This week my friend stopped taking her anti-seizure medication.

[femmedem]

Her health insurance just rose to $1000/month, and she can't afford it. So she weaned herself off her medication in advance of going without insurance.

I wish people who call people with debt irresponsible understood the horrible choices people have to make to live within their means. :cry:

[babylonsister]

1. $1,000 / month? That doesn't even sound logical. Anyone else

have such high monthly payments?

But I hear you, femmedem. The 'choices' must suck for so many.

[Jackpine Radical]

3. My wife & I pay $1500/mo.

The whole business is an outrage.

[babylonsister]

4. Holy moly. We could never afford that. I'd be w/o insurance. nt

[Jackpine Radical]

26. It absorbs my entire retirement check

after 23 years in State service

[babylonsister]

33. That 'really' sucks. Isn't a retirement check supposed to take

care of your retirement, and not healthcare? I'm appalled.

My DH retired from the military; we pay $460/YEAR for both of us. I'm not rubbing it in, I'm just stating what is possible with the government, depending where you're coming from. Something's gotta give here. :(

[tburnsten]

49. As soon as I get my wife on my plan

It will increase my health insurance from $81 a month, not bad right, to $251 a month. That may not sound like much compared to $1000 a month larceny, but I don't make that much money and $3000 a year is going to be difficult. That is about ten percent of my before tax income, probably 15% or higher after-tax.

Both taxes, government budget, and healthcare needs to be gotten under control immediately.

[pnutbutr]

82. A friend of mine

His parents pay over $2k a month for theirs. Being a cancer survivor will cost you. Neither of them can work anymore so he pays their mortgage and bills while they take care of the medical with their retirement and SS payments.

[The Straight Story]

5. Mine used to be high like that

And where I worked the more you made the more you paid for insurance to cover people making less then you (so they could have cheaper insurance).

[LiberalAndProud]

6. Pre-existing condition. Yes.

My husband is considered uninsurable because he has glaucoma. The only way we could buy individual insurance for him is through the state CHP program. Once over 50, insurance rates begin to skyrocket -- $1,200.00 / month last I checked.

[Nite Owl]

12. Unfortunately, I do

$1440 month for me and my son who will graduate from college in May and then he won't have insurance unless he finds a job that can help. He really needs it too due to an illness.

[City Lights]

14. We pay $850/month for a family of four, and it's crummy coverage.

We're drowning in unexpected medical bills this year, despite paying $850 every month for insurance.

[Oregone]

34. We pay $108. You should all be outraged.

Every one of you should be angry and ready to do something about it.

The problem is people are more inclined to pay than do something about it. The magic free market wins again.

[babylonsister]

45. People are 'inclined' to pay what they have to if they want coverage.

Chastizing someone for paying the prevailing sum doesn't help, but something does need to be done.

[Oregone]

59. At what point of paying a ridiculous amount qualifies someone to be chastized?

Although I cannot publicly call for it, there is a point where one must say, torch in hand, "its either my health care or your building. Take your pick."

[babylonsister]

62. That's helpful. nt

[Oregone]

64. I think so. Storm the Bastille. Maybe there is a doctor there.

:)

I like being helpful.

[jakem]

47. $108 for family? I dare say you might want to read the coverage very carefully.

[Oregone]

58. Why? Why must I fret socialistic health care?

Is there a bureaucrat hiding in the shadows between me and my family's health care? :)

I pay $108 happily (since I don't qualify for subsidies), which covers hospital/medical visits (but not prescription, which is cheap).

I dare say, I get everything I want from it, including coverage of pre-existing conditions (and I know its limitations).

Another $100 or so, I get complete dental/prescription, and all extended benefits paid for. You people are being scammed.

[jakem]

60. Where do you live?

[Oregone]

61. Not Here.

:)

BC. Actually taking daughter to doctor this morning....just went for myself and wife yesterday real quick.

[jakem]

69. well that is kind of a different deal then, isnt it?

hard to compare cost of coverage without a whole lot more info about the govt end on your side-


I am all for socializing medicine, actually. But I have found that you pretty ,much get what you pay for here-



In Massachusetts, where I live, we pay about $1500 a month for health coverage.

