OT Breast Cancer Rant

And there are the people like DH and myself. We are currently (since June) without health insurance. It was costing us more than our mortgage payment. We tried to keep up the insurance, and let the mortgage go, now we are out on both... sigh. Insurance costs for us is over $1000 a month. We are currently trying to get AHCCCS (the Arizona "Medicaid") but not sure we will either qualify or be able to afford that. sigh. So we are going without meds, and trying to cope. It isn't easy and makes us both wish there were at least basic National health coverage for everyone here in the states.

Pati, in Phx

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In message , Anne Rogers writes

Actually NHS is not free. We pay for it all our working lives by a deduction from our wages. It used to be by stamp that employers put on cards for us. They were called National Insurance stamps. Shirley

Very good point Shirley. I completely forgot to mention that. . In message , Shirley Shone writes

Now, that's true ... but it's the politicians who control the insurance companies. They pass the laws and regs that ins companies have to adhere to.

For example, after YEARS of being pushed, Jeb Bush (FL) changed the Medicare law in FL to allow people who need major transplants to be "grandfathered in" if they were on the list prior to turning 21 (that credit goes to my SIL who pushed Jeb so hard and all the wonderful people who supported her).

So politicians CAN affect regs and laws when it comes to healthcare. Otherwise, what's the point of e-mailing our congressman and pitching a blue fit over how poorly people are being treated by the ins companies?

However, AFAIK, when the laws are changed and ins companies DO have to allow more coverage, we all pay for it. That's why insurance is so ungodly expensive.

But then, that's how it is with ALL kinds of insurance. Because FL lawmakers put more pressure on home insurers (rental and "home") to give better Flood coverage to policy holders IF they offer that coverage AND because of all the crappy weather we had (hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, etc) last year, many ins companies have eliminated flood insurance here.

We've had USAA for the past 12 years (if not longer) and we've been covered under their Flood policy for the past four years(?) - but they've stopped offering Flood ins in Fl (many companies have). But we were "grandfathered in" since we already had the policies to start with. Anyone just moving to Fl is outta luck, though.

But believe me, our rates went UP. We're paying nearly twice what we paid last year.

well yes, but typing "free at the point of use" every time was a bit too much, if the government is paying for it, then it must come from tax some way or other!

Cheers Anne

Its is very hard to imagine that this would happen, my mom who five years ago had a lumpectomy stayed over night in the hospital, but mind you it was to have only been a day surgery thing as well. Her operation was to have been at 11:30am, had to be at the hospital at 6am, she didn't have the operation until 6pm. Because the operation was so late and only done at the insistence of her Doctor at the time, ( the hospital it self wanted to postpone the operation) that was the reason why she was able to stay over night but none the less was out at 7am the next day. Turns out that the type of cancer my mom had was the most aggressive and deadly.Hers was thankfully at a barely stage one and no lymph nodes involved. She is now 5 years cancer free. Steve I hope that your friends mother has enough love and support behind her as my mom did. It does help. It is horrid that a human being can be treated like this with out fear of consequences. Health care no matter where you are is suffering because of the bottom line. Its sad to know that a human life is not as equal to a dollar any more. Should be the other way around in my books, life is more important then the dollar but as "They" say money makes the world go round.

By the way who are "They" "Them"?

Dawn in Alberta When life gets you Down Get up and Mambo

As a none American, I'm hazy on things here, isn't medicaid supposed to step in in situations like this, or is that something that varies from state to state? Here (WA), I see quite a lot of adverts for various drug plans relating to this, the monthly charges seem very reasonable.

We're very lucky in that we have outstanding medical cover, no copays, no deductible and it seems to cover absolutely everything - but of course this is a worry in the long term, there is no guarantee DH will have this job for ever, my understanding is that in the USA, if we move to another insurer, they have to still cover anything, but not if there is any gap in coverage, but we wouldn't have the same situation if we moved over to private insurance in the UK, I'd have a lot of things excluded, but having a non life threatening genetic disorder, at times I'd struggle to get the stuff I need on the NHS.

