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slipslidingaway

slipslidingaway's Journal
slipslidingaway's Journal
August 31, 2012

Could we save another 220 billion in addition to the 80 billion using VA prices...

Show me where we tried to institute the Obama HC plan for negotiating Medicare prices, I have no problem losing, but I need to see where there was an attempt instead of a back room deal.



Can you point to the speeches after the inauguration where an attempt to sell this part of the HC plan was made to the people? That Medicare should be allowed to negotiate prices like the VA does, it was in the Obama/Biden HC plan before the election.

Show me the attempts and speeches after the election instead of just blaming the other side.

Could we save another 220 billion in addition to the 80 billion using VA prices...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=8667526&mesg_id=8667647

From a speech just before the election - "Enough is Enough..."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7735693&mesg_id=7736086

"And we are tired of watching as year after year, candidates offer up detailed health care plans with great fanfare and promise only to see them crushed under the weight of Washington politics and drug and insurance lobbying once the campaign is over.

That is not who we are, that is not who we have to be, enough is enough, it time for us to change."

Newport News - October 2008







June 29, 2012

Under the ACA when does this take effect where you cannot be denied disability insurance ...

for a pre-existing condition? I never knew this extended to disability insurance under the ACA and we're going through this now.

"...But Obama’s mother had full coverage for the disease — her battle was to get disability insurance payments for her out-of-pocket expenses — according to “A Singular Woman,” a biography of Dunham by Janny Scott, who covered the campaign as a reporter for the New York Times."



June 16, 2012

Now everyone's asking, "What is MDS?"

via email from AAMDS.

"It’s likely you have now heard that a well-known television personality – Robin Roberts, anchor of Good Morning America – has publicly announced that she has been diagnosed with MDS. The news is on TV, in the papers, Web sites, blogs, and coursing through social media.

...At AAMDISIF, we know that even though the diagnosis of a well-known person can call extra attention to a rare disease, after a while the story subsides and fades from prominence. We encourage you to take this current opportunity to bring up the story to others, in person and online – and be ready to refer them to www.AAMDS.org..."

http://www.aamds.org/mds-news

"What Can You Do?

•Donate blood
•Donate platelets
•Sign up for the bone marrow registry
•More ways to get involved"

http://www.aamds.org/about/MDS/treatment/transplantation

A little over two years ago my husband was diagnosed with MDS which rapidly progressed to AML and he had a stem cell transplant in October of 2010.

Rep. Matsui, whose husband died of complications from MDS, has been lobbying for increased research funding.
https://www.aamds.org/sites/default/files/MatsuiElectronicDearColleague.pdf

"Dear Colleague:

Please join me in sending the attached letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense in support of additional programmatic funding for research into bone marrow failure disorders. Since 2008, the Bone Marrow Failure Disease Research Program at the Department of Defense has funded cutting edge research into myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), aplastic anemia, and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), all of which occur when stem cells inside the bone marrow stop making enough healthy blood cells. In the past five fiscal years, Congress has appropriated nearly $17 million for research into bone marrow failure diseases. This research is increasingly important to the U.S. Armed Services, as recent data indicate that service personnel who were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan may have been exposed to environmental factors associated with bone marrow failure diseases.

Bone marrow failure diseases can strike any person of any age, of any gender and any race, in any neighborhood, anywhere in the world. They are life-threatening diseases that currently affect tens of thousands of men, women, and children every year. By studying Armed Forces personnel who have been diagnosed with these conditions, we can gain a much better understanding not only of what causes bone marrow failure diseases, but also of how to protect our troops - and the general public - in the future.

We are committed to finding cures for these tragic illnesses, and we request your support to ensure that the fiscal year 2013 Defense Department appropriations bill provides a continuation of funding for the Bone Marrow Failure Disease Research Program..."



March 29, 2012

No, not really, the Dec. 2007 AP-Yahoo Poll had 65/54% depending on how ...

the question was asked.

http://surveys.ap.org/data/KnowledgeNetworks/AP-Yahoo_2007-08_panel02.pdf

You can also find more info here

http://pnhp.org/blog/2009/12/09/two-thirds-support-3/

And the July 2009 Kaiser Poll had support at 58%, but the lure of "a public option" was in full swing by that point.

Unfortunately the corporate media, and sadly politicians from both parties, have done a wonderful job of silencing any discussions.

I had a much longer post prepared, but I hit the wrong button.

Bottom line there is support, we just need our politicians to stop blocking the issue.


"Citizens' Health Care Working Group" Ignores Citizens
Posted by slipslidingaway in General Discussion (1/22-2007 thru 12/14/2010)
Fri Sep 21st 2007, 01:22 PM

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/slipslidingaway/29

Is there more support for a single payer system than we are being told?

Congressional Task Force Disregards Public’s Call for National Health Insurance
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2006/october/citi...

"The group created by Congress to listen to Americans’ ideas for improving the health system has ignored their overwhelming advice to create a national health insurance program. Although a national health program was by far the most favored option at 86 percent (25 of 29) of the meetings of the Citizens’ Health Care Working Group (CHCWG), the group’s recommendations avoid the clear public preference for government-guaranteed health coverage.

When given a choice of ten reform options at public hearings held by the CHCWG, participants clearly favored a national health program by a margin of at least 3 to 1. At meetings where participants were asked to rank the 10 options, national health insurance was ranked first 16 of 19 times... "

January 4, 2012

What a roller coast ride this has been ...

my husband was diagnosed with MDS RAEB 2 in May 2010, started one of the prescribed drugs (Dacogen) unfortunately that did not slow the progression to acute myeloid leukemia. He then had induction chemo and a bone marrow transplant from his sister (in reality a stem cell transplant, T cell depleted) in October 2010 and has been doing well. No real GVHD, but complications from a reactivation of the Epstein Barr virus and subsequent treatments with Rituximab for EBV Lymphoma have played havoc with his WBC. We're still waiting for certain levels to return to a level where he can begin to receive the childhood vaccinatons, all wiped out with his immune system prior to transplant and then with the Rituximab.

So we wait and continue to watch the counts. Fingers crossed for the blood tests done today at Sloan, hoping they call in the next day or two for some vaccinations next week

We have several new friends from the time we spent at the ACS Hope Lodge in NYC (required for to be close to to the hospital for 100 days post transplant) what a blessing it was to have that available, and we are thankful we had an insurance policy which allowed treatment from one of the premier cancer centers. We met others who did not have such access

With AML and a bone marrow transplant there is not much time to shop around for the "best" transplant center as time is of the essence, we chose to stay closer to home because that is where we began ... and there was not much time to search for "the best." We spoke with the NIH as well, but as the doc at Fred Hutchinson in Seattle said in a phone consultation, Sloan Kettering is not "chopped liver" and the window of time might trump the medical facility and approach. So you go with the flow and are swept with the tide.

We're looking to sell our home, those out of the pocket annual maximums really hurt, stopped any renovations to get ready for the sale as the doc said that was one of the last things a bone marrow transplant could be around. Fortunately we have a family member that stepped up to the plate to help with financial matters, they live in a country with socialized medicine, and they said the most important thing is to focus on getting better, not medical bills. What a novel concept!

A short intro of where we have been and wishing all those on this roller coaster a good outcome. My Mom had cancer and I've had cancer as well, not a roller coaster that we choose, but we are on this ride together.

A Healthy New Year to All, takes on a whole new meaning when you have been there.

Step by step






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