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I was a nurse for almost two decades; I'm quite familiar with both ALS and
polio. My mother's best friend was a victim of polio, so I was raised with someone dependent upon leg braces and crutches. Alan Alda, on the other hand, received intensive physical therapy when he contracted the disease:
Alda lived in NYC and had access to progressive care, while our family friend received minimal care...the plight of rural and inner-city residents as well as the impoverished in today's America.
You write as though I had denigrated Dr. Hawking, when nothing could be
further from the truth: Hawking's work in quantum physics is invaluable, and A Brief History of Time made that discipline accessible to everyone. Dr. Hawking is a global treasure.
If you would reread my posts, you will see that I never suggested that Professor Hawking would have died by now; I pointed out, correctly, that
the care he received has not been available to most Americans diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease, whether that is related to financial or geographical reasons. Few American families can afford the equipment and medicines which have enabled Professor Hawking to continue his fascinating work. Dr. Hawking is now 67, and has benefited from the health care provided by his government for 61 years; to suggest that Americans afflicted with ALS have received equal care in the past 60 years is disingenuous. As he was diagnosed with ALS at 21, that means only that he has received quality care for 46 years...while most Americans with ALS have not. Perhaps Dr. Hawking would agree with my opinion that health care in the U.S. is a black hole for many families.
I suppose our georaphical differences influence what we see. What Professor Hawking received, power wheelchair, portable ventilator, home health aide, is pretty standard here in NY. We are pretty progressive in providing care to those who need it, Medicaid rules are lax for those with medical needs compared to other states. I'm sorry to see your state doesn't feel the same towards your fellow residents.
I suppose our georaphical differences influence what we see. What Professor Hawking received, power wheelchair, portable ventilator, home health aide, is pretty standard here in NY. We are pretty progressive in providing care to those who need it, Medicaid rules are lax for those with medical needs compared to other states. I'm sorry to see your state doesn't feel the same towards your fellow residents.
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Illinois is in dire financial straits, like many other states. This area of the state has been decimated by the closing of high sulfur content coal mines and the bankrupting of family farms. The median age in this county is 65, and people with private insurance are the exception rather than the rule. It might surprise you to learn that the majority of Americans in the South, Midwest and Southwest find themselves in the same boat...there are many large cities in the U.S., but the majority of us live elsewhere. There was no need to insinuate that Illinois doesn't care about its citizens.
People who live in areas like this would benefit greatly if American corporations would keep their jobs here, where the jobs are so badly needed, rather than operating from other countries. It's a pity that greed alone drives such companies into such practices that are a detriment to their fellow Americans.
I have posted before about a local teacher who is in the final stage of ALS. His wish is to die at home, but their insurance will not pay for that. Instead, his wife and daughter went to an area junior college to learn how to care for him; they have had to liquidate most of their assets. Although his wife will return to work, she is 63 years-old and will never be able to recoup even a fraction of what has been lost. That such a thing could happen in this country is stunning. That people aren't outraged by such practices is stunning. That people could attempt to defend insurance companies in the face of such tragedies is stunning.
Last edited by Evenstar51; 10-14-2009 at 08:29 PM..
Reason: addendum
One of the Senators said this morning in a Fox interview that it's a travesty that there is no bill to read, that they are asked to vote on something that no one has read. The bill, he said, is "conceptual" at this time, with nothing tangible to vote on.
With the one bill from the Senate side, and 5 bills from the House to be melded "behind closed doors", no one really knows what the final bill will be.
Let's press our legislators to post it on the web and give us the transparency and 5 days review time that Obama promised.
I had no difficulty finding the text of House and Senate bills. For any Senator or Representative to go on TV, even FOX, and imply to the American people that, because there is no final bill yet, there is nothing to read, is absolute CRAP. The basic structure and many specific proposals are definately there. The markups and addendums are, I am sure, yet to come. We don't yet know how many Senators or Representatives will need airport landing strips built within 2 miles of their hunting camps, etc. I am sorry that my disgust of Congress is showing. This implication that they don't have anything to work with that many of them are feeding to the public, is insulting to Americans. This issue is of major importance to us, we need to have BOTH Repub and Dem influence. There will be a bill signed! If the GOP continues to stay out, we will wind up with a bill passing that will be much less than to our best interest.
I had no difficulty finding the text of House and Senate bills. For any Senator or Representative to go on TV, even FOX, and imply to the American people that, because there is no final bill yet, there is nothing to read, is absolute CRAP. The basic structure and many specific proposals are definately there. The markups and addendums are, I am sure, yet to come. We don't yet know how many Senators or Representatives will need airport landing strips built within 2 miles of their hunting camps, etc. I am sorry that my disgust of Congress is showing. This implication that they don't have anything to work with that many of them are feeding to the public, is insulting to Americans. This issue is of major importance to us, we need to have BOTH Repub and Dem influence. There will be a bill signed! If the GOP continues to stay out, we will wind up with a bill passing that will be much less than to our best interest.
He was referring to the Senate Finance Committee bill. Perhaps I didn't make that clear.
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Illinois is in dire financial straits, like many other states. This area of the state has been decimated by the closing of high sulfur content coal mines and the bankrupting of family farms. The median age in this county is 65, and people with private insurance are the exception rather than the rule. It might surprise you to learn that the majority of Americans in the South, Midwest and Southwest find themselves in the same boat...there are many large cities in the U.S., but the majority of us live elsewhere. There was no need to insinuate that Illinois doesn't care about its citizens.
People who live in areas like this would benefit greatly if American corporations would keep their jobs here, where the jobs are so badly needed, rather than operating from other countries. It's a pity that greed alone drives such companies into such practices that are a detriment to their fellow Americans.
I have posted before about a local teacher who is in the final stage of ALS. His wish is to die at home, but their insurance will not pay for that. Instead, his wife and daughter went to an area junior college to learn how to care for him; they have had to liquidate most of their assets. Although his wife will return to work, she is 63 years-old and will never be able to recoup even a fraction of what has been lost. That such a thing could happen in this country is stunning. That people aren't outraged by such practices is stunning. That people could attempt to defend insurance companies in the face of such tragedies is stunning.
NY has a mandatory hospice benefit that would pay for the treatment given at home or in an institution. I'm surprised Illinois doesn't require it. It doesn't add much cost to the price of the premium, but is a wonderful, cost effective way of providing dignity to the closure of someone's life. Home hospice is usually much cheaper than institutional hospice.
Have they checked with the teacher's union benefits department? I've encountered instances where patients were told something was not covered, but when presented with a phone call from the benefits manger of a union that had a rather large contract with the insurance company, exceptions suddenly were made.
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