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

[Guest guest]

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