My Right Breast, Michigan Healthcare and the Presidential Primaries

Too bad Americans do not find facts inspiring.

Health care is Clinton’s strong suit. As an Edwards supporter I love most of her plan (as a lot of it is very similar to Edwards’s plan).

But honestly the part that bothers me is her wanting to make ins co’s a part of her “health care coaltion” (she stated this in her talk that was broadcast before Super Tues on the Hallmark channel). I’d like to see some more from her, therefore, on ins industry regulation.

But as far as an overall grasp of the issues around health care and how it affects women – Hillary is head and shoulders above Obama.

I think they can be inspired if the facts are shown in a way that applies to their lives. Sadly that hasn’t been done by MSM. I hope my diary shows just one aspect of how Hillary Clinton’s plans and programs could make a difference.
Thank you for your comment.

yeah. A lot of it is that this IS the United States, and we are so different in size, in culture, in political attitude, and that self-reliance stuff and fear of socialism — we’re so different in personality and attitude about GOVERNMENT than other countries — that it is a realistic proposal. We therefore have to enact what is possible. The perfect is the enemy of the good? I think that that’s the case with health care. Single payer would be ideal, but we’re a long way from that … maybe Americans will change their thinking someday. But I’d far rather have something that has a chance of becoming law, but is also UNIVERSAL (unlike Obama’s weak plan).

Thank you for your comment. I believe Sen. Clinton’s health care plans are very close to those of Sen. Edwards. You should post your questions about the role of insurance companies to her website. I will also try to research that for you.

No one familiar with Michigan can be surprised at the absence of mammography facilities in the six counties that lack them. The biggest population center in the six counties has a Y2K population of 6,500, but that county, because of its odd shape, is within easy commuting distance of two cities that do. With respect to the other five counties, the largest population center is 2,016. None of the others have a city with 1,000 people. The narrative of the report indicates that

“[a]nalyses of mammography facility locations found that 99.8% of the female population in Michigan is within 30 miles of a mammography facility. Analysis also included radiation therapy facility locations and found 4.9% of the total Michigan population is farther than 45 miles from any radiation therapy facility.”

No matter how comprehensive a health care system may become, mammography facilities cannot be justified for these populations. This post seems to me to be little more the cheap polemics.

YES! Great point. And let’s never forget that Edwards LED the way on so many issues in this campaign. Hillary had been working on them for a very, very long time too, but Edwards’ plans, ideas, and conversations about those issues lent importance and prominence to them. (Still miss him in this campaign. Wish he were in the debate tonight.)

Sorry you feel that way. Yes, Michigan is actually better than other states. As was noted in Sen. Clinton’s plan 18 states have no Cancer Centers at all. She hopes to remedy that. This isn’t just an issue of women’s healthcare. With the development of digital screening devices hopefully facilities can be made mobile and the cost can come down so that people living in rural areas all over the country can easily get screening. Early detection will reduce over all healthcare costs.
I hope you or a loved one isn’t ever in a situation where you are in that 4.9% that is farther than 45 miles from a radiation therapy facility especially in the winter in Michigan.

I don’t disagree right there, and what I like about Clinton’s plan is it is specific in allowing govt to compete on a level playing field with ins co, and the govt plan is open enrollment.

But ins co’s are really “make me” organizations, and it is in part because I like Clinton’s plan and it is the most viable that I would like to see her speak a little more about regulation. The meme being circulated among the left is that Clinton will “force people to buy insurance and increase the bottom line profits of big insurers”.

I think if she took this one on with a discussion of what a highly regulated environment looks like, in addition to talking about the open enrollment govt plan, that would help dispell that talking point.

As for Obama, he wants to cap profits in some markets where he feels there “isn’t enough competition”, which sounds convoluted and something that ins co’s can challenge. He’s really weak on even the folks who wrote his plan knowing what they’re talking about in terms of insurance, adverse selection and mandates.

I also note that in all of my research of Obama’s plan on his website there is NO mention of his “penalties”. That’s bad. His penalties are his back-end mandate to deal with adverse selection.

If I were Hil I’d hammer him over the head with this – i.e., are the penalties collected at the ER when someone needs care? What do you do if the person is incapacitated? How are penalties collected – do you take Visa, MasterCard or American Express? Is there interest charged? Can insurers make the case to charge this person a higher rate b/c now they have a pre-existing condition?

I get little lamb eyes when I ask these questions from Obama supporters, who rather weakly try to say that “it isn’t a big deal”. Heh. Tell that to the single-mother-to-be who’s looking at paying penalties on top of mandated rates for the sin of being pregnant and wanting to keep her baby.

Like I said – I’d *hammer* O with this. Were I Hillary. Or an ardent Hillary supporter.

