Dear President Obama,

[proud2BlibKansan]

Dear President Obama,

Thank you for your leadership on Healthcare reform. This is a very personal issue for me. It’s not abstract. It’s not optional. You see, my youngest son, Woody, has been severely disabled since birth. He spent his first 6 weeks of life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Such a unit costs up to $50,000 per day. It is a staggering sum to start life. Since then, he has been hospitalized dozens of times, and had numerous surgeries. His last unexpected hospitalization over Christmas 2008 was over 30 days long. His surgery was over 11 hours. We estimate the costs of that stay to be in excess of $560,000. Getting true costs are almost impossible, given how hospitals bill, how insurance companies pay, and how these things are reported to us, the consumers. We may never know the full cost.

Additionally Woody is fed through a gastronomy tube (G-Tube). He is unable to get any nutrition orally. His food is a special, prescription, liquid diet costing over $1,800 per month. Every month. For life. It will only get more expensive as he grows and requires more.

If you’re getting the impression that my medical bills are astronomical, you’re partially right. I am one of the lucky ones. I have coverage through my employer (for now). My insurance company (United Healthcare) does an admirable job of denying claims and refusing payment. Luckily, my son also qualified for Medicaid here in North Carolina -- he had the G-Tube, shunt tubes in his head, and a tracheostomy so he got in on the “3-Tubes” loophole -- so his out-of-pocket costs are close to zero. But that could change in an instant. North Carolina is considering changing the Medicaid guidelines which would make Woody ineligible. My company is being acquired by another, and I may lose my job. Either one of those things would mean I lose my insurance, and Woody loses his. If he were to get sick again, I’d lose my house and everything I own or ever hope to own. As it stands, Woody is getting dangerously close to his “lifetime maximum benefit” with United Healthcare at which point they will refuse any more claims for him for the rest of his life. He’s 11, and though no one knows how long he will live, it will certainly be longer than United Healthcare will cover him.

In addition, and more frightening, I am uninsurable. With Woody’s history, I could not get insurance on the “Free Market” for any amount of money. Ever. No one will take on a family with a kid that has already cost millions of dollars. He is a pre-existing condition. The daily struggles to care for Woody are nothing in comparison to the fear that I will one day not be able to pay for the care he needs in order to survive. To be blunt, without insurance to pay for his food, Woody will starve to death. For me, and for my family, this is a life or death struggle. The fear of losing my insurance is a daily nightmare.

more . . .
http://davidgs.posterous.com/

[BlooInBloo]

1. :(((((

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Click on the link and check out the pictures.

:cry:

[BlooInBloo]

7. Was too early in the morning for me to click on it earlier.

:(

[HopeOverFear]

3. I sure hope he sent this to President Obama. That is heartbreaking.

and Obama needs to read it.

[babylonsister]

4. Obama gets letters like this daily. I bet the letters,

combined with the stories he heard daily on the campaign trail, have shaped his thinking.

He has been too bipartisan for us, but the fat lady hasn't sung yet. I remain hopeful.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. I too remain hopeful

[inna]

5. we don't need insurance coverage, we need Universal Health Care, period.

which is something that the rest of the civilized world takes for granted.

i'm deeply disappointed with this insurance reform.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. Me too

But reform is better than what we have now.

[samsingh]

8. kivk

[Cha]

9. Yes, so many people need the

Public Option.

[Divine Discontent]

11. thank you for sharing. k&r