The answer to your question is "yes" I had insurance that I paid for, for 30 years before I needed it. However, the beauty is, that even if I hadn't had the insurance, I would have been treated the same way because I was in critical condition when diagnosed and no one had time to see if I had insurance. White count of 360,000, enlarged spleen, skin color grey because there wasn't any room for the red blood cells to carry the oxygen to my body.
Did you know that an E.R. physician isn't supposed to know you insurance status when he or she treats you, to insure that you receive the same level of healthcare as the insured? Now the hospital may know, but the physician is supposed to be kept in the dark intentionally. Do you think that when a person is brought in from a car accident that the hospital determines your insurance status prior to taking them up to the O.R. for emergency surgery? Then there are such volunteer organizations as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and other organizations that can assist those without the means to meet the costs. Look at St.Judes in Memphis that treat 1000's of children with all types cancer completely free every year, and there are other facilities around the country that do the same. This is one the most state of the art facilities in the world. There is also Medicaid, that also covers the very poor. Then the drug companies themselves donate millions of $ for those without the means. No, this doesn't cover everyone, but I haven't heard of anyone in the U.S. that has died due to a lack of medication for our cancer. I'm not saying it hasn't happened, but you would think there would be lots of people to point it out as an example of our ruthlessness. On Feb 7, 2011, at 9:25 AM, Victoria Reiter wrote: > Daniel Brown: It is wonderful that you were diagnosed at 11 a.m. and in the > hospital by 12:30 and began treatment shortly thereafter. Did you pay for > this out of pocket or did you have health insurance to pick up a good part of > the tab? VReiter > > On Sun, Feb 6, 2011 at 5:24 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > Today's Topic Summary > Group: http://groups.google.com/group/cmlhope/topics > > Kareem Abdul Jabbar...100% cancer free? [2 Updates] > Digest for [email protected] - 4 Messages in 2 Topics [2 Updates] > Topic: Kareem Abdul Jabbar...100% cancer free? > sweetbluemusic2002 <[email protected]> Feb 05 02:37PM -0800 ^ > > Here's one of the articles on it. > > http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2011/02/kareem-abdul-jabbar-tweets-that-hes-100-cancer-free.html > > I'm a little concerned after reading this. I explain to my family and > friends all the time that while being on the daily medication is > keeping the CML at bay, it's not a cure. I think his announcement is a > dangerous one if anyone with CML reads it and thinks they can simply > go off their meds because their numbers are good. > > From my understanding you're right a BMT is the only known cure... and > while some have gone off their meds and their numbers have stayed > low... that is not the typical result. I wish someone would write more > information about it! Did he do a trial? > > [email protected] Feb 06 01:25AM ^ > > Anyone that thinks they are "100% Cancer Free" and say the following are > saying two different things: > He told The Times' Broderick Turner at the time that the long-term prognosis > regarding his health was good and that he could manage his condition by > taking oral medication on a daily basis, consulting his specialist every > other month and frequently getting his blood analyzed. > > This is what all us CLMers do and we are not "Cancer Free" we are in > remission until we stop taking the meds. It's amazing how quickly the numbers > go up when you stop the medication. > Lenda > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "sweetbluemusic2002" <[email protected]> > To: "CMLHope" <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, February 5, 2011 4:37:18 PM > Subject: [CMLHope] Re: Kareem Abdul Jabbar...100% cancer free? > > Here's one of the articles on it. > > http://lakersblog.latimes.com/lakersblog/2011/02/kareem-abdul-jabbar-tweets-that-hes-100-cancer-free.html > > > I'm a little concerned after reading this. I explain to my family and > friends all the time that while being on the daily medication is > keeping the CML at bay, it's not a cure. I think his announcement is a > dangerous one if anyone with CML reads it and thinks they can simply > go off their meds because their numbers are good. > > From my understanding you're right a BMT is the only known cure... and > while some have gone off their meds and their numbers have stayed > low... that is not the typical result. I wish someone would write more > information about it! Did he do a trial? > > -- > [CMLHope] > A support group of http://cmlhope.com > ------------------------------------------------- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "CMLHope" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/CMLHope > > Topic: Digest for [email protected] - 4 Messages in 2 Topics > Minsu KYEONG <[email protected]> Feb 04 08:21PM -0800 ^ > > Daniel, > > Will you take some time looking at the health care reform act? > > I know why you have such abhorrance against government doing anything. > But think about whether private-is-all-efficient rule is another > propaganda. > > From the point of view of a foreigner who once lived in the U.S., the > country has one of the worst health insurance systems and I feel > relieved that the health care reform act made it at least a little > better. And I hope you will realize it soon and add a helping hand in > making it better. > > > Daniel Brown <[email protected]> Feb 05 05:04PM -0600 ^ > > Don't hold your breath. > > I have never wanted to be dependent on any government for my needs. > Governments through the history of man, have always turned tyrannical (name 1 > that didn't), and our founders knew that, and tried to create a system that > left the individual responsible to determine their own fate and "pursuit of > happiness", not the government. Doesn't it bother anyone that a union that > donated 70 million dollars to the present presidents campaign, gets special > dispensations from this administration, and that this government is going to > FORCE you to buy something you may not want or need? By the way is that a tax? > > I also know that each one of us is surviving because of the best healthcare > system in the world, bar none. Canada's socialist system has waiting lists > for tests and procedures of up to six months. If they need an CT, well, that > will be a 6 month wait. If the CT finds a brain tumor that will be another 6 > month wait. It is so bad right now that even the Canadian Supreme court has > ruled that being placed on a waiting list isn't access to healthcare. If you > doubt me copy and paste link > http://neamh.cns.uni.edu/MedInfo/canadian_healthcare.html. Let me ask you a > question, how long did you have to wait for healthcare when you were > diagnosed with CML? I for one was diagnosed at 11:00 am and was admitted to > the first local hospital by 12:00 noon and to the second hospital 250 miles > away by 11:00 PM that same day, and treatments started by midnight, lets see > that happen in England or Canada or anywhere else. It is one of the few > things that this country maintains it superiority over every other country in > the world, yet we want to fix it? > > Does it not bother you that the healthcare bill is probably unconstitutional? > Our constitution was meant to limit what government can do to us and/or for > us. Don't bother saying that we are already forced to by auto insurance so > whats the difference? The difference is that mandatory car insurance is > required by the states not the federal government. Look, our constitution was > created to protect us from government. Now your going to trash it? When I was > in the military in1967, I swore to protect and defend the constitution of the > United States of America, and I don't believe there was a statute of > limitations on that oath. The same thing goes for our elected officials when > they took office. > > We are presently bankrupt as a country, yet we are creating the biggest > entitlement program we have ever tried. Right now, the gross national product > ( the total of everything produced in this country in goods and services) is > $14,500,000,000,000. Do you know how much our country is in debt right now > $14,100,000,000,000. Take a look for yourself. > > http://www.usdebtclock.org/ > > Just to give you some idea of the size and scope of this program, try this on > for size. The largest salaried organization in the world is the Chinese Army. > No real surprise there is it? The second largest is the Indian railroad. Who > would have thought that India's railroad was that big? Are you ready for the > third largest employer in the world? The British healthcare system!!! Does > that give you any concept of what this healthcare bill takes over and just > how big it will be and much it will cost? > > Right now, the federal government subsidizes, (depending on the state) up to > 2/3 of the state Medicaid cost for the individual states. For example, if > state X contributes 1.5 Billion dollars to the State Medicaid program, the > Federal government will contribute an additional 3.0 Billion. You may say so > what? Well Medicaid will be doubled in size under the federal healthcare bill > and within 5 years, the states will be left to fund the full thing without > any federal matching funds (you may remember Nebraska was almost exempted). > So just how much will your state have to raise your taxes to pay for that new > state program. The pity to this little jewel, is that this wasn't added into > the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) cost forecasts, because the feds aren't > going to have to tax you for it, the state governments will, and almost all > of them are in a serious debt crisis already. > > The healthcare bill said it was going to reduce Medicare payments by 500 > million dollars. Now just how do you think they are going to do that. In > short they aren't and if you do believe that, I have a bridge in San > Francisco I'll sell you real cheap. Even if they did cut expenditures in > Medicare, it will be by reducing benefits. However, that won't happen, > because everyone will riot over that. > > Look, why can't we build this system step by step over time to make sure > we're not going to go into further bankruptcy. There is also another thing > called the rule of unintended consequences. What unintended consequences will > this massive bill create? No one knows since by definition it's unintended > consequences. > On Feb 4, 2011, at 10:21 PM, Minsu KYEONG wrote: > > > > -- > [CMLHope] > A support group of http://cmlhope.com > ------------------------------------------------- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "CMLHope" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/CMLHope > > > -- > [CMLHope] > A support group of http://cmlhope.com > ------------------------------------------------- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "CMLHope" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/CMLHope -- [CMLHope] A support group of http://cmlhope.com ------------------------------------------------- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "CMLHope" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/CMLHope
