Guaranteed Healthcare

My family owns a small business but I am also a father who has spent countless hours fighting insurance companies trying to get proper healthcare for my special needs son. My small company provided group health insurance for our employees till 2 years ago when the sky rocketing cost forced us to drop it. Now my wife and I are insured through the Texas Risk Pool because 3 private insurance companies denied us coverage because they could cherry pick and decided we weren't profitable. My special needs son now receives Medicaid.

I am trying to be brief but I have so many stories of frustration. We already have socialized medicine because the insurance companies tell the doctors what treatments or medicines you need. There was big write up in the Dallas Morning News in the last year detailing many cases where doctors could not get the appropriate medical care for their patients because insurance companies continually denied or kept recommending less expensive alternatives where a more expensive surgery or procedure was needed.

In my case, my son required speech, occupational, and physical therapy and it was a constant battle with the insurance companies to get approval. Towards the end before Medicaid, every therapy claim had to be appealed because of denial, letters had to be sent to Texas Department of Insurance for assistance, and letters to U.S. Labor Department because my employer at the time (a Fortune 100 Telecommunications company) was a self-funded ERISA who used a private insurer to process claims.

The last story, 5 years ago I went on vacation to Greece. I failed to get my Lipitor refilled before leaving so I stopped at a pharmacy in Greece. I was able to get a month prescription of Pfizer Lipitor in the box for the same price as my co-pay in the U.S. On our way back we stopped in Switzerland & I decided to go to a Swiss pharmacy to see about my blood pressure medicine. Same story, I got a 3 month supply for less than the 3 month co-pay I paid in the U.S. Yes I paid less in Switzerland where the cost of living is such that it cost us $30+ for 3 value meals at McDonalds.

We pay too much for our medicines in the U.S. Then you read stories how drug companies have transferred patents to foreign countries where they pay little taxes on their profits. We need another option instead of FOR PROFIT Insurance companies. That is why I strongly support President Obama in attempting to supply a public option insurance and if it's run by the government, so be it. We have had excellent care of my son with Medicaid. My mother had both knees replaced through Medicare without a problem. With the support of groups like this and finally a leader who has put a priority on this problem, I am finally hopeful that something will be done.

 Sincerely, Danny W.