Cheers Anne

I'm so sorry, Patti!!! I know it's not much at all when it comes down to it, but you're in my prayers - and I'm sending all the good vibes and thoughts possible. :(

See, I think there oughta be a law that caps premiums ... it's not fair that a circumstance of fate or life would cost you so dearly - not in a country that's supposedly so wonderful to live in. :(

Those ads you see are put together by marketing firms for the drug and insurance companies contracted by the state to SUPPOSEDLY take up the slack. There are so many rules, regulations and loop holes in the system it's criminal. Income, assets, age, marital status and health issues are all factored into complicated formulas for eligibility and premiums charged. Medicaid and Medicare also have contradictory rules and regulations. All differ from state to state. All is not as simple as it seems on those 20 second commercials.

Val

Steve, I had my mastectomy last year and spent 2 nights. Please also let your student's mom know of reconstruction. When you lose your breast to cancer insurance should cover it. My insurance has paid for mine so far. Reconstruction made me feel whole again. I have some breast cancer books for her if she is interested? let me know. Pami

Pami -- are you old enough to remember when Reconstruction wasn't covered by insurance?? The woman who had lost her breast had to have the surgery authorized by a Psychiatrist for her "mental health"! At the time, I was coordinator for a Women's Re-Entry program at a local community college. I did Peer Counseling for a number of women who had a single or double radical mastectomy and not one of them could have reconstructive surgery unless they paid for it out of their pocket or went to see a shrink and convinced "him" that they were about to go postal over the whole thing. Of course, the insurance didn't cover much of the cost of seeing the shrink, either!! We were caught in a Catch 22 on that one until women really started to get politically active about the whole thing. VBS -- the way insurance coverage is going in this country, I bet the Insurance companies want us to feel we are lucky to have out-patient surgery for things like breast cancer! #(*#$^%$*%*#$%(* Insurance "Bottom Line" rat b*s*a*ds. CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

My doctor said we can thank Hillary. I guess this bill was passed in

1998?? If I had know about it I would of had reconstruction at the time of my mastectomy. I found out after my surgery. Some of same day surgeries are okay but not such delicate stuff like this.

I think it's much fewer than anyone might imagine, since 2000, I've had

4 surgeries, all could have been day surgeries, 3 were planned to be, but only once did I actually get out the same day and even then, it was still several hours after everyone else had left, they were bordering on admitting me. Maybe it's just me that reacts badly, but it seems pretty much everything causes pain, even a keyhole surgery with minot things done inside, the wounds can be really sore. The one I did make it home the same day I was back with a complication within 48hrs, though the consultant was able to treat it without readmission.

It's worrying me a bit as I need to schedule yet another surgery, my first one in the US and I know that I'd have to be in a terrible condition for them to keep me in, particularly as it would mean ambulance transfer. I'm anxious about post operative pain and also about going to the toilet, in the past I've needed bed pans or significant help in getting to the bathroom. I can't see why it would be any different this time. I think it will be hard for my husband as he won't know what is normal and fine and what is to be concerned about, so he's likely to worry about anything symptoms I get.

Cheers Anne

You said it better than I could have.

Debra >If you feel seriously about this issue to respond, signing the petition is

Debra in VA See my quilts at

My DIL came home about 24 hours after her mastectomy. Had a drainage tube and a pain pump on her when she came home..Prayers for your student's mother for a healthy speedy recovery..I feel that they aren't giving people enough hospital time to recover. Michele from Ohio

Signed today, Steve. This is an issue close to my heart, my own sainted mother is a breast cancer survivor. She was lucky, her insurance allowed an overnight stay in the hospital...........for a 75-year-old woman! I shudder to think how fast they would have booted her out the door if she had been, say, in her 40s.

That said, any person facing a major health issue is very lucky to have loving and caring family or friends to assist in the aftercare. Sending good healing thoughts and prayers to Alaska from Arizona.

Thanks, Val. "Contracted by the State" means a company like United Health Care (a for-profit company) is part of the problem, and Medicaid itself with its conflicting regulations is another part. In Arizona, one has to be literally destitute before qualifying for Medicaid. In other words, no house, no car, no bank account or retirement plan, no assets of any kind. If you have any assets, you must sell them and expend the proceeds on medical care before Medicaid will step in.

It's an ugly situation, and bound to get worse unless we all make ourselves heard. I honestly don't mind paying taxes when the money goes to actually helping people, or making the world truly safer.

And I won't go any further on that subject........not into flame wars at the moment!