You can cross the border to Vermont, and pay a fraction of that, but your coverage suffers pretty significantly.


I would be more pissed about it, but in the past 5 years have received about $300,000 in acute medial care- so it is hard to bitch too much!

[Oregone]

83. "But I have found that you pretty, much get what you pay for here" - Bullshit

You pay plenty of taxes and get no medical care for them, so you get LESS than what you pay for. Where the hell is that money going to? :)

I understand what you are saying in general though.

And its nice that you were fortunate to receive that much care personally. And now, no detriment to you, but there are profits involved in those businesses. Its like I say to those who walk away from casinos with a $100 dollars: "How many people had to walk away losing $100 so that you can get a free lunch and the casino can bank a fortune?". The sad part about the fact that you did well, is that you must know *many* others definitely did not.

[jakem]

84. hmm. had not really put that 'did well' spin on multi-organ failure before....

:eyes:

[Oregone]

85. Oh, a "glass half empty" person here.

j/k. :)

You know what I meant. You won Health Care Casino, but were less fortunate to have to play it I guess.

[magellan]

94. "You get what you pay for"??

My husband and I run our own business. We were finally able to afford health insurance two years ago and took out a full coverage policy for $1300/quarter with a $2K deductible. We didn't use the policy once. Last year they hit us with a 30% increase. For a few months we tried to get along with a $1500/quarter payment but had to accept an unnerving $10k deductible to do that. The payments wreaked such havoc with our finances we finally had to drop the policy altogether. And we've been unable to find a cost-effective alternative.

How nice for you that you can AFFORD $1500/month for health insurance, but not everyone makes the kind of money you obviously do. I suppose it must be great being able to judge others from that ivory tower of yours.

[mainegreen]

16. 1000 a month is dirt cheap in Maine.

DIRT cheap.

[femmedem]

20. So frightening. And I don't think of Maine as high per capita income. n/t

[mainegreen]

28. Bwhahahah. No, we don't.

Things are bad up here.
I believe at this point most republicans in the state government are for some form of socialized medicine.

That bad.

[tburnsten]

51. Our state republicans aren't that conservative though

But yes, cost of living here is brutal.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

24. not me, I have NO health insurance

I got laid off in December 2007 and was offered COBRA to bridge the gap before I found my next job. As it turned out, the job search continues today. Without income, by the end of June I could no longer afford the onerous COBRA premium.

A month and a half after I dropped COBRA, I found an affordable policy through the same carrier (BCBS-IL) that had insured me, EXISTING condition and all, for the past 6 1/2 years. Guess what. My previous carrier denied me: preexisting condition.

I was hospitalized in 1991 when I couldn't get health insurance because of my preexisting condition. I've also been through 1 bankruptcy as a result.

[cabluedem]

74. This story of yous is common now. BC/BS will use anything to deny you. They are the worst.

Hope Obama can get the naional healthcare system started, right after we shackle and jail the Health Insurance executives.

[Dorian Gray]

31. Yes

My individual New York Plan is $1257 per month. (Aetna)

For a husband and wife, it is $2500 per month.

Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield is over $1400 a month for a single individual plan.

My Cigna, which is being cancelled in January as they are no longer covering NYC had just risen from 975 per month to 1200+ per month. I am cancelling it to go with Aetna.

[Suspicious]

56. Over $1,000 a month

to insure my family of four at my previous job. Absolutely unaffordable, and we have a modest income.

I have since changed jobs and have much better insurance (I actually switched jobs BECAUSE of the insurance) - which was entirely paid for by my employer up until this year; I will have to pay approximately $90 a month. Still - it's a far cry better than $1,000+.

[Contrary1]

63. My husband had to decline an early retirement offer...

Our insurance would have run $1,400. a month, less than his pension would have been. Our medical history sucks: cancer, back surgeries, polyps, diabetes, glaucoma, just to name a few.

I am pretty sure that our provider would opt to dump us, given the chance.

