OCR Text |
Show 245 But then to complicate matters the individual who does seek treatment is too often then pushed down the cliff of poverty - it seems there is an inequality in health insurance coverage. For some reason, diseases of the brain are not covered with the same enthusiasm as diseases of the heart or pancreas. I am a shy person by nature. I do not like to be in any sort of spotlight. I prefer sitting in the quiet comers of restaurants and under the cool shade of tall oaks, watching others. Butnow peopleare writing me with desperation etched into the pages. They are asking for my help. I am filing these letters as they come, issue by issue, column by column. I had no idea there were so many people out there fighting these battles. There is the sad note from the young couple whose tiny child requires 24-hour care they alone cannot provide - they are number 527 on the state's waiting list for critical services. There is the phone call from the young man diagnosed with brain cancer whose insurance will not allow a prescribed follow-up MRI to determine disease progress. There is the older man who lost his disability insurance income because he tried too hard to appear "normal," even though his doctor still forbids his employment because of his severe heart disease. Column by column. Issue by issue. There are so many issues. / When he asked me to marry him, my husband thought he was getting someone demure. Last week, I actually growled. |