General Discussion

ismnotwasm

(42,674 posts)

38. Holy shit

Tue Oct 3, 2017, 11:57 AM

Oct 2017

I work in Renal, Liver, pancreas and small-bowel transplant. This is despicable. Medicare covers 80% of dialysis, and covers renal transplant as well. How did his social worker not get his Medicare onboard?

Did this person go without insulin or diabetes education? This is a failure on several levels and is absolutely unacceptable, and one of the reasons the ACA denying refusal of pre-existing conditions was so crucial. Clearly too late for this person.

For a model of what single payer might look like, renal failure leading to kidney dialysis is the only chronic condition that is covered by the government in a bill dating back to 1973. . The how and why of that is kind of interesting, suffice it to say that prior to this legislation there were real death panels—a Group of individuals who judged just who would be “allowed” kidney dialysis when it was a new thing.

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Nice guy I used to work with died today because his health insurance wouldn't cover treatment for.. [View all] kpete Oct 2017 OP

Sounds like he would have lived if he had single payer Not Ruth Oct 2017 #1

NO! He was ELIGIBLE for Medicare but he didn't sign up for it. Transplants are one of the few pnwmom Oct 2017 #7

People should not have to become healthcare experts simply to choose the proper plan. Native Oct 2017 #11

Deadline dates are for profit Not Ruth Oct 2017 #13

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Agree, this is Shameful iluvtennis Oct 2017 #22

That's why I love health care.gov- that website has consumer protections-they help me pick a plan & Sunlei Oct 2017 #27

This guy had DOCTORS who certainly would have told him about the importance pnwmom Oct 2017 #36

Not necessarily. Native Oct 2017 #42

The guy didn't say that no one told him --which would have been a natural thing to say, if true. pnwmom Oct 2017 #43

I hate it when people start saying crap like what you've just said... Native Oct 2017 #44

He "didn't choose Medicare during the enrollment period." He had the choice. n/t pnwmom Oct 2017 #45

OMFG. Native Oct 2017 #46

Odd you focus on the failure of the deceased patient, and ignore the systemic failure LanternWaste Oct 2017 #59

Victim blaming. Hassin Bin Sober Oct 2017 #74

Agreed. area51 Oct 2017 #82

I agree. It's stuff like this that makes me want to quit DU. Native Oct 2017 #90

This guy is dead. And the friend of a DUer. moriah Oct 2017 #53

He's not the friend of a DUer. A DUer reposted someone's tweet from Twitter. nt pnwmom Oct 2017 #57

And you're certain that "Kpete" isn't "Ken Klippenstein"? moriah Oct 2017 #60

pretty sure kpete is a she. mopinko Oct 2017 #84

I feel it too. Something's wrong here. crosinski Oct 2017 #62

No, it's defense of the ACA. Which I get. moriah Oct 2017 #64

Ah, ok. Thanks for explaining. crosinski Oct 2017 #73

I didn't say it was smart or even fully conscious defense of the ACA. moriah Oct 2017 #79

Moriah, you are kind. Yes, I see what you're talking about now. Live & learn. n/t crosinski Oct 2017 #85

What the heck? sharedvalues Oct 2017 #88

More that this guy had resources available to him - Ms. Toad Oct 2017 #80

... you can see, though, that not every patient is going to know... moriah Oct 2017 #81

I agree that insurance companies suck. Ms. Toad Oct 2017 #86

Also, looking at context of the post.... moriah Oct 2017 #56

Yes. There's going to be more here. People are denied transplants when Hortensis Oct 2017 #28

Much more a shame a health insurance provider failed to provide insurance for his health. LanternWaste Oct 2017 #58

That is not true. Texasgal Oct 2017 #68

ESRD has emergency eligibility protocols... moriah Oct 2017 #83

My husband was placed on a liver/kidney Texasgal Oct 2017 #89

what a shame we don't live in a country where medical questionseverything Oct 2017 #70

The biggest massacre in US history. Private health insurance. aikoaiko Oct 2017 #2

Amen Native Oct 2017 #49

It is both sick and sad that this is Bettie Oct 2017 #3

A manslaughter charge should be filed against the officers of his insurance carrier. LonePirate Oct 2017 #4

I wonder why he chose not to go on Medicare, which he said would have covered the transplant Tanuki Oct 2017 #5

I don't know why he didn't, but I know why I haven't so far. WillowTree Oct 2017 #51

