Minsu Daniel, through his correspondence here, has been dying to pick a politically driven fight over healthcare with just about anyone willing to respond to his tongue and cheek one liners directed at Birkenstock wearing, CO2 measuring left wingers such as myself who supposedly stay up nights concocting ways to rob paranoid Americans of their freedoms.
I beleive our family's firsthand experiences uniquely qualify us to speak out against a system that is dire need of a makeover. Most who speak out against reform have little idea how dysfunctional our system can be. Most opponents to reform stick with the pure capitalism argument, an argument that is failing many people in this country today. Ironically for the pure capitalist the single most effective and influential drug of the 20th century, the Salk Polio Vaccine, was developed and administered by a man who had no interest in profit or fame, only in helping others. What a concept... - Russell P.S. I read "Atlas Shrugged" long ago at the behest of one of my good far right friends. Interesting reading although nothing more than Utopian fiction. My guess is Dan, like many conservatives who recommend this book, hopes you will "wake up" with some sort of "ah ha I get it now!" moment after reading it lol... On Feb 8, 5:32 am, Minsu KYEONG <[email protected]> wrote: > I initially thought Daniel was playing devil's advocate, but it is > apparent that it's not the case here. > > There are a number of first person testaments on this board, but you > say they are only exceptional cases. > We hear chronicles of denied patients, which you simply reject as > practices of only a few "bad insurance companies." (let me know which > insurance companies are good so that i can buy their insurance unless > they reject me for preexisting condition) > If government widens coverage, tax will go higher, says you. But your > insurance company doesn't seem to raise premium for covering your > gleevec. > Since when charitable organizations become the pillars of private > healthcare system? Couldn't you get help from private insurance > companies in times of emergency? > > On 2월8일, 오전8시08분, Daniel Brown <[email protected]> wrote: > > > OK. > > > Just know that this healthcare bill will not create the utopia you seek. > > And as far as the top of the food chain not paying taxes is a myth. 47% of > > our population pays no federal withholding taxes at all! The top 20% of > > income earners pay 85% of all federal witholding taxes. Those numbers come > > from NPR, hardly a conservative > > Bastian(http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125997180). > > Unlike some, I don't dislike the rich, hell I hoped to be one of them, > > didn't we all? Yet, we think they must have done something evil or wrong to > > get that money, when in fact they educated themselves and put themselves > > into the positions they are with thier own skills. Do we blame the > > beautiful for their beauty that we don't posses? Or the athletes that > > posses the athleticism that we lack? Yet, we blame the rich for their hard > > work and good fortune. So be it. I guess we need someone to blame for our > > misfortunes, for surely it couldn't be our own fault. why are some born > > more intelligent than others? That doesn't seem fair does it. Maybe with > > this new healthcare bill they can make us all equal in that regard to. > > On Feb 7, 2011, at 3:33 PM, [email protected] wrote: > > > > Thank you Russell. > > > > I live in houston and daily witness tragedy when insurance companies > > > 'just say no.' My own policy went from a 2000 deductible to a 5000 > > > deductible, and the usual and customary percentages change with the wind, > > > and never in my favor. > > > > Progress is painful, and I'd like some of the folks at the top of the > > > economic food chain to pay the same percentage of taxes I do, and deal > > > with the life and death decisions that lack of MONEY -- not disease-- > > > presents. Face it without health care reform, if you don't have the > > > money, there is a good chance care may be denied--dying or not. I'd like > > > to see some of the house republicans meet our friends in bankruptcy > > > because of insurance loopholes and trying to fight huge corporate legal > > > teams. > > > > Compassion can't be legislated, and this is more than a debate. It's > > > life and death. > > > Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Russell <[email protected]> > > > Sender: [email protected] > > > Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2011 12:50:11 > > > To: CMLHope<[email protected]> > > > Reply-To: [email protected] > > > Subject: [CMLHope] Re: Digest for [email protected] - 4 Messages > > > in 2 Topics > > > > I seldom contribute here anymore but still receive posts from the > > > group in a lurking capacity. Please forgive my lack of recent > > > contribution but once in a great while I find a post like Daniel > > > Brown's that I simply cannot ignore without comment. > > > > After my CML diagnosis is 2001 I started a successful stint on Gleevec > > > until 2004 when my PCR's began showing signs of a gradual resistance > > > to the drug and my numbers started creeping up again. At that time > > > only clinical trials existed for the newer meds so that year we > > > decided to take a chance with a transplant before my condition > > > weakened to the point where a transplant would be far riskier. The > > > result was my full blown matched unrelated donor transplant at the > > > Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle Jan 2005. I'm 6 > > > years post transplant now and still CML free, doing well. > > > > It is there at "The