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Don't Forget About Renee!
March 11, 2010
Renee is a social worker from Phoenix, Arizona. Here is her story:
Seven years ago, Renee underwent brain surgery in order to control seizures caused by epilepsy, a serious neurological disease. Now the seizures have returned, and Renee will need medication to control them for the rest of her life. She says,
My medication costs $400 a month without insurance. I am a social worker and cannot afford that. And if I ever need an X-ray or hospital visit for testing, those costs will be astronomical.
My mother also has a rare type of hereditary cancer. Her insurance premiums are killing her more than her malignant tumors...they are one to two thousand dollars a month. Death is a cheaper option. Costs for care and insurance are ridiculous.
Please pass a reasonable health care solution for America, including [for] those with preexisting conditions and lifelong diseases. Thank you.”
Renee does not have health insurance and is not sure how she will be able to pay for the cost of her medication or any tests that she may need to manage her epilepsy. On the other hand, her mother, a cancer patient, does have health insurance, but the cost of her premiums is so high that she is also financially struggling.
Renee and her mother need health care reform to ensure that families struggling with chronic diseases are able to access health insurance that does not charge exorbitantly—or deny altogether—for treatment to manage these health conditions.
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