National Health Care's Moment of Truth!

Today is the day that H.R. 3200 will be voted on and decided. It's been awhile since I've reported on the progress of this bill because there has been so much back and forth as to what it will contain, when it will be decided, and even if it would be passed at all.

Partisan maneuverings have dominated over the past few months, resulting in what looked like a deadlock and a collossal power-struggle between Democrats and Republicans.

Then once the bill was revised some Democratic members of Congress did not want to vote in favor of it because too many concessions were made in the interest of bipartisanship.

The website http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3200/text tracks changes in the bill. The original word count was 176,276 and after changes it is now about 3 times longer; 395,096 which represents a total of 1,002 changes in all; meaning the document has changed statistically 76% !

That is quite a big shift from what the original text contained!

The Republicans keep complaining that if the bill is passed it will contain Medicare cuts, but as I read through the bill I could not find anything significant in the way of Medicare cuts, and in fact there were lots of areas in which it would be increased including the eradication of cost sharing for medications for dual eligibles (those who are so low income they are on both Medicare and Medicaid), doing away with the "donut hole", and providing such servives as marriage counseling, mental health counseling, and better coverage for dialysis, to name a few.

The downside of the bill from what I can deduce is that there are alot of budget items for Medicare and Medicaid as well as other forms of coverage that amount to increased paperwork, evaluation of various programs, and various forms of health education of staff and in some instances, patients. It doesn't seem that education has done much to change the mind-set of either consumers or healthcare providers; many nurses are still overweight for instance, people still smoke despite all the education currently out there about the dangers of such things, and creating more beaurocracy around such new initiatives probably won't help either, and it is money better spent on assuring that people get the direct patient care that they require.

On the positive side are incentives to small businesses that currently can get away with not covering their workers so that now it will be viable, even advantageous for them to do so, and the choice to "opt in" to a public healthcare option! I had thought all mention of the public option had been wiped from the bill, but luckily not!

The Sunday political commentary shows on TV this morning showed staunch conservatives like Karl Rove loudly protesting the fact that the President had some executive priviledge that he could make use of to get this bill passed, and they referred to the wording of the bill as "Bernie Madoff" politics. They seemed to be grasping at the last straws they could before it became a done deal. Statements like "There will be blood on the Congressional floor and it will be Democrats' blood" seemed the order of the day, and these representatives of the Replublican Party lauched dire predictions if the bill passed, one in particular being that there would be a "Republican take-over" if the bill went through. I seriously doubt that will happen especially if it ends up helping them and their families and friends in addition to Democrats. While the bill could have had more supports in it for individual citizens I think overall it will be an improvement.

It is 10:29 EST here and I just heard the news say that the results of the vote are due any minute now! Last I heard this afternoon the Democrats have the number of votes they need! Now it's all over but the waiting.

911 Continued-People Denied Medical Care-Uninsured and Under-insured

With Obama's Public Option still up in the air and some legislators in Congress as of yet undecided, now is the time to make your voices heard.

My last blog post got very few comments. I'm not really sure why. Healthcare is a topic that most feel strongly about one way or the other. Whether you agree or disagree with creating a Universal healthcare plan I hope you will consider the information posted here, keep an open mind, and leave a comment so that I know that people are reading and thinking deeply about this topic. Although the subject matter is heavy, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear. My intention is not to be morbid or to depress readers, but to inform, empower, and motivate everyone to become active in their political process. This truly is a life and death matter and although it is not easy to look at or to tackle logistically, there is hope for the future. Sometimes things get worse just before they get better, and together each of us can contribute an important piece that will make a difference for the better if we keep our eyes on the prize. It is worth the effort and the struggle to emerge victorious on the other side of heartbreak even when it would be easier to do nothing and leave the hard work to the law-makers. Never under-estimate the power you have when you join hands with others around you.

This woman was about to give up fighting her insurance company for life-saving treatment but at the last minute tried approaching something a little differently and it worked! Her method may help somebody out there who keeps hitting a brick wall. You never know exactly what might make an impression on someone on the other end of the phone. Keep in mind that even with regulations underwritten by insurance companies there is always a certain amount of discretionary power that decision-makers have at their disposal when reviewing your claim;

Anne (brain tumor)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUrf2aL1aDs

I hope I have made the information I share interesting and relevant and that it helps make the world at least a little better, and to those currently suffering with health-related issues that you feel some comfort in knowing that you're not alone. Although not being alone is both a blessing and a curse in this instance, take comfort in knowing that people are beginning to mount a revolution of sorts.