I will – I can see if Hil didn’t want to be specific vis a vis regulation (why let insurers know in advance?).

But anything additional to what her posted policy is would be very helpful

Like I said, listening to how folks are responding to mandates I think a little more specific language on regulation could help…

lol – me, too

I think my story can add to this. In 1998 at the age of 34, I felt a lump in my breast. I didn’t have insurance so I went to the county clinic because it was what I could afford. The Dr felt the lumps too and sent me for a mammogram, which came back as nothing was wrong. Instead of the Dr sending me to the specialist part of the building, which was next door he told me there was nothing wrong my tests all came back fine. I asked what the lump could be then, and he told me because I didn’t breast feed and I recently had a baby my milk ducts were blocked. He assured me it was nothing to worry about.

Well about 6 months later, I noticed the lump was getting bigger, and I called to inform the Dr about it. They set me up with another appointment to see the Dr, but this time they had me see a woman. I knew something was wrong when the nurse told me they really screwed up this time. Well I had a biopsy and tests confirmed I had breast cancer. I wasn’t feeling too good about these people treating me anymore so I called the American Cancer Society and they set me up with an appointment to see a Dr at the local Cancer Hospital in my area. It’s a good thing I did too because the other Dr’s at the county hospital only wanted to remove my one breast and didn’t even plan any tests to see if it was in my other breast. The cancer hospital ran bone scans, CT scans they ran more tests on my other breast too, which were found to have cancer too. My stage of Breast cancer was 3; it got in my lymph nodes and started its destruction of my body.

I went through a double mastectomy and intensive chemo and radiation, and was part of a study that involved women with a high stage of cancer. I had a bone marrow transplant, which used my own stem cells. I was doing really well until this last August. The cancer has come back and this time with vengeance. It is now in my spine, around my intestines, ovaries, and in my sternum. I’m considered terminal now. Back in 1998, I felt I had a chance to survive even thou my care started out badly, but I have noticed a huge difference in the care I get today, and let me tell you it is BAD!!!! I have to beg for the one chemo drug that is helping me keep the cancer in check. You can’t imagine the frustration I go through every time I have to refill my prescription. I don’t wonder why the cancer got as bad as it did this time even thou I was under the care of the cancer institution. I had my yearly check up in January and in August; I found out, I was terminal. You would think they would of found it in January when I had my yearly check up with my cancer Dr, wouldn’t you? I can tell you why they didn’t find it in January because I am a poor woman and the cost of a scan any scan is costly, and blood tests to check for cancer cells I guess is too costly too for poor people, so pretty much the Dr just asked me how I felt and if I said ok that was all that was needed. In January when I saw the Dr she did ask me when was the last time I had a scan, which I replied five years ago, but as long as I was feeling ok I guess that was all they needed to hear.

Well long story cut short in so many ways. I am fighting for my life again. I know my chances aren’t great, but I’m a fighter and will fight this to my death. I just wish I had a team of Dr’s I once had in 1998. I got sick the other day and needed antibiotics and the dam Dr asked me if my insurance would cover it. I begged her to just give me the prescription that if they didn’t I would put it on my credit card. My god what has happen too this country. God help us ALL!

Lisa, just another cancer patient.

All of the comments here are very relevant. Could I add that Hillary’s plan provides a start to controll health care costs which are relevant to retiree’s, regular working people, corporation competetiveness and especially people with pre conditions that loose their jobs.

Let us hope that Hillary can emphasize these points tonight. A lot of people seem to think that Obama has the solution by just talking. Please remember Newt Gingrich and Tom Delay.

The post is not “cheap polemics”, but rather an analysis of what currently exists in terms of cancer facilities and what percentage of the population is located far enough from these facilities to possibly deter them from driving a distance of over 45 miles to a facility for a cancer examination and treatment.
Analysis and discussion is the first step to finding solutions to any problem. It is necessary to examine the problems surrounding cancer exams, treatment, and studies in order to find solutions.
This is not “cheap polemics.”

Dear Lisa

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I am praying for you. God Bless.

Thanks for that comment. As I mentioned in my diary, I was helping to care for ailing parents. They are 90 and 88 years old. My mom takes care of my dad who has dementia. She broke her hip in the fall. I want to go back and look at Sen. Clinton’s plan in terms of people like my parents who have limited income. My parents were lucky they raised a group of supporting kids who can help them out.

thanks for your comment. Your reply says it much better than mine. Sometimes I have trouble figuring out what to say.

That’s probably because you are trying to be polite to someone that has just insulted you with cheap name calling.

You are trying to address a problem and have come to some conclusions based on what you have found. Expect to get hammered for doing something that should be basic and ordinary. Common sense and common courtesy are in short supply amongst the keyboard warriors.

