I received a number of emails today congratulating me on getting health care. It's true... and hard to believe (while still holding my breath on the senate's vote)... but come June 24, 2010, I will have health insurance. My CT scans (every 3 months for the next 5 years and then twice per year for the next 5) will now be covered. Starting September 24 there will be no lifetime cap imposed on any of us. We can now monitor our own children for this disease and not worry that they will be burdened with a pre-existing condition. Yes, it came a little late for the 3 years of surgeries and rounds and rounds and rounds of chemotherapy. But it did come. And my children will never be in the situation that we are. Not to mention, it reduces the deficit according to the nonpartisan, much respected CBO.
A women I shared a chemo lounge room with last week told me that she had breast cancer that had spread to her bones. She told me that her mother had and so did her sister.
"Do you have children?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Have they been checked for the breast cancer gene?"
"The doctor advised us not to have my daughters or granddaughters checked. If the gene is discovered, they will be denied medical coverage."
I was stumped. I am a loud advocate of family history and gene testing as a means of prevention and early treatment. We have an amazing program at UCSF and I feel that every cancer patient (especially in the Bay Area) should know about these programs. But I know what it is like to be without insurance with mounting medical costs. And as I've said before, almost half of my support group is without insurance.
I hope that I am partnered in the lounge with that woman again. I will tell her about June 24 and start my gene test talk again. It's a good day.
Many times I thought this day would never happen. Obama has really come through and after only 14 months in office. Amazing.
Posted by: George Shuput | March 23, 2010 at 12:51 AM
I am so thankful.
Posted by: Ellen | March 23, 2010 at 01:27 PM
Hi there, I just found your blog. I write about my experience as a carrier of the breast cancer gene mutation. I just wanted to let you (and maybe that woman you spoke to in the chemo room) that, even before health care reform was passed, genetic information (such as testing positive for a predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer) could not be used to deny medical coverage on group (but not idividual) health insurance plans. This was ensured by the GINA Act. You can read more about this here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_Information_Nondiscrimination_Act
All best,
Steph H
Posted by: Steph H | March 23, 2010 at 02:15 PM