[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 2 (Thursday, January 6, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E25-E26]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     THE WALK FOR HEALTHCARE: HEALTHCARE STORIES FROM MARYLAND AND 
             WASHINGTON, DC, COLLECTED BY OGAN GUREL, M.D.

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 6, 2011

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following stories, collected 
by Dr. Ogan Gurel.

       ``Tamara told me, `She was lucky having health insurance.' 
     Knowing generally that lack of insurance was a problem, she 
     didn't have any particular personal stories to share. But 
     when I asked about health reform, she said, simply enough, 
     that, `More should be done.' '' Tamara--Hagerstown, 7/22/2009
       ``Patrick has been on and off insurance all his life. `More 
     off than on,' he further clarified for me. `My credit rating 
     is trashed because of medical stuff.' And in the 80s he had a 
     skull injury. `I actually had insurance but not everything 
     was covered so I just couldn't pay.' He seemed relaxed for 
     someone for whom the system seemed not to work--forced into 
     debt, even with insurance, and now suffering the consequence 
     of ruined credit. But perhaps one gets used to such 
     predicament.'' Patrick--Hagerstown, 7/22/2009
       ``Tiffany doesn't have a job, nor does she have health 
     insurance. As a single mom, her daughter gets assistance 
     through the state. For herself, she did have to go to the 
     emergency room one time last year but as she didn't fill out 
     the form for medical assistance in time (there was a three-
     month time limit), she ended up owing $4,000. Now she's being 
     taken to court by the hospital, Washington County. `I get 
     phone calls every day from the bill collectors,' she tells 
     me. `And I'm scared to go back to the doctor for anything 
     including my frozen shoulder.' With some trepidation, she 
     told me she knew somebody who was threatened with jail for 
     not responding to court summons for a medical bill. `It's not 
     a good situation to be in,' she told me. Despite her unhappy 
     troubles, Tiffany insisted on smiling when I took her 
     picture.'' Tiffany--Hagerstown, 7/23/2009
       ``I met Terry at the Oriole Club, a local bar where I 
     stopped in during a ferocious thunderstorm to take a water 
     break. Terry believes in preventative medicine, eating right, 
     exercising--being positive. She doesn't have insurance and 
     with two kids, she's busy providing them with a home and 
     feeding them right. Last year she got very sick but nobody 
     would take her. Because she has no primary care doctor, it 
     costs $250 just to get in the door. The others seated along 
     the bar gave knowing looks. She told me she prayed a lot, 
     especially when her temperature hit 104. `But I survived,' 
     she said with a smile. `But, if you don't have insurance,' 
     she told me, `you're treated different.' '' Terry--
     Middletown, 7/23/2009
       ``Sonny told me the story of a girl in town. Many of the 
     others seated at the bar recognized her plight. `She's worked 
     for ten years, without insurance,' Sonny told me. And she got 
     sick with a gallbladder problem and, `probably because she 
     couldn't work on account of her illness,' she was laid off. 
     She needs a gallbladder removal but the doctor keeps putting 
     her off. `Nobody wants to treat her,' he added. `And she went 
     to see the specialist but he wanted $300 up front.' Karen, 
     sitting alongside, squirmed in disapproval. `Everyone's 
     giving her the run-around . . . And there seems to be no way 
     out of her situation.' '' Sonny--Middletown, 7/23/2009
       ``Chris works at the Days Inn in Frederick. He's an 
     insulin-dependent diabetic (that's his

[[Page E26]]