[Vinca]

66. We had to drop it at $1200 a month with a $5,000 deductible.

Now neither of us could buy it at any price because of pre-existing conditions. I learned that having Lyme Disease - which I had over the summer - disqualifies me. What a country.

[DeschutesRiver]

80. We were in that 1200 +range/month, 50 and 55, no major illnesses

few small things. Rarely see a doc.

We got down to $800 or so/month for the two of us by increasing the deductible to $5000 per person, per year. Will work fine, until the first major illness, which will likely make us uninsurable with any other program, and unable to lower that deduction. So if it were a continuing illness, that'd be an extra $5k/year, $10k if both of us are stricken with a long term illness, for every year we are ill.

[Luna_C_06]

86. It was $1,700 for me last year,

but my family couldn't afford it, so I told them not to even try.

[1monster]

90. Currently paying $704 per month for 50 percent coverage. Insured by my husband's work place and

they are paying three quarters of dh's costs.

Our private insurance dropped us when they left the state. A comparable private insurance to the one we had (80% coverage with $2500 deductible) would have cost us $1369 per month with a $3000 deductible.

Another private insurer refused to even consider covering my dh...

[kas125]

91. When my hubby was laid off from Lucent about six years ago, we got

the letter from COBRA telling us we could keep our health insurance for us and our two kids. They wanted $1,285 per month, which was impossible since he was unemployed. I'd hate to imagine what it would cost now.

[NNN0LHI]

2. Does your friend know about this program

http://www.freemedicinefoundation.com/

You can enroll into special free medicine programs right here.
Bookmark this page and help spread the word:


Thanks to USA federal government incentives, pharmaceutical companies may provide free prescription medicines if:

You have no insurance
You have reached a gap in private or public prescription insurance coverage (like many Medicare beneficiaries do with Part D)
You simply don't have enough money to pay for your medications
Generally, if you earn less in a year than the levels shown below, you may qualify for some or all of the prescription drugs you need:

$39,200 for single people
$52,800 for couples
$80,000 for a family of four.

Most people have no idea that instead of paying the high prices at their pharmacy, they could be picking up their medicine for free or low cost at the same pharmacy, just by applying and being approved for free medicine. Being eligible and approved is easier than most people think. (And Free Medicine Foundation is here to help you do just that.) Have your medication delivered to your home, local pharmacy or doctor’s office, for FREE from special programs designed for people in the USA with incomes as high as $80,000.00.

Please apply if you:
• Are Uninsured
• Under-Insured
• Participate in Medicare Part D
• Take medicine not covered by insurance
• Have high deductible co-pays

Don’t go without your medicine just because you can’t afford it. Apply online right here (the fastest way to get started) or call 1-573-996-3333 to request a free brochure and application mailed to you today.


A single application may provide for up to one year of medicine free of charge to eligible individuals and an individual may reapply as many times as needed.

[femmedem]

7. Thank you so much! It looks like she would qualify easily.

I'm going to forward this to her.

Edit to add: my husband and I also don't have health insurance. Like my friend, he has a pre-existing condition and stopped taking his medication several years ago because of finances. So this is a good link for us, too!

[SmokingJacket]

32. I hope she does because a seizure disorder can be deadly

especially if she continues to drive, in which case she would also be a danger to others...

thanks for being a good friend!

[TygrBright]

42. Yes, exactly...

Last year when I did grand jury duty one of the cases we reviewed was a woman who wouldn't take her Dilantin because she "didn't want to pollute her body with chemicals." She thought she could treat her seizures with herbal supplements.

She had a seizure while driving.

She plowed into a storefront medical clinic.

Two killed. Several injured.

It was wrenchingly tragic all around.

If the OP's friend can't get free/reduced price medicine, she needs to stop driving.

But I would think she'd definitely qualify for a free/reduced medication plan.

concernedly,
Bright

[LiberalAndProud]

9. Nice.

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. Thank you.

[prolesunited]

15. Also, many retailers are offering

prescription programs for many commonly prescribed drugs for those who may have insurance with higher co-pays or exceed those limits.

