Posted on 07/29/2017 4:29:10 PM PDT by Vigilanteman
Most days, Joe Cato is confined to sitting in a chair or lying in bed, heavily medicated or asleep, debilitated by back pain thats left the 41-year-old husband and father of four unable to work, attend seminary, or run his construction business. He has degenerative arthritis in his lower back and pelvis, a condition brought on after years of working on construction sites as a stonemason and hauling music gear as a worship leader in his church. Even riding in a car is painful, which he must do to get to his health-care provider 30 miles from his home in Waxhaw, North Carolina.
Joe is one of the many victims of Obamacare. His doctors say he needs surgery to repair the nerve damage in his lower back and pelvis, but his insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield, wont cover it. In most of North Carolina, including Union County where Joe and his family live, Blue Cross is the only health insurer still offering coverage on the exchanges established by Obamacare. The only treatment Blue Cross will cover for Joe is pain medicationa battery of prescription drugs he must take daily, including what he calls comatose-inducing muscle-relaxers and opioids.
When people call it being between a rock and a hard place I call it choosing between a firing squad and burning at the stake, Joe says. If he doesnt take the drugs, hell end up in the emergency room because of the pain. If he does take them, hes useless as a functioning member of society. I dont want to pick either.
(Excerpt) Read more at amac.us ...
The explanation is really very simple: Drug addicts vote Democrat in overwhelming numbers.
People with your kind of health problem do not.
On this farm, some animals are just more equal than others. What's so hard to understand about that?
North Carolina? Did he vote for Mr. Obama?
Well, as someone who has been through the same thing, I can safely say he is being over medicated. He doesn’t need meds to put him in a lethargic state and as bad as degenerative arthritis sounds; it’s something most of us have. It’s the normal degeneration of joints which is worse in people who work physically hard or exercise vigorously like running.
It’s also why people who work jobs like construction should be allowed to retire at 60 with full social security pay especially if they make it that long doing that kind of work.
Also as someone who has been through 3 back surgeries in which none of them fixed the problem permanently; I’d advise this person to see several different doctors and at least one specialist who is not a surgeon. Surgeon’s always want to do surgery; it’s just what they do. In 50 years there may be a cure for this kind of thing but today there isn’t one. Only temporary fixes.
He should look into the cash only hospital in Oklahoma for his surgery and pay cash. I hope he does.
Also I hope he looks into medical tourism. It need not be nearly as costly as our bloated insurance fed health system in the US charges.
Correction: it will pay for your opiods until you are addicted. Then, it will label you an addict and cut you off in the hopes that you find a way to doctor-shop them and then the government will arrest you and brand you a felon.
As explained in “Atlas Shrugged”, the government doesn’t want good citizens. It wants controllable subjects. Arrest records and convictions are a great control tool.
If he does take them, hes useless as a functioning member of society.
what nonsense...
i think this is a 100% bogus story:
1. “The plan is designed to provide general primary care, and little else”
there are no such plans. ALL obamacare plans have to cover exactly the same stuff, ranging from sex-change operations and hormones, to fertility treatments. That’s why obamacare is so insanely expensive. The only difference in plans is how much you pay each month, how big your deductible is, and the network of providers.
2. “His doctors say he needs surgery to repair the nerve damage in his lower back and pelvis”
it’s not possible to “repair” nerve damage.
3. “The surgery involves burning the nerve out of the hip joint, easing inflammation and allowing it to move without causing pain”
bullshit medical terminology and description
4. “But it took too long to properly diagnose the problem and schedule surgery before the familys coverage with Aetna ended.”
bullshit. “Joe” started the tests in the summer, meaning probably 6 entire months to get diagnosis and scheduled treatment. Most doctors, clinics and hospitals are highly aware of insurance deadlines and such, and usually will move heaven and earth to help you within the restrictions of your insurance.
Atlas Shrugged was right about a lot things.
Ayn Rand had her shortcomings like anyone but she had statists and the corrupt dialed in just right.
Atlas Shrugged was right about a lot things.
Ayn Rand had her shortcomings like anyone but she had statists and the corrupt dialed in just right.
Atlas Shrugged was right about a lot things.
Ayn Rand had her shortcomings like anyone but she had statists and the corrupt dialed in just right.
Incisive commentary...
And take all of your firearms...
Same thing happened to my Dad. My parents had to sign up for an Obamacare plan (didn’t want to, but had no option if they wanted to avoid the fine). It was a lousy plan that covered almost nothing when his back went bad and he had to undergo surgery.
Dad still has back problems and the plan will pay for almost nothing. He is still walking on a cane and they lost tens of thousands of dollars.
Obamacare ruined my parents financially. They are living examples of what a disastrous plan it is.
There are plenty of “health care providers” in rich, suburban Waxhaw and nearby superrich Marvin. He doesn’t have to drive 30 miles.
This is precisely what ObamaCare was supposed to do. To break the system to point that people will demand Single-Payer.
its not possible to repair nerve damage.
They probably mistated it. Often bone in the vertibrae pinch nerves causing pain. Removing some bone can eliminate the pain.
As one who has had knees scoped three times, twice doing more harm than good, I agree. If your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
Anybody else remember Barky’s speech where he told Grandma that she might have to take a pill instead of getting that expensive surgery?
This is exactly what Barky promised.
Mark
Trust me, no they won’t move heaven and earth.
Just went through similar things over a ‘dancer’s fracture.’
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.