of “having health care coverage” useless.
For anyone who wants to do something to help in a real and tangible way, there’s a family in Anchorage who would be grateful for your support. Mika Uchida has been a pre-school and elementary school Japanese teacher here in Anchorage for the last decade. She’s devoted time, energy and infinite amounts of love and patience to invest in the most precious gift we leave the planet, our children.
She does have catastrophic health care coverage, and unfortunately a catastrophe has happened. Mika was diagnosed not long ago with a very serious cancer. This young mom and her husband have an incredibly adorable 5-year old boy. Treatment outside Anchorage is in order to give her and her family the best chance possible of getting through this. So, they are heading off to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota next week.
The incredibly high co-pays for medication and treatments are too much for this young family, and those whose lives they have touched are hosting a benefit dinner. Their school community has stepped up to help.
This is where you come in. You are invited! For a minimum donation of $15 per person, you can come to Children’s Garden Montessori School (located in the Castle on O’Malley in Anchorage) and feast on traditional Japanese foods donated by local restaurants. You’ll also be supporting some wonderful people and easing their burden in a time in their lives that is more stressful than many of us can imagine. Please help them focus on health and healing and each other - not the worry of how they will pay for vital medicine, and the incidentals that occur when being far from home for an extended stay.
The Japanese dinner is tomorrow night, Friday February 26th at 6pm.
If you can’t attend, there is an account set up at Alaska USA Federal Credit Union that will take donations for the family. I’ll post a Paypal link as soon as it’s available. In the meantime you can call Alaska USA at 907-277-5577. The name on the account is “Mika Uchida”. Or you can drop a check off at The Castle on O’Malley made out to her.
Health care is so big, and so overwhelming, and we watch the proceedings like we did today and it feels out of our control. Things like this dinner, or a donation for Mika are so small to us, and so very big for the individuals on the receiving end. I’ll update everyone on the story as it progresses.
Thanks, everyone.
I can’t remember which Republican senator or house member made the comment about how having catastrophic health care coverage was a great solution because it made the public better consumers and less wasteful, but writing a letter to him showing that it’s still an unaffordable option–using your friend as an example–might be in order.
Obama very rightly asked him if he’d like to have catastrophic insurance and when the man said yes, Obama said something to the effect of “because you are in one of the highest pay brackets in the country, it’s an option for you. Not for the people who can only “afford” the catastrophic.” And he also asked him if he would want his mother or grandmother to only have catastrophic.
*sigh*
Best wishes to Mika & her family.
I live about 80 miles from Mayo, been there many times with someone else, not as a patient.
Mayo is in Rochester, Mn.
Here ya go, JRC:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/obama-takes-dr-barrasso-to-medical-school.php
As soon as you have a PayPal set up I will be happy to contribute. The loss of my good friend Larry this past December (a direct result of not being able to afford health insurance) has forever changed the life of the woman he left behind. And not in a good way. I hope president Obama gets a decent bill through soon – and my thoughts and prayers are with mika and her family
When you post the Paypal link, I’ll be pleased to donate. (((Mika and family))) (((AKM))) (((Mudpuppies)))
#3 @GhostbusterTX Says:
Here ya go, JRC:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/02/obama-takes-dr-barrasso-to-medical-school.php
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PObama certainly took the wind out of DOCTOR Barrasso’s sails and no nonsense about it! Smackdown.
Lamar Alexander – Smackdown.
John McCain – Epic Smackdown.
I thought that Catastrophic insurance was for just this kind of situation, but you are saying that they STILL have bills that are too high?
I am so sad today.
Watching the clown congress posture on talking points and the media only caring about who is WINNING the debate, well NO ONE is winning and many are hurting.
And now for Sarah’s expert(?) take on the summit via Fox:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/video/item/palin-explains-hand-notes-on-hannity
She is without doubt the worst of the worst…she has no depth of knowledge and can only regurgitate the same old talking points that are beyond stale. Read the comments too.
The following is a very honest and moving letter about the unfairness and travesties of America’s health care; when elected officials, even those who have retired from office, receive comprehensive coverage whereas those paying for that coverage are left to fend for themselves:
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/02/the-view-from-your-recession.html
I don’t seem to see the little widget in the sidebar regarding the numbers of people losing their health insurance. Can someone point it out to me. Thanks
Catastrophic health insurance is exactly for this kind of situation. But, it assumes you have a couple thousand dollars (or more) in disposable cash available to cover the initial payments. Catastrophic health insurance can keep you from going bankrupt, but there is still a huge financial impact, especially for middle income families and below. And if you have to travel to another state, you end up with even more uncovered expenses. Usually you end up continuing to pay your home expenses (rent, mortgage, utilities, etc) plus you have to find housing in the new state. And pay for the travel.
Just back from immoral minority. sometimes think you should quit beating a dead horse. NAAAHH! Shannon have never heard you but will be in Atown in march and intend to listen and donate.
I’m confused. Doesn’t the ASD offer pretty good health coverage?
Palmerite #9,
The widget thingy is right at the top of the sidebar, right above the Cook Inlet Keeper Muckraker award. Sometimes I just get blank space at the top, but I assume it’s because I’m on a slow connection and the page doesn’t load all the way.