For example, Target offers many for $4 per month. My husband took the list to the doctor, who picked a new BP medicine off the list (which has proven effective). Even though we have insurance (for now), that's still less than we would pay on our co-pay.

[yy4me]

36. Please post this information in the Chronic Health Conditions

and Health Forums (2 separate groups). It is important to so many people and will quickly be lost in General Discussion. Thanks for the info, I know 2 people to whom I will relay this information.

[alphafemale]

95. Thank you for posting this. nt

[NNN0LHI]

8. Another thing is for your friend to ask the doctor to prescribe something cheaper

I have Epilepsy and have to take two different anti-seizure medications.

One of them is cheaper than my insurance co-pay. Like about 3 or 4 bucks.

And the other one is not much more.

Don

[femmedem]

13. Do you mind telling me the cheap one?

My husband is epileptic too. And he's been going without his medication for several years.

[NNN0LHI]

19. Phenobarbital

The other is Tegretol and its cheap too. But not as cheap as Phenobarbital.

I have been taking both of them 4 times a day for over 20 years.

One of them, I am not sure which one reduces the sodium in the body too much so I have to use salt with my meals whether I want to or not.

Don

[femmedem]

22. Thank you so much. We'll look into them both.

We do have a good general practitioner with whom we could discuss these.

[Sixty_cycle_humm]

25. I have a brother on Phenobarbital

he gets them in large bottles from our vet for his "dog".

It is so much cheaper because the drug companies don't have to pay liability insurance like they do with human consumption drugs but they come down the same production line.

My MIL raises exotic animals and I haven't filled an antibiotic prescription in years, long before they are almost giving them away for free now. She gets bottles of amoxicillan and eurethamiacin (sic) 2 liter size for next to nothing, and it's the same damn stuff we pay a fortune for.

[Jackpine Radical]

29. There are several generic seizure meds. Carbamazepine (Tegretol) comes to mind.

[w8liftinglady]

39. dupe

[codjh9]

10. How many people are going without medicines and even surgeries because of non-existent

or too-high health ins. in this country? I'm now on a very high deductible, which helps with premiums, but I'm not getting some things done - no, they're not life-threatening or antyhing - until I get better insurance, which could be a few years because I'm going back to school. But as we all know, in so many other first world countries, none of us would be going through this bullshit. Yes, I know, in some countries with national health you have to wait months to get non-emergency surgeries... but I'd take that over what we have... besides, I know people who do live, or have lived, in the UK, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, and they all say the healthcare is good there.

[RainDog]

17. I've been through the same thing

when I lost my insurance b/c of divorce/job changes. I couldn't afford the medication I needed.

but I'm sure happy to know that those motherfuckers on Wall Street who got paid BILLIONS in bonuses last year won't have to suffer because of their fraudulent investment scams. :sarcasm: (for anyone who doesn't get it)

Women are more likely to be impoverished than any other group - and it has nothing to do with their work ethic or their abilities. It has to do with the way society is structured.

[rubberducky]

18. So many people, even here, blame the victims.

I had to go off my dilantin(anti-seizure), due to loss of insurance. Very, very scary. Now I live with "black holes" in my life. I totally empathize with your friend.It`s been 3 years with no insurance, but I`m still hanging in there!

[femmedem]

21. Yes, that is partly why I posted this here.

Keep hanging in there! I hope for all our sakes we can change this system. :hug:

[radfringe]

23. my partner has been without insurance for a year

she lost her job last september when the law office shut down (one partner retired and the rest went their own way)

This past march she ended up in the emergency room for severe abdominal pain. I was out of the state at the time and she told me she was ok, just the flu, not to worry.

After 3 days of vomiting and pain, she said screw the hospital bill, will worry about that later - she called for an ambulance. Emergency room ran some test, determined it was either food poisoning or the flu. They gave her some meds in an IV, a prescription and sent her home.