As for me, living in Wisconsin and with much the same problems, thank you for an insightful post.

Please do report back on what you find. I am considerably younger than your parents at 64 but am still a year away from Medicare and am scared to death of having health problems. One minor hospital stay could wipe out my savings and put my ability to hang onto to home in jeopardy.

Many of the things I worry about could probably be helped with preventive care but with no inurance I have all I can do to hold onto my home and to keep it relatively warm in the winter.

most excellent diary … my ex-wife had a journey very similar to yours and lisa that unfortunately ended with her passing seven years ago. i have often thought how different the outcome might have been if she would have had insurance coverage at the time of her diagnosis; however, i have also heard many horror stories from families who did have insurance coverage. one thing for sure, early medical care … prevention and treatment are the keys to survival. i wish you both the best … my prayers will be with you.

GrannyHelen, I thought you’d like this statement from an anonymous friend:

“Hillary’s greatest virtue is that she doesn’t feel the need to be loved. Her husband lacked that virtue. Obama clearly lacks it. But, that’s what it’s going to take because fixing this mess is going to be ugly. An economist, protege of Micheal Porter, told me in 2004 that we were entering a new age in america, the end of the middle class, a permanent divide between the haves and the have nots. And, if you ended up in the have not category, you were never, ever going to get into the haves. That’s the heart of Hillary’s campaign. She see’s that and aims to fix it. I don’t think Obama see’s it or even knows how to fix it. This is like the DMR endorsement. This time, both in foreign and domestic policy, requires an FDR not a JFK. “

Thank you for telling us your story. I am so glad you are a fighter. Sending you love and all good thoughts …

it is so frustrating at times to deal with the insurance companies. You shouldn’t have to deal with it. And I HOPE you are getting adequate pain relief — god knows you deserve whatever you want.

Be sure to get non-biased counseling on the various Medicare plans. A neighbor of mine went through hell with that recently. He called insurance companies, and they all had expensive plans to sell to him. He’d called some insurance companies that told him they couldn’t cover him.

Finally — luckily — he found out about a state-run counseling service that gave him the real scoop. It turns out that those insurance companies HAVE to cover him, and for far less than he thought. And he found a decent prescription plan.

Still, all the extra policies cost him about $300+ per month, not counting the prescription drug deductibles and co-pays. I don’t know if he’s hit that donuthole yet — must ask him.

ALSO: It is imperative to buy the best possible supplemental plan. Let’s see. I think that is the Part C part of it. Otherwise, if you end up in the hospital, plain old Medicare will NOT pay for the first $1,000 — which means that the hospital would require YOU to come up with the $1,000 before they’d admit you.

All of the plans vary by state in price because — a friend in California who’s disabled told me — her AARP plan differs from the one my friend got here in Washington state (was telling her what he ended up paying, and it’s about $70-80, I forget, less than what she was paying).

The only retirees I know of who have great insurance are the military retirees — they don’t have to pay for all of those supplemental policies.

Thanks for the information Susan. As it stands now I had best keep on taking my vitamins, exercising and eating healthy.

I do like it, but am reticent to whole-heartedly accept Hillary as the working class heroine, simply because – for my tastes – she has been far too outspoken on the need to “work with” lobbyists.

Now, I can give her full benefit of the doubt that this is a pragmatist speaking (and I do believe Hil to be pragmatist at heart). And at least she’s upfront and open about this, contrasted with Obama who takes advice and help from lobbyists and money from their spouses.

But that’s why I’m agnostic. I just can’t jump on either of their bandwagons. I’m a systemic change gal choosing between two incremental change candidates.

I’ll vote for whoever the Dem nom is in Nov, and if it’s Hil I’ll really start writing about her health care policy (b/c whoever ends up being President we’ll still have to push to get universal health care). But in my heart I just can’t sign onto someone who understands the system is broken but who will pragmatically work inside of it.

Just not who I am

I posted this to Digg. Please go and recc it. I think it’s important that these stories make it to the front page!

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/My_Right_Breast_Healthcare_and_the_Presidential_Primary

Lisa,

Your story is the epitome of the tragedy that has occurred in the country over the last 7 years.

I am so sorry – keep fighting on. Please post this story everywhere. It needs and must be heard. I would suggest you might want to send it to Hillary’s campaign.

Thanks for sharing and God bless!

I accidently left out from Barack Obama’s healthcare plan the fact that his plan also covers cancer screening tests

Individuals and families must have access to essential clinical preventive services such as cancer screenings and smoking cessation programs, and the Obama health plan will require coverage of such services in all federally supported health plans, including Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP and the new public plan.

This quote was at the end of the diary in my first draft but accidently dropped during my struggles with Mac Safari challenges. I am sorry for the omission.