The purpose of this letter is to
produce another example of the health care crisis facing millions of
hardworking Americans. Both my wife and I are facing medical and
financial hardship due to the pending lack of health insurance coupled
with being diagnosed with two serious illnesses.
My wife and I are 57 and 58 years old
respectively. Throughout our adult lives, we have carried and paid for
health insurance through our jobs for both ourselves as well as our
minor children. We have never gone a single day without health
insurance. In 2003, my wife accepted a promotion resulting in a move
out of state from Minnesota. Five months after moving I was diagnosed
with throat cancer; fortunately I am doing well. In December of 2008,
my wife’s position was eliminated leaving her unemployed. She worked
continuously for this company for 28 1/2 years at the time of her
termination.
Our health insurance was carried through my wife’s employer
and we immediately signed up for COBRA fully intending to find a new
job as soon as possible. In February of 2009, only two months after
losing her job, my wife had a seizure, which turned out to be the first
sign of brain cancer. My wife has had two surgeries for this cancer as
well as chemotherapy and radiation. Because of the extensive care my wife now needs, we moved back to the
Minnesota and Wisconsin area for assistance from family members. She is
currently undergoing evaluation/treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Our
COBRA coverage expires at the end of June 2010, leaving us uninsured.
We are exploring very expensive high risk insurance pools but there is
no guarantee of acceptance. My wife has been declared disabled by
Social Security but will not be eligible for Medicare for another 15
months. I am currently working part-time in order to allow time to care
for my wife. According to several insurance companies to whom we have
applied/inquired, I am not eligible for health insurance due to my
health history.
For all of our adult lives my wife and I have
made every effort to support ourselves and build a secure future.
During the last five years this dream has come crashing down. We now
spend most of our time in some state of anxiety, first worried about
her health and secondly how will we pay for the medical care she needs.
All of the events that have brought us to this point were from illness
or loss of employment due to the economy.
At a recent visit to a doctor he described us as “the perfect poster children of the health care crisis”
My
wife and I are not looking for a handout, just the ability to buy
affordable health insurance. If there are any insurance companies out
there who would be willing to cover us I would love to hear from you.
Also, if there are any employers out there with full-time positions
available including health care benefits please don’t hesitate to
contact me. My wife and I would be willing to relocate if necessary.
At the end of June I don’t know how we are going
to pay our medical bills or buy the incredibly expensive prescription
drugs that my wife has to have.
Everything written above is absolutely true and can/will be documented if necessary. Please feel free to contact us at MKC, PO BOX 37, Alma, WI. 54610 or email us at: mkcneedhealthcarehelp@gmailcom. with any thoughts or suggestions you may have. We can use all the help we can get.
Do you have a true story about the healthcare system that you’d like to share with us? Or a question you’d like to put to our readers? Email submissions to THCB Associate Editor Cindy Williams. The subject line of your email should include “Commentology” and a proposed title for your post.
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