[ Post a Response | Dory's ]
Posted by Christine C on September 2, 2009, 9:17 pm, in reply to "Heath care poll"
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I have good medical coverage (HMO) which covered my mastectomy and chemo. They would not cover a wig ("not medically deemed necessary"), but I want to write about my good friend who had leukemia. She had the same HMO as I did. It cost her nearly $1,200/month (more than her Social Security). Anyway, at one point her doctor ordered oxygen for her at home because her lungs had filled with fluid and she could not breath. Her HMO refused to send the oxygen because her last chest x-ray did not warrant it. So, I had to physically almost carry her into the clinic for her to have another chest x-ray. This was on a Saturday. She walked 2 steps and then had to stop. I cried watching her struggle. Her doc said they couldn't get the oxygen until Monday. On Sunday she ended up calling 911 because she could not breath, could not get out of bed to let the paramedics into her house (she was a widow with no children). The paramedics climbed into her bathroom window in order to get to her. She was admitted to the hospital and they drained the fluid from her lungs. Unfortunately, she was never able to come home from the hospital. She died 11 days later. I'm not saying that having oxygen would have prevented her from dying. She knew she was terminal. But she suffered terribly because she did not have enough oxygen from Friday (the day the doc ordered the oxygen) until Sunday when she was admitted to the hospital.
Why should insurance companies be the entity to approve or deny what a doctor deems necessary?
I am ready to have the same insurance coverage that my Senators and representatives have. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for all of us.
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For those who might be late comers to this board, Dory was a poster who we will remember as one who gave of herself so others survivors might smile. She always kept this board moving with her inspirational poems, jokes and riddles. Most will give Dory credit for energizing this board. She was an inspiration to everyone on this board. In that spirit, let us
continue to post in Dory’s memory so she might smile down on us and give us the same inspiration. Therefore, we have named the board, Dory's Board, in her memory. 11/11/01 (Dory was the first to call attention to the significance of 9/11, re: WTC tragedy, i.e. 911 for emergency). Let me be the first to note all the ones in the above date, indicating she was No. 1 on our board.