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In the fall of 2009, I was in my senior year of college and applying for graduate schools. Planning to study abroad in Ecuador my final semester, I was optimistic about my future. And, then, suddenly, out of nowhere, I had a seizure. I was brought to the hospital, discharged, and that Saturday I had an MRI and was diagnosed with a probable brain tumor in my left frontal lobe - a very large brain tumor. Ten days later it was partially removed, and about a week after that my final diagnosis was in: a low-grade oligodendroglioma, a malignancy of the central nervous system. Patients with oligodendrogliomas have a long survival, on average, relative to other brain tumors (averaging about 8 to 15 years), but are faced with the possibility (actually near-certainty) of recurrence, further surgery, etc. and always need periodic follow-up MRIs and in the majority of cases, anti-epileptic drugs to control seizures.
Through rehabilitation and simple neuroplasticity, I regained most of my pre-operative functional status and was able to graduate on time. If you met me, you'd never have thought that I had a large mass taken out of my head, or went through chemotherapy.
Except for my lack of hope. Almost all of my previous treatment was either covered by my subsidized state health insurance (MinnesotaCare), which I had prior to the time of my diagnosis, or in the case of my operation, through the hospital's charity care program. And if I get a job that pays over a humble +/- $25,000 a year or has health insurance, it's bye-bye to my MinnesotaCare. In that case, I will be without any brain tumor-related care coverage (MRIs, anti-epileptic drugs, etc.) for up to 12 months. I estimate 12 months of basic care for me would cost around $10,000 - not to mention my health insurance premium, which would not go towards any brain tumor-related care. The very diagnosis of the tumor has disqualified me from working abroad (at least in the Foreign Service Office), which my degree (Languages and International Studies) has prepared me to do, and many brain tumor patients, including those who have insurance, have been buried under co-insurance and co-pay bills. This diagnosis has delayed my debut as a productive citizen, and sometimes I wonder if it would be more economical to simply sit home on the internet all day or claim SSI.
So, how would your ideal health care system - out of so many proposals - address patients like me? Certainly the current system is sub-optimal.
In the fall of 2009, I was in my senior year of college and applying for graduate schools. Planning to study abroad in Ecuador my final semester, I was optimistic about my future. And, then, suddenly, out of nowhere, I had a seizure. I was brought to the hospital, discharged, and that Saturday I had an MRI and was diagnosed with a probable brain tumor in my left frontal lobe - a very large brain tumor. Ten days later it was partially removed, and about a week after that my final diagnosis was in: a low-grade oligodendroglioma, a malignancy of the central nervous system. Patients with oligodendrogliomas have a long survival, on average, relative to other brain tumors (averaging about 8 to 15 years), but are faced with the possibility (actually near-certainty) of recurrence, further surgery, etc. and always need periodic follow-up MRIs and in the majority of cases, anti-epileptic drugs to control seizures.
Through rehabilitation and simple neuroplasticity, I regained most of my pre-operative functional status and was able to graduate on time. If you met me, you'd never have thought that I had a large mass taken out of my head, or went through chemotherapy.
Except for my lack of hope. Almost all of my previous treatment was either covered by my subsidized state health insurance (MinnesotaCare), which I had prior to the time of my diagnosis, or in the case of my operation, through the hospital's charity care program. And if I get a job that pays over a humble +/- $25,000 a year or has health insurance, it's bye-bye to my MinnesotaCare. In that case, I will be without any brain tumor-related care coverage (MRIs, anti-epileptic drugs, etc.) for up to 12 months. I estimate 12 months of basic care for me would cost around $10,000 - not to mention my health insurance premium, which would not go towards any brain tumor-related care. The very diagnosis of the tumor has disqualified me from working abroad (at least in the Foreign Service Office), which my degree (Languages and International Studies) has prepared me to do, and many brain tumor patients, including those who have insurance, have been buried under co-insurance and co-pay bills. This diagnosis has delayed my debut as a productive citizen, and sometimes I wonder if it would be more economical to simply sit home on the internet all day or claim SSI.
So, how would your ideal health care system - out of so many proposals - address patients like me? Certainly the current system is sub-optimal.
I have a similar story. The best solution I have seen is to have basic insurance for traditional care and a policy for status change. This would kick in if we have a major medical issue that makes us uninsurable or would cause our premiums to skyrocket. It would keep our premiums the same and pay the excess premium.
UHC.. national healthcare system that everyone pays into no matter how much they make..
how it stands now.. with private insurance...everyone pays into it as well.. some pay more than others and get more services than others.. IT"S THE SAME..
private healthcare is JUST AS "socialist" as UHC.. the only difference is.. if it's UHC it's NOT FOR PROFIT.. some company isn't profiting off of your illnesses...
essentially everyone could be on a system like medicare.. everyone pays into it according to their income level.. and everyone gets benefit from it
A relatively simple series of adjustments to the health care system would have solved your problem. "Any person with prior continuous major medical coverage cannot be denied coverage on an individual or group basis, or be subject to pre-existing conditions limitations on any new coverage."
As for posters citing Medicare-type coverage for all as being a cure, let's review some history. The impetus for Medicare was that our senior citizens were paying 12% of their incomes for health care. Fast-forward forty years, after a corrupting deluge of federal cash into the health care system, and seniors are spending 17% of their incomes on health care. The government is 50% of the health insurance market now, and its influences have ballooned costs, enriched and corrupted providers, and basically created an unsustainable monster.
A relatively simple series of adjustments to the health care system would have solved your problem. "Any person with prior continuous major medical coverage cannot be denied coverage on an individual or group basis, or be subject to pre-existing conditions limitations on any new coverage."
As for posters citing Medicare-type coverage for all as being a cure, let's review some history. The impetus for Medicare was that our senior citizens were paying 12% of their incomes for health care. Fast-forward forty years, after a corrupting deluge of federal cash into the health care system, and seniors are spending 17% of their incomes on health care. The government is 50% of the health insurance market now, and its influences have ballooned costs, enriched and corrupted providers, and basically created an unsustainable monster.
don't throw the baby out with the bathwater though...
much of the corruption can be traced down to individual providers billing medicare for services NOT performed...
the system has it's flaws, but nothing that can't be fixed..
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