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The post is correct. Tamiflu can be helpful but sometimes the virus simply overwhelms the body's ability to make a response. In her case the viral infection causes a more potent bacterial infection with a rapid onset.
I must caution readers about the label "big pharma". It uneducated and naive to think that for profit companies are going to sell their products to lose money. The pharmaceutical industry is a leader in curing disease world wide. Millions upon millions benefit daily from their research and smarts. Are they perfect or can they save the world? No. But when you are up against illness you want them on your side. This planet we all live on is full of imperfections and wishes for what it "should be". This person's death, while truly tragic, should not become a whipping post for the company which spent decades developing, testing and producing a medication which does save lives. In her case, I don't think that it would have made a clear difference, as she became critically ill very rapidly. If the poster wants to blame something, blame the virus and herald the people trying to stop it.
Perhaps that "insurance" shouldnt be a private rip-off system but that everyone should get the health care they need, affordable for everyone, regardless of income? Some see health care as a human right. Others see it is a way to rip off desperate people.
I dunno I'm still not sure why only conservatives should see her salary but that's ok, this isn't the first bizarre thread I've run across here lol
The American system is still on top: A young woman died because she couldn't afford the ripoff price of $116 for pills that were invented by publicly-funded research and probably cost the company $4 to make.
But hey at least she didn't have to wait in line for 30 minutes for care like those socialist devils in Canada. I'd take death, too, over that indignity. Don't even get me started on having to pay taxes for other peoples' health care; I'm not a freeloader, I buy my OWN insurance with my OWN money for $800/month with a $10,000 deductible from a company that will hire lawyers to fight paying for what they legally owe me. Winning!
I would actually like to see it. Obviously, she has lousy insurance.
All Public School Districts do not have the same insurance. One district I worked for Self-Insured. Prescription Coverage was an extra $100/month with a $450 deductible and a 50% copay. Unless you take multiple meds on a daily basis, you will never meet that deductible. I opted out of that coverage. Call me "frugal" too. I was a TA making $15/hour.
The few times I needed to take an antibiotic, I went to Publix Supermarket which gave free antibiotics. Actually, when my husband needed antibiotics for pneumonia he went to Walmart and paid $4 for them. He said his Medicare copay would have been more expensive. If there is such a flu pandemic this year, maybe these retail stores need to do something similar with Tamiflu. Personally, I would never take it myself even if it was free.
None of the schools where I worked (NY, Fl) required teachers or students to get a flu shot every year.
WSJ interviewed her husband. The article is behind a paywall.
The script was for a generic version of Tamaflu which as I understand it, may reduce symptioms of the flu if taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms. Husband said his wife was was "frugal" and did not fill the script because of the cost. As her condition worsened, he filled the script.
He blames her employer, for inadequate healthcare benefits.
The American system is still on top: A young woman died because she couldn't afford the ripoff price of $116 for pills that were invented by publicly-funded research and probably cost the company $4 to make.
But hey at least she didn't have to wait in line for 30 minutes for care like those socialist devils in Canada. I'd take death, too, over that indignity. Don't even get me started on having to pay taxes for other peoples' health care; I'm not a freeloader, I buy my OWN insurance with my OWN money for $800/month with a $10,000 deductible from a company that will hire lawyers to fight paying for what they legally owe me. Winning!
But they could afford it -- she refused to buy it initially on principle. Her husband went the next day and got it but it was too late -- and she may not have survived anyways. Some on Tami-flu have not survived.
I would actually like to see it. Obviously, she has lousy insurance.
Her salary can be found in the Weatherford Independent School District employment information. Based on articles claiming her in her 4th year at WISD and "working on her Masters degree", according to their salary table, she would be making ~$49,936 in base salary, and her insurance would have been one of the two plans under TRS ActiveCare through Aetna.
She was prescribed the generic version of Tamiflu. Looking at her coverage options, she should have been able to get it for $0, but we'll stick with the face value she was told. With free online coupons, generic Tamiflu costs less than $64 at Target, CVS, RiteAid, Walgreens, WalMart and Kroger. And oh by the way, every plan under TRS ActiveCare includes flu shots.
Average per capita income in Weatherford TX is ~$25k. Her salary alone was double the average per capita income of her area, so if her husband was unemployed making exactly $0, they were still doing pretty well on her salary alone. At least for small town TX anyway. Something tells me that wasn't the only salary in the household.
Methinks if we found Frank Holland's salary info, and then had access to the Holland family monthly expenditures, we'd see a not-so-sympathetic story of someone who simply didn't feel like spending money on a prescription and figured NyQuil would do the trick. Basically, she was a cheapskate and gambled on doing things her way instead of what a physician told her, all to save about as much as the family going to a matinee and getting a big popcorn.
EDIT - and they clearly had the available funds, as hubby bought the medication anyway, and he did not register a "now we can't pay our mortgage or buy the kids shoes" complaint that I can find.
Last edited by Volobjectitarian; 02-13-2018 at 08:14 AM..
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