We need competition in obtaining health insurance over state lines (a la auto insurance), we need states & medical societies (AMA, ACS, AAOS, ADA) to start focusing on high risk pools. The American Cancer Society should be ashamed of themselves for not having a high risk pool — who do they represent? No me. My dad had cancer. I had cancer. We both participated in cancer research. We got zero emotional support. I did not even get a wig. It was considered “cosmetic.” Neither dad nor I received nutritional help. I quit my job in Chicago to return to NC in February 2007 to care 24/7 for my dad. And that was while I still had cancer.

Dad’s care was rationed and he died from physicians ignoring a bone infection. It seemed like rationing of care. Is that the “universal health care” Rep Price refers to?

After beating almost 3 years battle with stage 4 colon cancer, Dad died from the bone disease at home in January 2010 after being misdiagnosed/treated/ignored by physicians.

I was diagnosed with the same “bone infection” in September 2010 (Not genetic or contagious. Just coincidence. We had the same orthopedic surgeon and infectious disease team. The hospital that could not help my dad performed a failed surgery on me. And then, since Sept 2010, the surgeon has communicated with UNC, Cleveland Clinic and convinced them to let the original hospital orthopedics have another try at my leg.

I am dying now. It has been 8 months since I was diagnosed with tibia osteomyelitis. I have dead tibia. I have a serious infection, fevers, a draining sore in my tibia. I have lost vertical height from Sept 2010 to Jan 2011 (from 5′5.5′ to 5.3′) I am working with a physician to try to stay as healthy as possible to stay alive since I can not take any antibiotics.

Apparently my infection started during a December 2004 surgery when the orthopedic surgeon performed a high tibial osteotomy (HTO) and used surgical eqmpt that was carelessly washed in elevator cleaner oil. The medical facility did not tell patients. My leg was unusable and I mentioned the pain in the leg from day one. Finally, since I was living in Chicago, my Chicago orthopedic surgeon agreed to remove the HTO hardware in July 2010. The surgical wound failed to heal and the Chicago surgeon sent me to the NC facility for an MRI on 9/10/2010.

The NC medical facility did a poor job, the discharged me with a completely opened surgical wound, failed to even eye-ball the open wound (even when the Chicago surgeon telephoned the NC surgeon to discuss the open wound issue prior to my discharge.

The the NC surgeon sabotaged my ability to obtain care at UNC-Chapel Hill orthopedics (Dr Dahlers) and Cleveland Clinic Orthopedics (Dr George Muscler) by convincing these professionals that only the initial NC orthopedic facility should care for me.

Meanwhile, the same NC facility has “no cared” me to see a pcp, cardiologist, allergist, neurologist, orthopedic surgeon, Urgent Care. I have been denied pain medication – even since the day I discharged from hospital. They called me a “drug seeker” because I was in horrific pain and asked for something the day before Thanksgiving. (I did not want my mom/new widow to have me unable to walk on the first Thanksgiving without her husband of 55 years.)

How can I have orthopedic surgery at that facility? I cannot even make a pre-op appointment. I am told to just show up at the ED to get care for the leg.

But, they let my dad die. It seems the facility just wants to try to clean the error they made in 2004.

Osteomyelitis can reach my blood stream at any moment, I can become septic and die quickly. Do I have health insurance? Yes, always. I am in a state health risk pool. Not Medicaid. I am in no entitlement program. I quit my job to take care of my dad so he would not have to avail himself of entitlement systems, home nurse aids, etc.

Now I care for my elderly conservative, conservative radio loving mom, help her with her small business (she is strong and works 6 days a week!).

I am writing a book about the health care my dad received and tips for other families in the new age of medicine/family caregivers. Dad was a research medicinal scientist and he helped me write the book before he died. He knew he was treated poorly by the medical community. He knew the standards were horrible and he actually worked with this facility during his career.

As a reporter, I hope that Jamie Ward follows up on
1. what Price meant by “universal health care
2. what is the future (if any) for #HR3400
3. Do we need any Republican alternative to Obama Care

personal email: http://www.advocateyourself.org