January 2017

Cancerversary

Today is my cancerversary. Eight years ago today I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Ordinarily, I don’t dwell on “what ifs” but this year feels different because republicans are threatening the healthcare of millions of Americans and, if it weren’t for Mary, my coverage would be on the chopping block.

For years, as a self-employed freelance writer, I bought bare-bones private insurance. I had a catastrophic plan with a $10,000 deductible and 90/10 co-pays, meaning I paid 90 percent and the insurer paid 10. Yup, that was my coverage until fall of 2004 when Mary got a job with domestic-partnership benefits. (Thank you Indiana University!) Less than five years later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. On average, treatment for stage II breast cancer costs $100,000. And, double whammy, I was diagnosed twice. First in 2009 and again in 2010.

Medical expenses account for 62 percent of personal bankruptcy

Had it not been for our coverage, which the Indiana state legislature kept threatening to repeal because our relationship wasn’t state sanctioned, I’m guessing we would have sold our home, borrowed from my parents, and/or declared bankruptcy to pay my medical bills. No doubt, our debt and/or demolished credit score would have crippled us financially for the rest of our lives. I’m guessing that today, we’d still be repaying my parents, we wouldn’t be homeowners, and we wouldn’t have any retirement savings.

Mary and I barely escaped this fate. And, when Obamacare passed, I breathed a sigh of relief for all of my fellow freelancers and friends with pre-existing conditions. But now all of that progress is under siege. As humanitarians, we need to protect people’s right to get healthcare without going bankrupt and derailing their futures. I realize I’m preaching to the choir, but I hope you’ll join me in fighting like hell to keep the core provisions of the Affordable Care Act in place, including no exclusions for preexisting conditions and no lifetime payout limits. It’s the humane, compassionate, kind thing to do.