Here is your government run health care
By laglen
@laglen (19759)
United States
January 13, 2010 3:49pm CST
Medicaid Drops Breast Cancer Patient
Connie Andrews Suffering From Stage 4 Breast Cancer
POSTED: Wednesday, January 13, 2010
UPDATED: 11:00 am CST January 13, 2010
HOUSTON -- A mother of three is battling breast cancer, but she has recently found out that she can no longer get help paying for treatment, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.
Connie Andrews & children
Connie Andrews & children
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# WATCH IT: Cancer Patient Loses Medicaid Coverage
FIND IT: Connie Andrews' Caring Bridge Web Site
Connie Andrews has stage 4 breast cancer that has spread to various parts of her body.
"It's a constant struggle," Andrews said. "Day in and day out you're still wondering if you're going to make it through it or if the fight is for nothing."
Instead of having doctors working to remove her tumors and administering chemotherapy, Andrews is at home, visibly drained and feeling helpless.
Medicaid had been paying for her treatments, but it recently stopped covering them.
I asked them, 'What reason do you show in your system as to why I was dropped?'" Andrews said. "She said, 'There's no reason here.' I don't know what's going to happen from here out. I'm so confused and scared because I don't know where to go from here."
KPRC Local 2 contacted Medicaid to get answers for Andrews, but got nothing.
Without treatment, Andrews' doctors told her she could die. Tumors have invaded her lymph nodes. Doctors said she needs at least nine chemotherapy sessions that cost $12,000 each.
Andrews said her biggest fear is that her children will grow up without a mother.
"They don't understand when you get on the phone with them that this is your life, because it's not theirs," Andrews said of Medicaid.
Andrews said she plans to appeal Medicaid's decision, but since she needs treatment now it could be too late.
Andrews' friends are trying to get donations to help her pay for treatment. An account has been set up:
Capital One
Connie Andrews
cc: Kay Roberts
713-435-7077
Copyright 2010 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.click2houston.com/news/22225021/detail.html
3 responses
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
15 Jan 10
Doesn't each individual state run their own Medicaid program with some financial help from the federal government? If that's the case then it's the state of Texas at fault. Regardless of who's to blame, that's horrible and shouldn't happen in a country like this to anyone! I wish I could donate something to her and when I do have a few extra bucks to spare I will. It won't be much but I suppose small sums can add up to pretty big ones if enough give, right? My heart goes out to her and her children. Also, maybe I'm missing something but WHY should chemotherapy cost $12,000 per session? That's outrageous but I know it's true! Nobody other than a millionaire could afford to pay out of pocket at that price.
Annie
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
13 Jan 10
If there is GOING to be government run health care, then it needs to actually be health care which provides accessible CARE to consumers. If it doesn't, then there is no point of having it at all, or calling it 'government run health care'. I've seen the blurbs where Obama is sitting there saying 'everybody will get care' but that's a lie. It's not true anyway even of traditional insurance based health care. You still cannot always get what you want, and if you do, then you end up having to pay out of pocket.
I suppose my question is - can she get something other than Medicaid? Even if something else won't cover the entire cost, at least it could make it feasible for her to receive her treatment NOW and deal with the cost later? Also, I KNOW Medicaid is paying for other things and has been. They have no right to pick and choose who they feel like denying one day. If they have paid for something in the past and pay for something for another person, then they need to pay for the same thing for ALL or explain themselves.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
13 Jan 10
My advice to the tv and news stations - keep contacting Medicaid. FORCE them to have a say. The more they try to NOT SAY ANYTHING the more the public will see them for what they are - greedy and selfish with no regard for the lives of people who depend on them for health services.
1 person likes this
@laglen (19759)
• United States
14 Jan 10
mommyboo - I agree and those are good points. I agree there needs to be accountability. I cant think of any other kind of program that she could utilize and I am willing to bet that she can not get the treatment now and worry about cost later. This is a fatal condition, how would they be able to collect?
@ramos7881 (344)
• United States
14 Jan 10
I have to agree with you. That is precisely what will make them accountable and really start to see what it is we as a country need.
1 person likes this
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
13 Jan 10
Perhaps some "panel" decided it would be more cost effective to cut her off. Besides, maybe it will cost the government less to keep shooing her away as opposed to actually footing the cost of the bills.
Her best move though would be to contact her senator and congressman, and if that fails, she should try to get in touch with the media. Frankly, I think Hannity, Beck, or Huckabee would be more than happy to have her on their shows to demonstrate exactly how badly government run health care is.
1 person likes this
@laglen (19759)
• United States
14 Jan 10
she has contacted the media - hence the article. I think there are quite a few cases like this, I only cited one. My purpose for this was to show how much the government run programs are helping. In their drive for reform they are citing pre-existing conditions. I found this quite fitting.