This will break your heart - Man was prepped for liver transplant & insurance denied him right there

[jillan]

Welcome to Brewercare!

This happened in November, I just heard about it today:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:





Ariz Man Denied Life Saving Liver Transplant
State Medicaid Plan Won't Cover His Procedure
POSTED: 11:22 am MST November 16, 2010
UPDATED: 12:01 pm MST November 17, 2010
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68% are OUTRAGED | Comments (64)
PHOENIX -- A Valley man was in the surgery room, prepped and ready for his life-saving liver transplant when doctors told him the state's Medicaid plan wouldn't cover the procedure.
Francisco Felix, who has Hepatitis C, has been on the waiting list for a new liver since April, his wife said. A liver became available and Felix was ready for surgery at Banner Good Samaritan Hospital.
Arizona's medicaid agency, AHCCCS, which has recently cut funding for some services, refused to pay for Felix's surgery.
AHCCCS no longer cover liver transplants but not for patients with Hepatitis C, according to Jennifer Carusett, a spokeswoman for AHCCCS.
The cuts were part of the Republican-lead legislature's plan to balance the budget, which Gov. Jan Brewer signed. The policy change took effect Oct. 1.
"I don't understand how she (Brewer) has the heart ... how this one person can make such a difference to all of us," said Sandra Felix, Francisco Felix's neice

The liver Felix hoped to receive Tuesday was directly donated to him by a family friend who suddenly died Monday. But because Felix could not come up with $200,000 by 10a.m. Tuesday, the liver was given to someone else. Felix went to the hospital hoping AHCCCS would fund the operation on an emergency ruling.

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150146789585159&id=532180158
The person who posted it on their facebook page didn't post the original link - sorry. AHCCCS is Arizona's Medicaid program.
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How can the same people who deny life saving transplants call themselves Pro-Life?

[Hannah Bell]

1. you know, hep c -- it's associated with bad people who deserve to die for their sins.

[REP]

17. Well, and it always recurs in the transplanted organ, leading to poor long term survival rates

It's a disease that absolutely will recur, along with kidney failure. Not all liver diseases recur with transplant, but HepC sure as hell does. With limited resources, organs and dollars, and I can understand why this line was drawn - but drawing it while the patient is being prepped for surgery is just beyond awful.

[Lyric]

24. That reasoning would hold a lot more water with me, except

that the organ was directly donated to HIM by a family friend. It wasn't a random organ donation from a stranger--it was specifically donated to HIM. Sure, it still saved a life--but it didn't save the life that it was INTENDED for. Would the donor still have wanted to donate if he knew that his friend would be denied the transplant like this? That's a sticky question.

I don't know that I am comfortable with the idea that, if I decide to donate half of my liver (for example) to a friend who needs a new liver, that my body part can be taken away and given to a stranger WITHOUT my permission if my friend can't cough up enough money for the surgery. It's one thing if you (or your family, on your behalf) donate randomly to whoever has the greatest need, knowing that a stranger will receive the donation. It's entirely different when it was a private donation that was then usurped for another patient because the beneficiary of the donation couldn't pay to receive it. It makes me wonder if the family of the guy whose liver was donated was asked for permission before the organ was diverted to a new patient--or if they'd ask the permission of a living donor (half a liver, a kidney, etc.) before doing something like that.

This is just wrong on many, many different levels.

[truedelphi]

38. IT BOTHERS ME THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT REIMBURSED FOR THEIR DONATED

ORGANS. It doesn't have to be a cash reimbrusement, but simply a level of service type of reimbrusement.

I give part of myliver to help save someone, then offer me ten years of care at that hospital.

[Hannah Bell]

25. in europe five & 10 year survival rate for hcv transplant patients = 70 & 60%.

"After liver transplantation, HCV reinfection is almost constant. At 3 years, about 50% of the patients have a normal graft or mild lesions, 45% of the patients have chronic hepatitis and only 5% develop severe lesions. The 5-year rate of HCV-related cirrhosis on the graft is about 10%.

The 5 and 10 year patient survival rate in Europe is about 70% and 60%, respectively, which is comparable to that of patients transplanted for other non-malignant liver diseases. Patients should be informed of the risk of HCV recurrence and its potential consequences before transplantation."

http://www.hepatitis-central.com/hcv/hepatitis/consensusstatement99.html.

That is significant life extension; & considering that transplant candidates typically have significant cirrhosis, the 3-year result of only 5% with severe lesions & 50% "normal" or "mild" is also a good result.

in this case the person had a dedicated donated liver (I don't understand how it was that the liver specifically donated to this person was given to someone else, actually).

It was an absurd & cruel decision, & the wholesale banning of transplants for hcv medicaid patients is also absurd & cruel.

[MedicalAdmin]

39. Like teachers and prison guards and cops and ...

[RKP5637]

2. Third world banana republic. n/t

[itsrobert]

3. Just do a google search highlighting keywords

http://www.kpho.com/news/25811486/detail.html

[TommyO]

4. Brewer's death squad, at it again.

[UndertheOcean]

5. What I don't understand is why the hospital did not do the transplant anyway ?

Save the man's life then worry about the money.

[Warpy]

8. Right, so a man gets prepped and an organ gets wasted

instead of saving a life.

I hope that piece of shit is proud of her work.

There's nothing to shut down organ donations like the prospect the organ might be shipped to a state with a Republican governor where it will be wasted.

[knitter4democracy]

12. It wasn't wasted--someone else got it.

Transplant teams usually have two or three patients waiting on standby, should anything happen and they need to give the organ to someone else.