>I’ll post a Paypal link as soon as it’s available.
Do that, and I’ll contribute. I’ll miss the Japanese dinner (sob!) since I’m in Massachusetts, but I’ll stop by the Japanese restaurant near the Ironworkers union hall when I’m there this summer, ordering up a big din-din for myself and my son and grandkids, if that’s okay.
>I can’t remember which Republican senator or house member made the comment about how having catastrophic health care coverage
Oh, that was Sen. John Barrasso – you remember … the doctor who said he treated everyone who came to his office, regardless of whether they had insurance or not.
R-i-i-i-i-ght!
He also said other doctors-now-Senators had acted the same way.
R-i-i-i-i-ght! That’s why they’re all multi-millionaires!
If I switch my [political] party affiliation, can I avoid ever becoming sick? Does anyone have the list of diseases and/or medical conditions that are exclusive to one party v. any other?
Like, if I become a GOPer, will I forever be immune to Crohn’s disease, diabetes, heart failure, asthma, cancer; will I never have a compound fracture of a limb or endometriosis? Or need facial reconstruction after an accident? Never have a family member with malaria or Lyme’s or Hodgkin’s disease? Never suffer from arthritis?
And, if I switch from one party affiliation to the other, will I get instructions [from them] on how to always, no matter *what*!, have a ‘cushion’ of (at least) $50K in my banking/savings account to use exclusively for any ‘incidentals’ I’ll need –should I have the stupidity/lack of ‘gumption’ required of ALL ‘real Americans’ — and I foolishly be in need of [extensive] medical care?
Maybe the GOPers have some information to which I’m not privy? I sure do wish they’d give me a guarantee that if I switch to their party, I’d never have to worry about becoming ill…or paying for treatment(s), if I do. They seem to be of the belief that NO ONE in America would *ever* get sick IF they were truly patriotic and ‘cared for the future’ of our country.
Last I checked, disease and illness knew NO party affiliation; from watching the ‘debate’ on comprehensive overhaul of our broken, broken, broken “Health Care System,” though, one would never know that.
So, if anyone out there has a list of what I will NOT contract (disease/illness/condition-wise) by belonging to one political party (v. any other), I sure would like to see it. beth.
After 15 years of paying a tremendous amount of money into my now former health insurance company for very little benefit in return, their formula that told them that I was moving into a category that would not be profitable to them anymore kicked in, so they boosted my premiums up to where I could no longer pay them. I became one of the numbers on your widget. And it appears that the looming consequence could be overwhelming.
@ beth #16: Too late for me – I already have arthritis, even though it’s still mild and the pain is fairly easy for me to manage. Oh, well, I wouldn’t want to align myself with the republicans anyway.
I almost laughed when the good doctor said that he didn’t ask patients whether they were Republicans or Democrats or if they had health insurance. Well, no. I’ve never had a doctor ask that either. But I’d bet my last dollar that his receptionist required insurance information before any of those patients were allowed to see the good doctor.
I was glad that they finally got to the main difference at the end: Democrats care about helping people and see government as having a responsiblity to do so, while Republicans say they care, but expect people to do it on their own.
Hubby and I have been lucky to have insurance through his work, and it’s actually been pretty good when we had to use it. Our first daughter was premature, something we definitely didn’t expect. Nor did we have the extra money sitting around to pay our portion – that took a little over a year and lots of phone calls to the hospital and doctors to arrange payments. (Daughter is fine but those first 19 days in the hospital were scary – I’m glad I didn’t have to worry about how we were going to pay for it like the lady I met whose son was premature AND had to have heart surgery, with NO insurance.)
Then in 2007, hubby was diagnosed with colon cancer. By the time all was said and done the insurance company had paid out nearly a quarter of a million dollars. Of course he’s used a sizable amount of that life-time cap. (Hubby is now fine, btw.)
In both cases, we asked ourselves what people do when they don’t have insurance or don’t have very good insurance. And of course, we all know the answer to that one – they lose everything.
Well, at least one thing was apparent yesterday – if the Democrats are going to do anything about health care reform they are going to have to do it on their own. And they’d better face up to that and get busy.
Conservatives prove their lack of compassion…here is Laura Ingram referring to the “sob stories” of those without health care:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/201002250062
The evil in me hopes that karma will pay Ms. Ingram and her ilk a visit very soon!
I pray every day that the Democrats will pass healthcare reform now and get on to other things. I watched yesterday and was surprised that the Republicans didn’t even try to cover up their tired agenda. ssdd
My heart goes out to Mika and her family. They will use and appreciate all the positive energy we can send their way..$$ and prayers.
I did the cancer “battle” last year. Prior to last year my husband and I had a carefree full-time traveling lifestyle. We have good insurance that we pay $450/mo. for. My deductible was $500. I had a $3,000 cap on co-pays because I was “in network”. I paid that out before March with biopsies, ultrasounds… all the tests ordered before diagnosis. We drove 80 miles roundtrip to the Cancer treatment facility. We settled into a more permanent living arrangement.