     supplies he's proudly showing me). He has insurance but `it 
     sucks, only covers so much,' he told me. `They don't cover 
     even the supplies I have here. And if you go to the hospital 
     for low blood sugar, or see a specialist, it costs several 
     hundred dollars.' He was previously under his parent's 
     coverage but now his own insurance, which `bad as it is,' he 
     added, has been further downgraded because of the economy. 
     `But,' he said, `I don't have much choice unless I get 
     another job, and that's not at all easy these days.' '' 
     Chris--Frederick, 7/23/2009
       ``Frank's story centers around his fiancee. She's a breast 
     cancer survivor. The chemotherapy, according to Frank, `cured 
     the cancer but devastated her body. She continues to have 
     health problems,' he told me. These include diabetes and 
     psoriatic arthritis for which she is treated with 
     methotrexate and Enbril injections. She had been getting her 
     medications through PAC (Physicians Assistance Care of 
     Maryland) but, as Frank explained to me, `Only the diabetes 
     medicines qualified and those she got through this program 
     were less effective than what she was previously taking.' Now 
     that she is working, she is no longer eligible for the 
     program (which requires an income of less than $1,400 a 
     month). Her new job offers health insurance but, `the 
     premiums are so high that if she gets the policy, there'd be 
     no money for anything else.' Getting health insurance, would 
     `make it impossible for her to live,' Frank told me. `And, 
     even with the policy, the medications would be too expensive. 
     Basically,' Frank summarized for me, `without healthcare, she 
     has pain and suffering, can't get out of bed and so could 
     lose the job.' That's terrible, I said. `Oh, it could be 
     worse I guess,' he replied, shaking his head.'' Frank--
     Frederick, 7/23/2009
       ``I met Howard and Tauyna over breakfast at the Days Inn. 
     Howard told me that they've generally been OK, but even with 
     insurance, `deductibles have been increasing and out-of-
     pocket expenses also going up.' But Howard wished to share a 
     story from twenty years ago. `It actually relates to what's 
     happening today,' he told me. He was between jobs, he 
     explained, having left a position with health insurance for a 
     higher-paying job that did not, however, offer health 
     benefits. Soon after, his wife had a tubal pregnancy and with 
     the hospital bills he ended up having to taking out a loan 
     for $8,000 (`a huge chunk of change in those days,' he 
     added). The doctor forgave his fee and he was able to 
     negotiate a half-price with the anesthesiologist. `I sure 
     don't know what would happen if it were today.' '' Howard--
     Frederick, 7/24/2009
       ``Brenda's story is about her father who died two months 
     ago. She told her story with a mix of disbelief and quiet 
     anger though she was heartened to be able to share with 
     others what she felt was a true health insurance horror 
     story. Her late father had diabetes since 1995. His illness 
     was complicated by neuropathy and multiple foot infections 
     resulting in an amputation of one great toe. Earlier this 
     year, his insurance company, Group Health, told him that they 
     were dropping him for medical noncompliance although Brenda, 
     who's a nurse, said this was patently a lie and they had 
     medical proof, including doctor's attestations, that he was 
     in compliance. And then he had a stroke, which was compounded 
     with multiple complications. He came down with sepsis, had to 
     have another amputation, this time below-the-knee. Though the 
     MD said everything was OK, the operation was, in fact, a `was 
     a disaster,' Brenda told me. It turned out he was left 
     unattended in the hallway, coded in recovery, had a head 
     bleed, was given CPR, put on a ventilator and admitted to the 
     ICU. He never regained consciousness. He was taken to a 
     Palliative Care unit and though he was put on a morphine 
     drip, he survived for two more tortuous months. All during 
     this time, people from the hospital kept coming by telling 
     his already grieving wife that she would be responsible for 
     the bill. `The total bill is $69,000 and still going up,' she 
     said.'' Brenda--Gaithersburg, 7/24/2009
       ``Shayla's been newly enrolled in a PPO. Supposedly better 
     than an HMO, she had high expectations. `But,' she told me, 
     `I don't understand why it's so good. First, you pay more,' 
     she explained, `and second, you still get a bill AFTER the 
     co-pay.' And then she told me about the prescription plan, 
     which requires you to mail away for the medications and it 
     often takes 4 to 6 weeks for delivery. She shook her head. 
     `That just doesn't make sense!' '' Shayla--Gaithersburg, 7/
     25/2009
       ``Keith is one of the founders of the ubiquitous Food Not 
     Bombs organization. His organization has protested around the 
     world and now he's in front of the White House delivering his 
     message to all those gathered. His story is simple: he's got 
     fibromyalgia, which he says he acquired after being tortured 
     by the CIA during one of his several incarcerations for 
     illegally delivering free food. With his income and this sort 
     of pre-existing condition, he can never get health 
     insurance.'' Keith--Washington, 7/26/2009
       ``Doris, from New York, is here in DC visiting. `No 
     insurance, can't afford it.' She said, `and doesn't ever go 
     to a doctor. I'm otherwise lucky,' she said, with a smile and 
     went off with her friends.'' Doris--Washington, 7/26/2009

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