Today we are taking the day to feature stories of every day Iowans who have struggled because of a lack of quality, affordable health care. Every hour, on the hour, we will feature a new story in the hope that these faces and their struggles persuade Senator Charles Grassley that true reform cannot happen without a public health care plan option, and that quality, affordable health care needs to be available to every Iowan.
Michelle Livingston
Des Moines, Iowa
Michelle Livingston lost her entire family to terminal illness. She and her husband Jim had two sons before they discovered Jim had Huntington's disease. This disease causes degeneration in many regions of the brain and spinal cord and it works into severe dementia. Jim had a family history of this disease, but their private insurance plan wouldn't cover the genetic test to see if he was susceptible, so they couldn't afford to know.
The children of people with Huntington's disease have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the disease. Michelle's children both developed the disease before the age of 10. The condition is extremely debilitating and causes severe seizures with children. Michelle tried to enroll her children in disability insurance several times to help ease the exorbitant costs of their treatments, but she was denied every time because she made too much money.
Tragically, Huntington's disease took Michelle's husband and both of her children from her. Affording care for her family while they struggled with this disease was terribly expensive. She was left without a family and a lien on her house.
People in this country should not have to couple the complete loss of their family with complete financial ruin. It isn't fair.
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Write Senator Grassley and tell him that you want health care reform today:
http://action.seiu.org/page/speakout/24hrs
Shawnae Morey
Des Moines, IA
I have a thank you to send to Senator Grassley. Earlier this spring, I met with a Change That Works employee who wanted to talk about the problems I have had with my daughter. She has a blood disease and even the smallest accident could cause us to have huge medical bills. Unfortunately, we're not able to afford private insurance and we thought she was no longer eligible for Medicaid.
I wrote a letter to Senator Grassley and I called his office as she suggested I do, and the Senator's staff emailed me some release forms to sign for my daughter. The Change That Works organizer took the forms down to the Des Moines office. Within one week my child had been reinstated to the Medicaid program.
I am so grateful to have her covered with health care, thank you so much Senator Grassley. Shouldn't everyone have access to this type of insurance when they need it?
Sarah Swisher
Iowa City, IA
As an oncology nurse at the University of Iowa, I saw some of the most critical and socially complex patients in the state. It has been a privilege to care for these patients and an honor for me to earn their trust. I've heard it said that health care providers shouldn't get emotionally close to patients, but most of us admit that something called "therapeutic distance," does not exist in oncology nursing. Some patients stand out in their ability to teach me about life and the woman I describe here, a patient I had in about 1998, was one of those patients.
For her I was a compassionate presence and helped ease pain. She came to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after she could no longer adequately conceal her wound and the odor it omitted. She was a waitress, working two jobs, to support her fatherless kids. For months she had been dressing her left breast ulcer with wash clothes from the dollar store. She saw no physician and said she knew she "had an infection," but didn't have health care coverage and she could "barely make ends meet." Finally one of the other waitresses, a friend, had pulled her aside asked her about the smell. She would not show her friend her breast but did allow her to take her to the county hospital to get it looked at. The physician, in shock, sent her that day to us. I remember I thought it was so strange he had left the wash cloths in place. They were saturated with grey thick liquid and removing them slowly revealed a four by four wound, about one inch deep with black crusty edges and small black blister like tissue.
This waitress---a servant to others--- kept her family together by making the ultimate sacrifice. In her death she gave her children Social Security and health care coverage. I wept at her passing but make no mistake, she died with the dignity of a woman who loved her family with her entire being. Because she could not afford care, she died. I am very sorry for the family, but very grateful for the lesson she taught me: our health care system is neither fair nor available for those who can't afford it. Over ten years later it is way past time for a change.
Eleanor Pierce
Cedar Falls, IA
When the company that Eleanor worked for was terminated, her health insurance was terminated along with it. Cobra was offered but was completely unaffordable. She searched for coverage on the private, individual market but was almost universally denied access because of her pre-existing condition of high blood pressure. The only plans that would cover her came with premiums she could never hope to afford without an income.
Eleanor was 62 then, too young to qualify for Medicare, so she had to go without insurance. One year later she had a massive heart attack that landed her with over $60,000 in medical debt. Eleanor was forced to take an equity loan out on her home to pay her medical debt. This never would have happened had an affordable public insurance option been available to her.
Sarah Posekany
Cedar Falls, IA
Sarah was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when she was 15 years old. During her first year of college Sarah ran into complications with her Crohn's, which forced her to drop her classes to mend from multiple surgeries. Her parents' private health insurance company dropped her coverage because she was no longer a full time student. "They didn't want to help, so I had to let the medical bills pile up." Four years later she found herself $180,000 in debt and was forced to file for bankruptcy.
Sarah has undergone seven surgeries. Two surgeries have come as a direct result of not being able to afford medication. "When I don't have any insurance, and can't afford to treat myself, the disease progresses to the point where I need surgery." Though she says of this fact, "I am to the point now where I can't think about my debt, I've got to keep myself healthy that has to be my number one priority."
Sarah is back in school now, following her dream of becoming a nurse. But her bankruptcy and crippling debt will follow her where ever she goes, all because her parents' private insurance company cancelled her coverage right when she needed it most.