I consciously waited to start the cancer dance until January 1, so that I wouldn’t rack up charges late in 2008. (I had major symptoms) But, by waiting, I got all my needs met within 2009 and got the maximum bang for my medical insurance buck. I have a PET scan scheduled for next week and it will be my first doctor appointment of 2010. It will automatically cost me $500 for that deductible.
We are retirees on a fixed income and we went into debt last year. Do you know that nobody would tell us how much a chemo treatment would cost? I later found out that the five bags of poison they infused into my body ran $10K. I had 12 rounds of chemo followed by 20 radiation treatments at $5K each… that’s just the highlights. According to billing I received about $250K of care.
I can’t imagine how much it would cost to go to the Mayo Clinic, then add on travel, lodging, food, prescriptions, etc… Nobody should have to weigh life saving health care and financial ruin when they are sick.
The saddest part is that there are millions and millions of these stories and the Republicans call these people overeating, drink too much, smokers who are too lazy to use their healthcare wisely. And if this bigoted fool of a doctor treated unisured patients, I am also sure he sent them a hefty bill and that bill to a collection agancy if not paid in full in 30 days.
We didn’t have health insurance for 15 years, paid out of pocket for a family of 4. Now we have insurance, the same offices that charges us $45 or $60 cash, now chare Blue Corss $85-$125 for the same appointment. We pay $40 copay, Blue Corss pays around $13 bucks.
Recent illness, bill of $700plus, Blue Cross paid $0, the rest is a deducatable. I swear, I think it truely is cheaper to be unisured sometimes.
The entire system is a ripoff. Health, auto, etc. Just like our “forced to buy” FEMA flood insurance. When we flooded, our neighbor made a claim, turns out FEMA doesn’t cover basements, even if theri finished. For a grand a year, nothing, not a dime. Luckily, we don’t have a basement!
Also, too though, on that “doctor.” Who was he speaking of, because everyone knows we treehugging granola lovin’ vegetarian liberals don’t live like he mentioned.
Was he talking’ about the Republican base, ya’ know, them Palin rally types?
For what it’s worth, the Mayo Clinic is a not for profit treatment facility.
beth Says:
February 26th, 2010 at 9:38 AM
If I switch my [political] party affiliation, can I avoid ever becoming sick? Does anyone have the list of diseases and/or medical conditions that are exclusive to one party v. any other?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Beth, while there has been no formal study done yet, the anecdotal evidence points to a far lower incidence of S-T-D-s among Democrats. This is due, scientists believe, to a far lower incidence of unprotected teen sax, unprotected, prom-iscuous homomsaxual activity, and cheating on spouses among Democrats.
Scientists also speculate that the evidence may be even more darning than is seen at first glance, as they have reason to suspect that John Edwards is actually a closet Republican!
((((((((((((((((((((((
AKM:
I must take exception to “Each number is a man, a woman or a child who could be any one of us, or our parents, spouses, siblings, or children.”
My husband and I could never be a part of that number. We lost our insurance over 2 years ago.
Not that we ever used it. Too expensive still.
Last summer I was out of commission for a few weeks. My husband, a couple of relatives, and good friends and neighbors pitched in to take care of me until I was up and around again. My old insurance wouldn’t have helped any, though, because of deductibles, co pays, and what was covered. Thankfully, I recovered without medical help and through the help of some dedicated pray-ers. We couldn’t have afforded for me to go to the hospital, and selling our house wouldn’t have helped pay the bills, as what it’s worth is pretty darned close to what we’ve got in it at this point.
My heart goes out to Mika and to her family, especially her daughter.
For what it’s worth, I had cancer as a young adult, and traveled out of state to be treated at a major cancer center. It was a very good decision for me and for my family, but it was quite difficult being so far from friends and family and of course expensive, not just during treatment but also traveling there for follow-up appointments. That in spite of my willingness to sleep on couches (including one in a mens’ dorm, that was interesting…). I wish Mika the best of luck.
…emotional support will be important as Mika goes thru all of this, for her and her husband and child.. It’s the Long Haul support that is appreciated the most….it will be tough for them being in a strange city and away from immediate family support group – my wife’s parents would come up to “The City” to give us a couple of hours break from being in the hospital by watching our daughter for us..Hopefully there is a motel/apt building where family can stay during the treatment..small comfort, but living expenses are deductible, including phone and travel… will ck back tomorrow for paypal info.
Positive thoughts being sent…..
I´ll be looking for that paypal button. After all the information I´ve gathered from here, friends and family I would be uninsurable in the States. Good thing I have that “socialist” german insurance that is paying for my cure. No worries there. Since October, my supplemental payments for chemotherapies, frequent hospital stays etc. add up to about 300 Euros (currently about 400 Dollars and that is rounding it up). Break it down: 10 Euros per day in a hospital, 10 or 15 Euros for each chemotherapy and smaller amounts for various other meds, from headache stuff to antibiotics. There is a cap on supplementals, depending on income etc. just as there is a cap on how much our insurance can charge. And I only live in Number 25!
Good Luck Mika! I know where you are right now…. Big, big hugs.