No matter how small or how poor or how young or how ill you are your story is important and transformative. It is never insignificant, never weak, never self-indulgent. It speaks a truth that holds alot of personal power. They say that the personal is political and the political, personal. Some fear and avoid talk of politics, but all politics really is is the process of living with others around us and it just boils down to planning how we operate and interact in the world, the roles that each plays, and how we participate in life. To avoid that is to avoid being fully present and engaged in the process of living. Staying with difficult topics may be overwhelming at times, but if we hang in there for the duration we come out on the other side richer for having stayed in until the final bell.

This video is about a Special Education Aide in Wisconsin who is uninsured. You might be surprised that not all school systems provide health insurance to all their teachers/employees and when I first viewed this one I was shocked that a relatively progressive state like Wisconsin would allow someone working full time to fall through the cracks, but this woman continued to put one foot in front of the other despite incredible barriers affecting herself and her family. Pre-existing conditions locked her out of rights that everyone should have;

Without Insurance (A Special Education Aide struggles to pay for healthcare for her family)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdGCT9dBK10

Do you think doctors don't have this problem? The answer to that question might surprise you.

The Need for a Public Option for All, Dr Manisha Sharma's Story 20090821
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZIytK-qDe8

Part of the problem is that in large systems rules and regulations begin to take precedence over people. In healthcare that can be fatal. The rats who place such policy over individuals have become so brainwashed by their profession that ludicrous and arbitrary limits become reasonable in their twisted way of thinking. Such practices as only offering certain treatments to those who have three or less tumors, for instance are common in the insurance industry. Even the individual patient's doctor may fail to move those reviewing a given claim although that physician knows this is the best treatment for the patient given her set of variables.

BlueShield Bureaucrats Override Doctor's Treatment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGdOBs-9a1w

Will you or somebody that you love be denied treatment for the Swine Flu (H1N1 virus)? This article about triage outlines those individuals who will likely not receive treatment. The national guidelines actually violate some federal laws and the hypocratic oath;


Triage! Will You Be Denied Treatment for Swine Flu?

http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/triage-will-you-be-denied-treatment-for-swine-flu-907246.html

Continue to write the President with your suggestions for improving our healthcare system. Get involved in the political process. Your vote does count even though the problem seems insurmountable at times.

Please feel free to post here and tell me how you are addressing these problems. If you have a personal story you'd like to share please contact me either on Etsy or in the comment section here on this blog and give me an e-mail address where I can reach you so that you can send me the whole story and I will feature you in an upcoming blog post! Maybe others can learn from your experience. If you have had any victories in this area please elaborate on what you did that removed some healthcare barriers in your instance. If you have created videos on this topic please send me the link to them and I may use those in future articles too.

I plan on covering this topic for awhile.

What May Spring Bring?

I am getting ready to start covering some more violet leaves with fine silver slip for a local custom order. Across the street from my house these leaves grow abundantly, so I can take my pick of size and width. That is a start, but I will need more than one order to keep things going. I made these hoops and more are in the works. I've seen others' hoops sell repeatedly on Etsy, so these should also do well.

Try These Angles Fine Silver Hoops - $35.00


Blackened Chili Pepper Fine Silver Hoop Earrings - $28.00


Hand-forged Fine Silver Latch Hoop Earrings - $50.00


Fine Silver Bamboo Leaf Hoops - $25.00


Fine Silver U-shaped Hoop Earrings - $22.00


Dime-Sized Fine Silver Hoops - $20.00

Last week I ordered some more supplies for soldering. I've had a butane torch for several months but until now have not been able to get all the supplies I needed to go with them. Then the company called to say that the copper sheet and hard 75% silver solder is out of stock. I guess everybody was mobbing those two items when I ordered and then as my order was being processed they sold the last ones. Now I will have to get those two things from Rio Grande, but have little money left.

Recently I found out that Carmella's yearly insurance limit had run out and so I won't be reimbursed and further for any of her mange treatment claims. They only paid a small portion of that before her limit was reached, and now it will be July 11th before any illness can be reimbursed. If her mange re-occurs they won't cover it then because it will no longer be considered a "First Time Illness". I hope she won't get any more illnesses but I am worried about the mange coming back, as Dr. Norwood told me at the last appointment that it may be awhile before it is gone for good, and that can get expensive especially if it can never be reimbursed again. Even putting lemon on the side of her face (the area that is slowest to heal) in addition to the supplements and new flea drops which smell like heavy duty bug spray for a full day still has not returned that one area of her body to normal.

Now that she is not getting dips I am going to try putting on some other things as spot treatments and see if any of them work.

