The tragedies of Daniel Connell, 35, Minneapolis/Target beer guy/badass

By artappraiser on Fri, 12/28/2018 - 7:36pm |

There is so much tragic, ordinary, & important about Daniel’s story. 40% who are diagnosed w cancer will lose their life savings within 2 years.

Millions who believe they have employer coverage really just have #GoFundMeHealthCare until we change. https://t.co/kAtTP5523A
— Andy Slavitt (@ASlavitt) December 28, 2018

URL:

http://www.citypages.com/restaurants/the-tragedies-of-daniel-connell-35-minneapolistarget-beer-guybadass/503608241

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I lost my house to medical debt in 2009. My kids and I were homeless. I worked my ass off to pull us out of demoralizing poverty. That house was never worth my son's life. And he had excellent insurance. #ACA #crohnsdisease #mamabear
— Heathir (Register to Vote) (@mckee_heathir) December 28, 2018

Patient Advocate working to #ProtectOurCare & save #ACA w/Congress., Cancer Survivor & Lupus Warrior

.@ASlavitt is 1000% correct. This. Must. Change.

With all of us working together in the 116 Congress, we must make affordable & accessible health care our #1 GOAL.

There are way TOO many people like "Daniel".

I will continue going to DC to #ProtectOurCare https://t.co/KQhH7a1OmS
— Peter Morley (@morethanmySLE) December 28, 2018

a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a contributing editor for the Atlantic.

Wait until we see more Republican “skinny” plans. Bankruptcies will mushroom.
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) December 28, 2018

Fun fact abt chemo & employer healthcare. When you run out of paid medical leave, your also employer stops paying their share of your premiums. In my case that was $795/mo. Within 16mos, I was borrowing to pay basic expenses. 10 yrs later, I am still $30k in debt.
— R. Sterling Dew (@dewsterling) December 28, 2018

by artappraiser on Fri, 12/28/2018 - 7:47pm

There are still plenty of gaps in coverage and what Medicare will pay for as well. It’s not the silver bullet it’s made out to be. Great option for some, not the best solution for all. I hope we can agree universal coverage/access/affordability are required & remain open on how
— Karyn Entzion (@mnomgirl) December 28, 2018

Agreed- like the ACA-w subsidies-before provisions were stripped. Private payers not the sole/primary driver of costs. How do you address costs from other stakeholders- or those that are non-profit? Why not Medicare as opt-in? And how will it pass? Be open.
— Karyn Entzion (@mnomgirl) December 28, 2018

No debate. Just ? on how. Agree w outcomes & healthcare needs to be fixed- yes people are dying! Why is Medicare4all the ONLY answer? will it address ⬆️ cost of care, or drugs? High hospital fees? transparency? Lack of competition? How to pay? Get it passed? Why not early opt-in?
— Karyn Entzion (@mnomgirl) December 28, 2018

This was one of the issues upon which ACA compromised to get a bill through - it has been a gaping hole in our system for decades. How does the devastation of family wealth even show up in today's healthcare system performance?
— Linda Ireland (@lindaireland) December 28, 2018

In 2008, when I was diagnosed with CML and then an underlying mitochondrial disease, we were ready to retire. Over the next 10 years I’ve spent our entire life’s savings - $1.76M to stay alive. We had the best POS plan offered by our MCO and we still have nothing left. A disgrace
— Thomas Macpherson (@tmacphersonNH) December 28, 2018

by artappraiser on Fri, 12/28/2018 - 8:03pm

A McClatchy public service effort I just happened across now:

HELP LIFT A BURDEN FOR THOSE WHO SERVE

Military families—even those with VA benefits—often face health care bills they can’t pay, raising their risk for depression, substance abuse and suicide.

That’s why we’ve launched The War Within Initiative to abolish millions in military medical debt. Every dollar our readers contribute to RIP Medical Debt, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, forgives $100 in unpaid medical bills.

DONATE NOW

then there's these other stories

Medical Debt And #Gofundme : Friends And Strangers Step In Where Insurance Lags : Shots - @NPR

-> the copays and high deductibles have left many people with health insurance they can't afford to use.https://t.co/7iAkoIsFmq #healthcare #insurance pic.twitter.com/6tr9Phuzjf
— Frank Kumli (@frankkumli) December 28, 2018

"It's a random act of kindness, a no-strings-attached gift," said Craig Antico, RIP Medical Debt's co-founder and CEO.

The charity says it has erased $475 million in debt for more than 250,000 people since it was founded four years ago. https://t.co/LORNWlMxFN
— NBCWashington (@nbcwashington) December 25, 2018

9,200 people in 40 northern Michigan counties had $8.9 million in medical debt canceled this holiday season https://t.co/ojA0qBlUUR
— Crain's Detroit Business (@crainsdetroit) December 29, 2018

by artappraiser on Fri, 12/28/2018 - 8:22pm

On the current Medicare situation:

Here's How Much the Average Couple Will Spend on Health Care Costs in Retirement

By Elizabeth O'Brien @ Time.com/Money April 19, 2018

The average couple retiring today at age 65 will need $280,000 to cover health care and medical costs in retirement, according to an annual estimate by Fidelity, released Thursday.

The good news is that the figure is up only 2% from last year’s estimate of $275,000, a smaller-than-average increase. The bad news, of course, is that it’s still a huge number, reinforcing the fact that Medicare coverage is neither free nor completely comprehensive.

Fidelity’s estimate assumes that both members of the couple are 65 and on Original Medicare, not a private Medicare Advantage plan. The $280,000 includes premiums for Part B doctor coverage and Part D drug coverage, out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles, as well cost-sharing requirements for drugs. It also includes certain services and devices that Medicare doesn’t cover, such as hearing aids [....]

by artappraiser on Fri, 12/28/2018 - 8:35pm

dupe deleted

by artappraiser on Fri, 12/28/2018 - 8:45pm

Kaiser Family Foundation on medical debt among the insured in 2015:

[....] as previous surveys have shown, insurance is not a panacea against these problems. Roughly one in five of those with health insurance through an employer (19 percent), Medicaid (18 percent), or purchased on their own (22 percent) also report problems paying medical bills. In fact, overall among all people with household medical bill problems, more than six in ten (62 percent) say the person who incurred the bills was covered by health insurance, while a third (34 percent) say that person was uninsured. Among those with private insurance (either through an employer or self-purchased), their plan’s deductible makes a difference in ability to afford health care bills, with those in higher deductible plans more likely to report medical bill problems than those in plans with lower deductibles1 (26 percent versus 15 percent) [.....]

from

The Burden of Medical Debt: Results from the Kaiser Family Foundation/New York Times Medical Bills Survey
Published: Jan 05, 2016

by artappraiser on Fri, 12/28/2018 - 8:43pm

FWIW, on Indiana:

Outgoing Dem senator warns his party: When you talk 'Medicare-for-all,' you 'start losing the people in my state' @CNN https://t.co/dMTFqWYNUk
— David P Gelles (@gelles) December 29, 2018

by artappraiser on Fri, 12/28/2018 - 9:02pm

One replier of interest:

He’s right that using loaded terms like “progressive” in Indiana is nuts, as it is in much of Minnesota. But explain single payer to the average voter and it makes a lot of sense.
— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) December 29, 2018

If saving money is a conservative idea then single payer is conservative. What we have now is a rip off.
— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) December 29, 2018

by artappraiser on Fri, 12/28/2018 - 9:31pm

The tragedies of Daniel Connell, 35, Minneapolis/Target beer guy/badass

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