And Planned Parenthood Navigators that were so great helping my wife find the best ACA plan IADEMO2004 Oct 2017 #6

The reality here is that MEDICARE would have paid for this if the guy's friend had signed up. pnwmom Oct 2017 #8

But with single payer, he probably could have signed up anytime Not Ruth Oct 2017 #9

He had months to sign up for it. Yeah, with the single payer that doesn't exist, maybe he'd pnwmom Oct 2017 #10

This whole health care system is a labyrinth and hard for many people to navigate Bradshaw3 Oct 2017 #20

Who do you know who has complained about signing up for MEDICARE? It's not that hard to navigate. pnwmom Oct 2017 #37

You don't know him or his situation so it's wrong to be so judgmental Bradshaw3 Oct 2017 #50

He did have that healthcare system. It is called Medicare and he didn't sign up. pnwmom Oct 2017 #52

Of course, your priority is not health, but blame. LanternWaste Oct 2017 #61

I didn't trash Medicare and neither did he. Bradshaw3 Oct 2017 #65

pnwmom, even if he chose the wrong insurance because he didn't think about it hard enough, crosinski Oct 2017 #54

I'm saying he isn't a great poster child for the cause of single payer, because he didn't enroll pnwmom Oct 2017 #55

Are we looking for that perfect child who died too soon? crosinski Oct 2017 #63

I agree. And blaming the victim based on limited information is even more heartless. Native Oct 2017 #48

Sounds to me like the insurance he had WOULD cover pangaia Oct 2017 #17

It could be he did not know... I am 60, soon to be 61... Raster Oct 2017 #23

Don't you think that if you were on dialysis and needing a transplant pnwmom Oct 2017 #40

I don't have ESKD and I am not on dialysis and, thank god, don't need a transplant... Raster Oct 2017 #41

Here's the issue people have with early Medicare - it's presented as welfare. haele Oct 2017 #26

"Caveat Emptor is not acceptable for a critical service like health care" renate Oct 2017 #31

I think you are conflating Medicare with Medicaid. PoindexterOglethorpe Oct 2017 #34

Nope, my husband is eligible for Medicare. But it's more expensive than my current insurance. haele Oct 2017 #39

Not to mention that it is always a crap shoot when you have to get verification from a rep Native Oct 2017 #47

All of those great discoveries of medical scientists throughout the centuries were made so that... Towlie Oct 2017 #12

My good friend, 46, died last month for the same reason Johonny Oct 2017 #14

While I agree that access to wealth should not be a barrier to health care, Ms. Toad Oct 2017 #15

My wife (Craftygal) is on dialysis TrogL Oct 2017 #16

Please tell me he has family to sue the hell out of them. DK504 Oct 2017 #18

Youre damn right its personal SCantiGOP Oct 2017 #19

What an incredibly misleading headline. PoindexterOglethorpe Oct 2017 #21

He doesn't actually say that his insurance wouldn't pay for diabetes treatment. WillowTree Oct 2017 #25

Yes, pertinent missing information. PoindexterOglethorpe Oct 2017 #30

I can sympathize with ignoring symptoms renate Oct 2017 #32

He didn't ignore those symptoms because he was concerned about a pre-existing condition, PoindexterOglethorpe Oct 2017 #35

There are generally zero clear-cut symptoms of type 2 diabetes Ms. Toad Oct 2017 #75

I likewise know people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes PoindexterOglethorpe Oct 2017 #76

Since vision is associated with diabetes - Ms. Toad Oct 2017 #78

I wonder if Kens friend was as confused as Iam with this story..... Old Vet Oct 2017 #24

Whatever the case may be, the insurance co.s make it so damn stressful YOHABLO Oct 2017 #29

this is why we should have Universal Single Payer gopiscrap Oct 2017 #33

Except he didn't sign up for our governmental single payer (Medicare) when he had the chance. nt pnwmom Oct 2017 #66

You are really coming across as a complete jerk ... fyi Persondem Oct 2017 #87

Holy shit ismnotwasm Oct 2017 #38

That is what I was wondering. How is it that none of his healthcare providers impressed upon him pnwmom Oct 2017 #67

Maybe his doctors didn't accept medicare (and/or didn't know?), ecstatic Oct 2017 #71

That's so awful, but I also agree with others that we have to be clear ecstatic Oct 2017 #69

I'd guess there is a lot more to this story that is not being told taught_me_patience Oct 2017 #72

You said it... beyond words. InAbLuEsTaTe Oct 2017 #77