Still, what a waste. This is just plain stupid.

[Warpy]

15. That vicious harpy would be on death row for this

if our country hadn't lost its collective mind 30 years ago and still hadn't gotten it back.

[Jokinomx]

6. Only in America. Thanks to the republican bastards that will

support the wealthy and cut the poor.

Damn I hate living in the U.S. sometimes. The richest country in the world. Lot of good that does the a working class.

[JVS]

7. Another reason not to donate. Fucking medical mercenaries.

[TheKentuckian]

9. C'mon man! Give the gift of life to someone with loads of ca$h and the best insurance!

[jillan]

10. From what I heard, that's exactly what happened. His friend's liver went to someone else.

His friend died thinking he was saving his buddy's life. How sad is that?

[JVS]

11. No. I'd rather they died too.

[Patiod]

31. I posted to Kentuckian - please don't discourage donation

Do you really think discouraging donation is smart? There's already a shortage of compatible organs because certain communities have been convinced that organs only go to the rich. So you're going to pour gas on this fire?

My young cousin was too sick to work, and his wife bartends (their only source of income). I'm guessing the state of MA has decent insurance (but I don't know). My cousin is alive today ONLY because he got a heart last year from a donor family who didn't believe this sort of bullshit that only the rich get transplants.

So tomorrow you, your spouse/partner, your kid, your mom/dad need a transplant. Hope the donor they need doesn't believe that "only the rich will get their organs"

[Patiod]

30. My young cousin (not rich) is alive thanks to a recent heart TP

I have no idea how he got insurance - don't know the insurance situation is in MA, but he was not able to work the past few years and his wife is a bartender, so I doubt it was through work, and his family isn't rich, so it wasn't self-pay.

Some New Yorker died, the family did a great thing, and somehow Tim got his heart (note to any alarmed New Yorkers: don't worry, Tim is a fan of the Phils, not the Sox).

Please don't even joke about discouraging people from donating.

My cousin was close to death when the donation came through. He lost several good years in the prime of his life because of the scarcity of donor hearts.
:rant:

[TheKentuckian]

32. I'm close to people who have been impacted by organ donations and give regularly

I also spent five years dealing with dialysis patients, a few of which were blessed to get a transplant.

That doesn't mean I don't understand why a story like this isn't very discouraging.

I'm glad your cousin was taken care of, I am deeply concerned about the folks that aren't as fortunate like this man who was essentially executed for lack of coverage and/or wealth.

[Patiod]

35. Most people on DU are sensitive and discerning, but

the message should be "cover everyone" and "no death panels" instead of "only rich people get organs", because the latter message depresses donations.

Sorry I'm so adamant - I'm sort of evangelical about donation.

And I'm hoping by "I give regularly" you are referring to blood, and not organs.....(fellow blood donor here :) )

[TheKentuckian]

41. Money to the state transplant organization (KODA) and blood.

Not hocking organs yet, lol.

[Ilsa]

13. McCain's Arizona Death Panel was hard at work last year, led by Jan Brewer. nt

[Beaverhausen]

14. Wasn't this family featured on Keith's old show?

[TuxedoKat]

29. Yes

along with about three other people. The website to donate for him is:

http://www.ntafund.org/find-a-patient/profile/index.cfm/patient/64ADC421-B335-9083-CFE3BE233ABC7ACC

I donated in Dec. Very sad to see that his donation amount hasn't moved up that much. Guess I'd better chip in some more.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

16. When are those fuckers going to realize that we already have death panels.

They are the fuckers putting profits over humanity: Health insurance.
United Health Care's CEO made like 4 billion dollars one year after everything was said and done (not the actual amount, but it WAS Ridiculous like that). Stop and think for a moment how many people had to die so that he could make that much.
Duckie

[ejpoeta]

18. when it is them being denied. plain and simple. my brother insisted

that it wasn't true that people are being denied coverage for pre=extisting conditions. i brought up the baby that was born with a problem and the insurance wouldn't cover it because it was pre=existing. he thought it was a lie. fucking faux news!

[cliffordu]

19. Maybe his wife should just cut the one out of his insurance agent.

Works for me.

[jillan]

20. That would be Brewer... lol!

[HughBeaumont]

21. It doesn't break my heart. It makes me fucking SICK.

Universal Health Care NOW!!!! Stop fucking around on this.

[slipslidingaway]

22. "...Universal Health Care NOW!!!! Stop fucking around on this..."...

:applause:

[jtrockville]

23. Uniquely American. USA USA USA

[NuttyFluffers]

26. Private Death Panels! Murder for Profit!

insurance companies are of the devil, and against pro-life!

(any other RW memes that can be subverted here?)

[Enthusiast]

27. Brewer, Walker, Kasich,

they're all the same.

[LanternWaste]

28. Death Panels.

Death Panels.

We know where they really are... not in some super secret government bogey room, but in the offices of accountants and adjusters on the 25th floor of the Prudential/MetLife building.

[Exultant Democracy]

34. Death Panels is right. As a rule the things that rethugs scream about

are the things that they are secretly wetting their pants to do.

[Paradoxical]

33. Man, fuck Republicans.

Fucking assholes.

[Blue Owl]

36. There's your GOP death panel right there

Fucking hypocrites.

[walldude]

37. So this is what we will get when States

come up with a "better" health care plan? Yeah, thanks.

[PA Democrat]

40. Jan Brewer is a monster.

That poor family. I can't imagine the heartbreak.