Between the ambulance, paramedic, emergency room visit, treatment, tests, e.r. doctor - the bill was close to $7,000

she managed to get the ambulance and hospital to waive their bills - but the paramedic and ER doc won't, so we're sending them $10 a week each on the bill

[madmom]

27. My daughter, a college student, gets strep throat 1-2 times a year because according to the

dr.s at urgent care, she needs her tonsils out. No insurance can't afford it!As far as we can see, the only way to get any help is to drop out of school and have a kid or two.Great system huh?

[Ilsa]

50. I was sick like that until I got mine out at age 19.

I begged my doctor to remove them. He was doubtful about the whole thing, and told me it wouldn't necessarily keep me healthy. After the surgery, he said they practically fell apart when he was trying to remove them, they were so messed up. I was right. And I didn't get sick again for another 3-4 years. Barely even a cold.

BTW, getting them out isn't a picnic. I hope you can find a way to help her get what she needs on that.

[madmom]

68. Thanks, I never had a problem because when I was little they took them automatically

maybe we should go back to that.:shrug:

[robinlynne]

30. if it is dilantin, she may be saving her own life. My mom has been taking dilantin for

40 years, and now has massive brain damage, which seems to have been caused by the dilantin. She weened herself off of it, and is able to think clearer, and luckily, no seizures.
With exercises she is getting some of her cognition back.

not contradicting the point of your Op, just that nobody ever warned us that dilantin causes brain damage.....

[femmedem]

38. Your poor mother. And I don't know which medication my friend takes

but she does think it interferes with her cognition. She feels especially lousy this week--soaking sweats, as if she has the flu--but although she's scared, she's also wondering if her thinking will clear.

[shadowknows69]

35. My meds are 500-600 a month

No insurance. My Dr. is VERY generous with samples but if they weren't I probably wouldn't be able to afford the most important ones (blood pressure and anti-coagulant meds) and there's a good chance we wouldn't be having this conversation.

[femmedem]

41. Heroic MD's around the country are keeping their patients alive with samples. n/t

[shadowknows69]

46. But it's such a frustrating plateau to be on you just feel like giving up

It's just maintainence. My Dr. tells me what tests we need to progress my treatment and I can't get any of them. I'm trying for disability but may lose that because I can't afford to gather enough evidence to prove I'm messed up. Sorry to dump. Lapsed into self pity for a second there. A lot more people in greater need than I.

[femmedem]

53. I've been reading your posts for years so I know what you've been going through.

It is astounding to me--and infuriating--that you need money to qualify for disability. :banghead: Don't apologize for posting about it. We all need to be heard and understood. :hug:

Edited to say bang head, not head bang :headbang: !

[shadowknows69]

55. What's astounding is that I already qualified, by several criteria

My lawyer has proof. The Doctors they sent me to said so in their reports, but the Standard Operating Procedure at this point, it seems, is to deny most people out of hand and hope they don't appeal it. Many people win their first appeal and I have a lawyer who probably wouldn't have taken my case if we couldn't win because he doesn't get paid if we don't. The punchline is that now I'm on a waiting list for a hearing that is about two years long. I don't even anticipate there being much of a disability/SSI system left in place by the time I get my day in court.

[femmedem]

67. That's an incredible nightmare.

And worthy of its own OP. I knew it was bad, but I didn't know it was that bad.
I wonder if your local Congressman can help at all?

[shadowknows69]

71. Our rep here is a Republican

And though he takes care of the military base pretty well, people, not so much. I have a friend in Virginia going through worse than that. She can't even get a lawyer to take her case because she doesn't have a regular doctor and can't afford one. Closest one she could see on a self-pay basis is like an hour away and about 230 bucks a visit. She called me up sobbing about it the other day. Makes me want to hurt certain people.

[RedLetterRev]

37. My partner has seizure disorder

but is lucky enough to have a seizure-detector aide dog (our babylove, Dora the WonderDog). Between her alerts, he's been able to maintain on Gabapentin, upping the dose when she alerts.

It isn't totally scientific, but it works for us. But seizure-alert dogs are rarer than hen's teeth. You can't train the behavior. You can only train the human to recognize it if an animal offers it. Even then, that's not enough to have an animal classed as an aide dog with ADA protection to be able to go anywhere with you. (We've jumped a LOT of those hoops over the last 6 years. Feel free to PM.)