Soon I'm going to start approaching Science Diet about dog food endorsements using pictures from before her Mange and current ones showing the left side of her face where all the hair has grown back. Here she is on March 1st; the only day it snowed this year.

She was a little bit tentative about sticking her feet into the snow. She wrinkled her nose when flakes landed on it.

I took a picture of the purple/pink sunset and got a beautiful view of the snowflakes as they came down around my chimney.

I need to raise as much money as possible now that Carmella's insurance will not be paying any of this back to me. I'd really like to be able to have all her medical expenses paid off within the next few months.

My own insurance troubles are ongoing. Medicare Part D has continued to refuse to pay for one of my necessary medications. If I literally cannot get them to do that I don't know what I'm going to do because living without it is not an option and there is no equivalent substitute.

On Saturday, March 8, 2009, I received a denial letter in the mail dated March 2, 2009 stating the same reasons as my doctor's nurse had told me that the doctor had received last week. It said specifically;

"A prescription drug is a part D drug only if it is used for a medically accepted indication, meaning that it is prescribed for a use that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or approved for inclusion in one of the following three compendia:

1. American Hospital Service Drug Information;

2. United States Pharmacopeia-Drug Information (or its successor publications); or

3. Thomson Micromedex DrugDex"

The letter goes on to say;"Furthermore, beginning January 1, 2009, Part D will also accept anti-cancer chemotherapeutic drug uses that are approved for inclusion in the following additional compendia:

1. National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Drugs and Biologics Compendium;

2. Clinical Pharmacology, or

3. Peer Reviewed Medical Literature.

Because the drug requested is not prescribed for a use approved by the FDA or in one of these references, the requested drug is not considered a Part D drug and is not covered by the plan.

BENICAR IS DENIED FOR NON-FDA APPROVED DIAGNOSIS. THE USE OF BENICAR IS NOT MEDICALLY ACCEPTED FOR THE TREATMENT OF THE FOLLOWING DIAGNOSIS IN THE COMPENDIA LISTED ABOVE: SARCOIDOSIS. REVIEWED BY: AXN, PHARM.D

You should check with your doctor for another drug that is included on your formulary and has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for this use."

The only one I know of that is officially FDA approved (because of the woeful lack of money devoted to research in this disease) is Prednisone which not only does nothing to cure it, but causes avascular necrosis among other serious adverse reactions and can severely compromise the immune system. The biologics and anti-cancer drugs are even worse! Some of the clinical trials on those actually had to be called off due to deaths and other serious events.

I've been on Benicar for several years with no adverse reactions whatsoever! I wonder how on earth the government allows a pharmacist to over-rule my doctor on something like this!

I don't have several hundred dollars to pay for this medication out of pocket, as I'm on Social Security Disability, and most prescription assistance programs require that you be totally uninsured before they will cover the cost. They don't pick up the slack when insurance companies choose not to cover a drug and leave the patient at risk of relapse; even death.

I could buy it cheaper from a manufacturer in India but even so, with sales not moving I don't know that I will have the money for that either.

It's possible that I may have to take this to court, but in the meantime I wrote President Obama, and sent another letter to the editor of a news blog which exposes inhumanity within the Medicare system. Apparently there have been cases that are in litigation now on this same issue.

Take a look at these interesting articles written by David Glendinning. They may help you or someone you know;

Medicare drug not covered? You can help patient appeal
For patients who need to veer from their drug plan's formulary, the assistance of their physicians will be essential.
By David Glendinning, AMNews staff. March 20, 2006

http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/parsing-verizon-warranty-services/2008-10-24

Suit opposes Medicare denials of off-label, non-compendia drugs
The administration is interpreting Medicare law in a way that prevents coverage of lifesaving medications for people with rare diseases, a patient advocacy group says.
By David Glendinning, AMNews staff. Jan. 21, 2008

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/01/21/gvsb0121.htm

Physicians complain Medicare Part D decisions threaten patient care
The AMA urges physicians who are encountering problems with Medicare drug plans to report them to CMS and the Association.
By David Glendinning, AMNews staff. June 5, 2006.

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/06/05/gvl10605.htm

With the new economic stimulus package allowing American citizens to keep more of their earnings each pay period I hope that some of it will be put towards buying more wonderful handcrafted items.

Those of you or with family member(s) going on interviews should consider buying your outfit and accessories from a small designer/maker instead of going to your local Walmart, mall, or department store this year.

After all, there is no better way to stimulate the economy than buying handmade! Remember that with love and action, all things are possible!

http://Giftbearer.etsy.com/