A Series of Unfortunate Healthcare Failures

"My sister has had to go without health insurance for years and let her health go while taking care of our elderly parents and disabled sister. Now, she finally got a decent paying job at the post office and thought she was going to be able to afford insurance when initially told the bi-weekly expense out of pocket would be $37.00 but when she discovered it would be $212.00 bi-weekly instead, she had to cancel it because she can't afford it. Our developmentally disabled sister has teeth that are so bad they are falling out because Medicaid doesn't cover dental anymore and social security pays for necessities. My dear friend has had to give up his landscaping business, forfeit his home and move in with his girlfriend because he has to use his $1700 monthly disability check to pay for shots related to lung cancer treatment. He had given up his insurance just prior to being diagnosed a few years ago and couldn't afford it afterward and/or couldn't get it because of pre-existing conditions. I had two other friends pass away from lung cancer that we held fundraisers for because the experimental treatments they were trying to save their lives with were not covered by insurance. These are but a few of the reasons why everyone in this country needs to have access to affordable, quality health care no matter what their health situation."

- Tina, Royal Oak, MI

Story collected by the Susan G. Komen Advocacy Alliance

https://ww5.komen.org/uploadedFiles/Content/GetInvolved/Legislation/Public_Policy/Personal_Health_Care_Stories.pdf