The irritation is, that's all he can get on disability and still be able to function at all.

I have hereditary migraine-with-aura, akin to seizure disorder. I'm on Topamax and Gabapentin, which also are fortunately generic. Would the combination work for you as well? It's not a fix, but it's cheap and keeps seizure activity at bay. You might have to live with tics and forgetful spots, but you might-maybe be able to avoid the grands. Here's hoping.

My partner is totally disabled, so most of his meds are covered by Medicare and Medicaid, but I still have to take up a good bit of slack out of pocket. Ouch. Thanks Shrub. That's not all he's got going on (he's Poz and has also had cancer -- a lot for a man under 50). When Congress "reformed" Medicare a few years back, most of his generic meds increased in price over 400%.

Tell me there wasn't a BA ripoff involved. "No government oversight and no government negotiation with the drug manufacturers" my fruit-flavored arse. We're all getting burned. And the pugs bitch that Social Security is going bust. No f'ing wonder, when their cronies are sucking it dry, with their aid and abetment!

I've got BC/BS, but that only covers so much, either and they're starting to get persnickety. I've already had to fight them this year over my Zegerid (reflux med -- the ONLY one that has worked) and I'm still battling them over that.

When will insurance companies figure out that they're not the dogdam doctors and not in the business of prescribing (sigh).

[femmedem]

43. What an amazing dog.

And that's so interesting that the chemical change is apparant to her.

I don't think my friend reads DU, but I'm going to send her to this thread. So much good information.

[RedLetterRev]

54. We're not sure if she picks up on

a pheromone, chemical, or a behavioral change. Whatever it is, she Knows Things. And she's always, always right. Dogs have no reason to lie, so we've come to trust her absolutely. When they're out together and she says it's time to come home, he obeys. Shoot, he listens to her better than he does me... but that's what normal spouses do LOL

Whatever it is, he hasn't had but one Grand in six years (knock wood), when he'd have a Grand every two or three months with loads of Petits in between. We've got it knocked down to mild Petits and worse Petits. That's more tolerable than the Grands.

We've looked for another dog with the potentials to replace her, because it takes years to train a dog up for the two or three years of useful service life they can give, but so far, no luck. Dora may be the once in a lifetime gift, but we're very, very grateful for even the once.

Here's the crew with Dora at the top.

[femmedem]

70. Beautiful crew!

I had to laugh when I read that your border collie is enjoying her youth. If she's like other border collie's I've known, she'll be enjoying that youth well past middle age. :)

[RedLetterRev]

81. Oh, I hope so!

She moved herself into the "buddy" spot when I lost my Sadie. I thought they were going to have to throw me in the hole with her when I had to let that one cross the Bridge. But the next day came along that scared little BC, who has since grown into an elegant, confident, and accomplished young lady. Her 3rd birthday was just Saturday. She isn't exactly alerting (or maybe she is -- you have to learn their languages), but she is taking up some alerting-type behaviors. We're watching her very closely. She's not aide-dog material, but she might be alert-dog material after all.

[goforit]

57. My son has migrane with aura with siezures. He's on Lamictal and does well

retaining high energy levels for his job and a better attitude.
He avoided a siezure for a whole year until 3 weeks ago right before his wedding.
His DR. increased his dosage.
Is this typical every time you have a seizure your dosage is increased?

The cost can be astronomical in time.

I wish there was a cure. As do all who suffer from this condition.

[Sixty_cycle_humm]

40. Try getting insurance

with a pre-existing condition like I have, Melanoma.

I am self employed, I had insurance through BC/BS for over 15 years, after I was diagnosed and had it removed my rates were going up every quarter, one time almost 30%. When it got to $2100 a month for the family I realized I was working to pay for insurance and nothing else, I had to drop it.

Like I told my wife, I regret buying a home now, if one of the kids or us gets really ill we will lose everything. You work your life to pay for your home and it just means they will take it from you no matter what you do.