Hutch" that we witnessed some of the horrors > > > people in the last days of their lives endured while insurance > > > companies played "that's not my problem" with the fully insured. We > > > witnessed dying and crying patients and family members begging and > > > pleading for coverage of essential procedures and medications during > > > the many stages of transplant only to find their insurance provider > > > had spent considerable time and effort finding loopholes in policies > > > that supposedly got them off the hook. We saw entire families, insured > > > and uninsured, who had sold every belonging they owned, maxed every > > > credit card they could apply for and mortgaged and sold homes to > > > insure the survival of their daughter, son, father or mother. In many > > > cases the family breadwinner had lost their job because the burden of > > > being a caregiver has not allowed a return to work. It's quite surreal > > > to see a family of four living out of suitcases that literally carry > > > every material possession they own whose very lives are all in limbo > > > waiting for their father to either recover or die. > > > > I often see posts here by folks who struggle with the costs of high- > > > end CML meds and the strain it puts on their budget. Imagine having to > > > front much of the cost of a $750,000 bone marrow transplant because > > > insurance has decided they are not going to pay for essential > > > procedures such as a $85,000 Hickman catheter operation or has decided > > > that according to the policy the time spent at the facility has > > > exceeded the covered time span and that any further treatment must be > > > paid for out of pocket by a family that has not a single penny left to > > > their name. We witnessed both of these scenarios during our 4 month > > > stay in Seattle and beleive me people lose their lives frequently > > > there because they SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD TO LIVE ANYMORE. > > > > Of course none of what we witnessed there includes those who are > > > uninsured and simply could not afford a transplant and rely on > > > donations, fundraisers and the few pro bono doctors and facilities who > > > are actually willing to treat advanced Leukemia without compensation. > > > We have a young friend who works at Copper Mountain Resort here in > > > Colorado who's name is Kevin. Kevin being a relatively new employee at > > > Copper was not offered any type of company sponsored insurance when he > > > was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma a couple of years ago. His > > > doctor told him without insurance he simply could not refer him to an > > > oncology department at any hospital without insurance coverage but he > > > had heard of a doctor in the Vail area that was developing an advanced > > > technique for treatment and might be willing to work pro bono if Kevin > > > could pay for part of the medications. It's working, but 24 year old > > > Kevin has had to file bankruptcy and has little material posession at > > > all. Fortunately he is able to live in affordable employee housing at > > > Copper and relies on public transportation for most of his needs. > > > > Unfortunately in this Country today we have people like Daniel, who > > > obviously have little experience, contact nor compassion for > > > potentially uninsured people making moral and ethical decisions about > > > peoples lives based solely on a bean counter's mentality. Who honestly > > > beleive one can show up uninsured at an emergency room and be treated > > > for CML. Who believes the L & L foundation takes requests for the > > > uninsured who need treatment. Who beleive kind hearted institutions > > > all over the nation simply treat Leukemia because it's the right thing > > > to do. Believe me Daniel everyone appreciates the work that St. Jude's > > > does for pediatric cancers but you can well beleive if their > > > considerable portfolio, including large contributions from our > > > government, would not allow for treating the uninsured they would be > > > ignoring them along with the other 99% of all hospitals in our > > > country. > > > > We live during a time when a group of government employees were > > > fortuitous enough and had the courage and foresight to enact much > > > needed change to a health care system that, despite being situated in > > > the richest most powerful country on the planet earth, could not even > > > provide basic health care needs for those who could not afford it and > > > were shunned by corporate America for because the very conditions they > > > needed coverage for existed at the wrong time in their lives. We live > > > during a time when, as insurance premiums for health care coverage > > > more than tripled for those who could least afford it, the wealthiest > > > 1% of all American citizens paid less income tax than at any time in > > > our country's history. Tax money that was previously used to fund > > > essential government programs for the very group of people that > > > without whom the 1%'ers could not exist at all. > > > > Please Daniel, for the sake of those who truly suffer in this county > > > because of the lack of insurance, educate yourself and spread the word > > > to others who honestly haven't a clue what it must be like to lose > > > one's home because of an inability to pay medical bills. Ask yourself, > > > should that REALLY be happening in THIS country? > > > > On Feb 7, 9:55 am, Daniel Brown <[email protected]> wrote: > > >> 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 > > ... > > read more >> -- [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
