Five year old Kyler Is Dying of Cancer Because His Insurance Company Refuses to Pay For Treatment!

So often during the health care debate, you'd hear some people say.  "I want my doctor making my health care decisions, not the government!" It was almost as if they really believed their doctor was in charge. 

When the sad truth is that Doctors in the American Health Care System are mere "Advisors" and the Insurance Companies are Now and Always have been the "Decider's".

Take the case of  five-year-old  Kyler Van Nocker...

When Kyler was only 2 1/2 years old.  He was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, which is a very rare form of childhood cancer that targets the nervous system and creates tumors throughout the body.  Kyler was successfully treated at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and it seemed as though the young boy had his childhood back.  Unfortunately however, the cancer returned in September of 2008.

Kyler's Doctor along with a team of medical experts prescribed MIBG Therapy.  A treatment that has been used very successfully in Europe.  Doctors said the boy needed this treatment if they were going to save his life.

In direct contradiction of the advice of medical professionals however, the HealthAmerica Insurance Company, a division of Coventry Health Care*  denied the treatment, calling it  "experimental"  and  "not medically necessary."  -  Which of course in layman's terms means  -  it's too expensive.  

The company is obviously engaging in the time honored industry practice of  "Delay and Deny".  A tactic frequently used with expensive cancer treatments in the hopes that,  in the meantime -  The Patient Will Just Die!

This is a perfect example of why our  "For-Profit"  Health Care System is Terminally Flawed.

As a self-employed small business owner, most of my adult life, I definitely believe in Capitalism and Free Enterprise, but not when it comes to Health Care.  Profit motives should have no place in the human health care system.

As a society,  Our Humanity causes us to spare no expense when it comes to treating beached marine life, wounded animals or endangered species.  But somehow we manage to look the other way when  Men, Women and even Children fall through the cracks of our profit driven health care system.

 Now I ask you, How Sad is That?


*The Dow Jones Newswires reports today that Coventry Health Care's fourth-quarter earnings rose 24%, beating profit expectations, as overall membership rose while medical costs fell.

"Coventry's medical-loss ratio, or the percentage of premium revenue used to pay patient bills, declined [to] 83.2% from 83.8% a year earlier and 84.4% in the prior quarter," notes Dow.

This has helped boost Coventry Health Care's profits to $109.1 million, or 74 cents a share, up from $88.2 million, or 60 cents, a year earlier. Revenue increased 15% to $3.43 billion as premium revenue rose 17%.

According to CNBC, Company Chairman and CEO Alan F. Weiss stands to make $23 million in salary, compensation and bonuses.

How nice that little five-year-old Kyler Van Nocker was able to help with that.  Kyler's mom and dad and the entire Van Nocker family must be proud.  -   Just Thinking


 Please feel free to comment below or email me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted.

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire! - The Top Lies of 2009!

The following is a blog post I started to write in late December of 2009.  Since I failed to finish it at that time.  It's been sitting in my "Draft File" until now.  When I finally completed it.

As an American, I believe in the Constitution, and I believe in freedom of speech.  I also believe we're all entitled to our own opinion, but I don't believe that were entitled to our own set of facts.  Truth after all is Truth And Lies Are Lies!   We should always endeavor to remember that a half truth - is a whole lie.  With that thought in mind, let's look at some of the biggest lies and fabricated deceptions of 2009.

"The Birther Movement"  This is the ridiculous notion that Barack Obama is not really a citizen.  It's ludicrous I know, and yet the rumor still persists.  I just got an e-mail about it the other day.  This of course is spurred on by conservative talk-show hosts, right-wing Republicans.  And of course Sister Sarah  (Palin).  This despite the fact that even our conservative Supreme Court has declared his birth certificate to be valid.

"The System Worked!"  said Cabinet Secretary and head of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, with reference to the failed Christmas Day bombing event. -Yes it's true, even Democrats try this, but at least she knew enough to retract the statement hours later. 

"Health Care is Socialism"  No - Health Care is a basic Human Right!  (or it least it should be in an ethical society)  Bailing out Wall Street bankers while they collect million-dollar bonuses.  Now that's Socialism!  Unless of course you believe that socialism is only for the rich and capitalism is only for the poor and uninsured.

"DEATH  PANELS" " Sarah Palin claims on her Facebook page that  "The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil."

-- No Sarah, such a Lie is downright evil and you should be ashamed of yourself !  -- Needless to say, none of the health care bills before Congress ever contained anything even remotely similar to a Death Panel.  It takes a Devious and Evil mind to conjure that one up, but Sarah was apparently up to the task.  - Just Thinking...

Note:  The  "Pants on Fire"  graphic is from the St. Petersburg Times,  PolitiFact.Com  website.

Please feel free to comment below or email me direct at eddieoreilly@hotmail.com and your comment will be posted.