No normal person can afford a couple of weeks in the hospital with all the procedures the specialists bill you for, $1500 for a radiologist to spend 3 minutes looking at your $5000 CAT scan results? No one I know can afford that shit.

[otohara]

44. She Should Try Alternative Approach

there's plenty available when you Google "alternative approach seizures" including many books A change in diet, supplements, herbs. It's worth a try - I've had better results treating things like IBS, severe acne, candida, than Western approach, which covers up the symptoms.

If it means giving up all sugar, salt, or what ever to "treat" the whole person for a disorder - it must be done. We can not count on insurance to keep us healthy.

[femmedem]

77. She's a yoga instructor and massage therapist and co-author of a vegan cookbook.

And she is hoping that all the changes she's made since she first went on her medication will help her through this.

Sad that giving up sugar is considered alternative, isn't it?

[Ilsa]

48. Has she looked into "Partnership For Prescription Assistance" ?

I don't know much about it, but maybe there is some way she can get her meds through another program.

Some of these meds just need to have nationalized coverage. It's not as if she is getting high off anti-epileptic meds.

[TalkingDog]

52. there are doctors who can get your friend into non-profit programs

My sister's dr.s were going to write her a letter of recommendation to a non-profit that helped people who could afford their 'scripts.

Tell her to check around and see if there are programs.

I wish her the best of luck.

[satya]

65. We, the people, should tell the House that any bailout needs to be an amendment to H.R. 676.

We get Medicare for all, they get their money.

H.R. 676 Medicare for All

[LanternWaste]

72. I wish that too.

"I wish people who call people with debt irresponsible understood the horrible choices..."

I wish that too. With so many financial holier-than-thou types running around DU these days, I'm forced to wonder who's worse-- the preacher who tells us how to live our lives, or the apartment-dwelling, raman-noodler uber-whiz kid on DU telling us how to live our lives...

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

73. Has she looked into the new Charter Oak Health Ins program that CT is

trying to get off the ground ?

http://www.charteroakhealthplan.com/coh/cwp/view.asp?a=3542&q=418274&cohNav=|

[femmedem]

76. I'll send the link to her--thanks! n/t

[Festivito]

92. There is also a high fat diet that stops seizures.

A well known movie maker, whose name escapes me, made a video about his own son. Found some 1920 era doctor's approach. Son had seizures every day. Under fat diet, seizures stopped, that day, did not return, meds were dropped. The doctors were mad, told him to keep changing the meds, despite success. So, he spent his own money to make a video for others. I last recall this from about 2001.

Our medical system is really good for some problems, but bad with other problems.

[momto3]

75. My mom is a cancer survivor.

It would cost my dad $2500/month to insure her. That is why he cannot retire until she qualifies for medicare.

[marions ghost]

78. Nothing but sympathy from me

Universal Health Care--it is the ONLY way. And people who have insurance--you need to work for this too.

Stop putting up with this, America.x(

[dembotoz]

79. john mc cain would call that cadilac coverage

that ass hole

[alstephenson]

87. This thread breaks my heart.

It is absolutely gut-wrenching. I have no words right now...

[Liberal_in_LA]

88. Can she apply the insurance payment she's no longer making towards dr. visits and medicine?

[Quantess]

89. That is not surprising to me, at all.

Terrible yes, surprising, not at all.

I have no insurance, which usually is not a big problem since I enjoy good health--usually. A few months ago, I got an acute, horrible, bacterial infection on my face, had to see my doctor stat, but I only had barely over $120 to my name. Luckily, I was able to get it taken care of before it turned into a life threatening situation (read: expensive hospitalization).

[Imagevision]

93. Does anyone actually think this administration cares if seniors die because of

falling into that dumb 'donut' hole and eventually cannot afford to purchase their meds and in some cases a percentage of people do die, it's a fact! Considering the billions saved by not sending out X amount of $$$ for social security/disability/medicare - it's a no-brainer. Our government runs the country sort of like a business and eliminating 'costs' are beneficial to them - and besides they would prefer to hire the younger blood. (but,that's my take)