Re: From one of you..Poor treatment by physicians, lack of health insurance, no prescriptions..Please read

[Guest guest]

Joanne,

Very well said Joanne. The plight of the uninsured/underinsured is

terrible. Every other industrialized nation recognizes health insurance

coverage as a right of citizenship.

Until this country figures that out, it¹s only going to get worse. I wonder

how these politicians can sleep at night knowing that 45 million Americans

have no health care. 10 million of those people are children. Because the

uninsured represent a lower income group of people that have no leverage in

politics, our voices are not heard. In groups our voices CAN be heard.

I applaud you for your efforts and hope that others will voice their

opinion.

a

On 5/29/02 5:28 PM, " boop " <boop@...> wrote:

> Hi All,

>

> You may not hear much from me but I read every email and keep you all in my

> prayers.

>

> After reading so many sad posts from our group due to the way we are treated

> because we have one (or many) of these rotten diseases, I can only tell you

> all that unless we, (those who suffer) try to make things better these

> " walls " will continue to remain...and we will continue to live as we are.

> Believe me I speak from experience.

>

> After working all of my life, ironically billing medical insurance, and

> raising 3 children alone, I was put out of work due to the disability of

> rheumatoid arthritis. Prior to that, I had an excellent income, excellent

> health benefits(I worked for a hospital) and great prescription coverage. In

> the last 8yrs due to RA, I have lost my job, therefore my income, my health

> benefits and RX coverage, and many times my pride.. I live just barely above

> the poverty level and feel that I must beg every medical provider,

> pharmaceutical company, and hospital to please have some consideration with

> regard to my needs and my balance. I have written to the State Insurance

> Commission, Senator McCain of AZ, as well as AARP and anyone who will

> listen, to state what a disgrace it is that those disabled under age 65

> cannot get supplemental health insurance. In fact it is extremely difficult

> for anyone who is sick to get health insurance. So I personally feel the

> humiliation, discrimination and indifference that many of you also feel.

>

> I write this to you not to complain but hopefully unite. I see where

> physicians treat those in our group poorly and this is an outrage. I

> consider myself well informed about this disease (after 18 yrs I should

> be!)but because of this I have experienced arrogance on the part of a few

> physicians. Last year, after many months seeing a rheumatologist in

> Phoenix, I told her during a visit that I could not afford Enbrel (she

> recommended)and I would need to contact Wyeth to hopefully receive the

> medication through their patient assistance program. This " doctor " said to

> me, " Why should you get Enbrel before someone who can pay for it " ? I was

> appalled and vowed that she would never say such a thing to another patient.

> I left in tears only to drive home 100 miles away. I later contacted the

> American Medical Board and registered a serious complaint against this

> doctor, and no I never returned. This is hardly the first Rheumatologist I

> have run into who had little or no compassion for those who could not afford

> medications.

>

> Now my fight is to get health insurance to cover what Medicare does

> not...The fight with the disease is bad enough but it seems many times we

> need to fight for what others take for granted. How this saddens me.

>

> So I guess I am saying that we don't have to do without medical care,

> medications or insurance and meanwhile receive poor treatment because we are

> ill. There is so much we can do by contacting the arthritis foundation to be

> an advocate, contacting the senators in your state, AARP.... Why not try to

> make things better hopefully in our lifetime!! If you have the ability to

> write or a computer, we can I believe make a difference. I for one am tired

> of being treated badly because I am ill..

> Joanne

>

>

>