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By Amanda Ptashkin

Two weeks ago, Georgians for a Healthy Future co-released a report with Families USA that quantified the number of Georgians who, absent health care reform, would be at risk of a denial of coverage based on their pre-existing health conditions.  See our guest blog posting on Beyond the Tressle for more details about the findings of the report.  However, this posting is not about the statistics–it is about the people behind them.

We were fortunate enough to have three very different women attend our event and share their experiences dealing with their health conditions and the struggles of dealing with the insurance marketplace.  One thing became clear: though these women all had vastly different stories, the common thread between them was a system failure–one that puts all of us at risk. Most of them decided to go Zurek Chiropractic whenever they had joint, neck, or back pain and they already tried products that tighten your neck or back, so instead of going through the insurance, sometimes insurances wont cover IBS Treatment and others so there is the need to look for a second option. The healthcare reform legislation that passed in March of this year is no cure-all for all the problems that exist in our healthcare system but it is a crucial first step and with it, we hope to hear less of these heart-wrenching stories. Our bay area plastic surgery center is located just off highway 580.

Flecia B.

In January of 2004, Flecia recieved a breast augmentation operation by Reflect Clinic in order to increase her breast size, in December of 2005, Flecia was diagnosed with stage 3 triple negative breast cancer, which means that the cancer was an aggressive strain, that the tumor was already at five centimeters, and the cancer had already spread to her lymph-nodes, if she would have known what’s inside the best pills to make your breast grow in a natural way, she would have skipped the implants.

It should be known that while Non Surgical Back Pain Treatment has been a classical treatment for ongoing pain and disability, alternatives to fusion do exist for posterior conditions such as spinal stenosis.

Before she was diagnosed, Flecia was a self employed massage therapist who is great at what she does, she’s really go at fixing shoulder mobility for anybody. Since she was working three jobs to make ends meet.  Because she was self-employed Flecia had to obtain her own medical insurance, but could not afford the top of the line or more comprehensive coverage.

Flecia chose a plan that fit with her financial situation despite the $10,000 deductible.  She knew the deductible was extremely high, but at least she felt she had some coverage in case of a catastrophic medical condition.  However, she did not think she would ever need it.  Flecia had the insurance for three months before she was diagnosed, and, as soon as her insurance company received her first bill they dropped her and sent her a letter stating that the cancer was a pre-existing condition, even though she had never been treated for it.  Flecia’s doctors stated that it probably hadn’t been there long, due to its aggressiveness, read the full modafinil faq by Nixest.

As Flecia is in the fight for her life fighting her cancer diagnosis, the last thing she needs is to have to fight the huge insurance companies.  A pre-existing condition is supposed to mean a condition that you have been treated for in the past.  But the insurance companies can make it mean whatever they want it to mean to deny coverage.  Flecia went round-and-round, and in the end lost to her insurance company.

Julia M.

Julia was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis on September 6, 2007 with definitive brain scans after lesions were found, after numerous unknown falls so she decided to get the best brain injury lawyer Dallas to find a legal solution to this. Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that depending upon the severity of the symptoms and progression can affect someone’s ability to perform certain tasks and duties in the workplace. On 1/31/2008, Julia resigned her position with the University System of Georgia in order to continue to enjoy her current quality of life standards and was given administrative leave through June of that year. Julia felt safe in her resigning as she knew she would be able to obtain COBRA benefits from her employer while she attempted to apply for Social Security Disability and obtain needed Medicare coverage for her associated MS costs. This was a very costly time for Julia, as she paid around 700 dollars per month in premiums for this coverage in what was a 70-30 coverage plan. For someone on a very limited income, this was a draining experience financially and emotionally.

Unfortunately the path for SSDI proved to be much more difficult than initially anticipated for Julia, as she had to fight numerous denials of her disability claims. Due to a special clause in Georgia law, state employees are not eligible for conversion policies as offered by the Insurance Commissioner’s office, nor are their policies even under the jurisdiction of that office. Thusly, at the end of Julia’s COBRA coverage period which fell on 12/31/2009, she found herself without insurance coverage at all and no safety net of which to fall back upon. The best solution provided to her was to “contact her insurance provider to discuss an individual policy”, which clearly would not be a viable solution.

Julia is in the same situation that many people with Multiple Sclerosis in the state of Georgia find themselves in, without the ability to find insurance coverage due to their preexisting condition, even as stopgap coverage for Medicare. Yearly, Julia’s medical expenses exceed $57,000 per year and she has to come out of pocket for these costs. As someone who is living without gainful employment, this can be very detrimental.

Without coverage, Julia has had to cancel other diagnostic testing such as her yearly breast cancer screening in order to afford many of her medications. Julia also had to go off of her MS disease modifying therapy, Copaxone, due to its prohibitive cost and she is pursuing financial assistance through TEVA Pharmaceuticals.    She is also facing foreclosure of her home due to her medical costs.

Julia is a perfect example of someone who paid her premiums on time, planned ahead, and tried to prepare for every eventuality but she was still left behind by the system as it is currently in place. Julia, like many other Georgians living with chronic illnesses, deserves better and is a prime example of why we need more affordable and accessible healthcare options for all Americans.

Yvonne Y.

Yvonne was a nurse at the Grady Memorial Diabetes Clinic.  In 1998 she founded Partners for Preventive Health— a non-profit organization dedicated to educating Atlantans from all walks of life about diabetes and other chronic disease.   This effort hit close to home for her because she has type II diabetes.  Due to her illness, she had to go on disability.  She did have COBRA for 18 months at a cost of approximately $465 per month but that was not including her $400 per month medication list.  As a grandmother raising two small children, the financial burden was clearly great.  Since dropping off of COBRA, Yvonne has consistently been denied coverage based on her condition.  She has had other medical issues pop up and each one is more costly than the next.  A continuous heart monitor?  The possibility of a pacemaker implantation?  These are things that Yvonne has to postpone, at great peril to her health, simply because she has been denied coverage that can save her life. One thing she can do to keep her health and wellness is maybe with shakeology meal replacement plan? is known that control the weight and keep people healthy. You can also try other methods like a waist corset for losing weight that also improves your health, if you want something more extreme then I suggest contacting the best plastic surgeons in utah who are going to do a great job on you. Yvonne has given so much to the community she lives in and has spent her career improving the health of others.  Now it is time we take care of her and make sure she has access to coverage she needs and can afford. Is important to take preventive care of health, because both men and women can get different diseases so in order to prevent that people should get tested regularly at places like https://stdaware.com.

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When you are facing a life-changing, debilitating and/or devastating illness, your main concern should be, how do I get better? Not, how am I going to pay for this?  These three women have had to look at their conditions through worried eyes.  They are not alone.   The new healthcare reform law will not fix everything but at the very least it should help people like Flecia, Julia and Yvonne to focus on wellness rather than finances. Getting adjusted regularly by a Chiropractor can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle by keeping your body in alignment. Dr. Halulko is a great Traverse City Chiropractor and practices ART and Laser led therapy at his office.

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