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NEVER GIVE UP...NEVER GIVE IN! |
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| I was diagnosed with HIV in 2000. In 2002, Bush passed a bill offering company's a huge tax cut if they supplied a minimum health plan to all employees. My job dropped our employee paid plan w/Kaiser & replaced it with a bogus plan called "American Fidelity" that was worthless. I declined to sign up for any of the plans offered, & tried to keep my Kaiser, but was adamantly told it wasn't an option, regardless of my terminal condition. Shortly after, they signed up everyone that didn't choose a plan for the free "bronze coverage" w/out our consent. After receiving the plan package, it was far worse than ever imagined! The only benefits it payed were for bizarre surgical amputation procedures that no one would ever need. A few examples were:$10.00 per finger, $5.00 per hemorrhoid , a grossly insulting $70.00 per breast removal, & at the top of the list, all of $80.00 for a penile amputation!! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. We tried to cancel this so called plan that we never signed up for, and were told we could not cancel for at least a year, or it would be "Insurance Fraud" on our part! Frantic to find a way to continue treatment of my HIV, I tried to re-enroll in a Kaiser personal plan, I was promptly denied due to my preexisting condition! Within a years time, my health declined to the point that by the end of 2003, I was no longer able to work..One year later, after going two years w/out treatment for the HIV, I developed a multi-joint bone disease called Avascular Necrosis, aka AVN , and was unable to even walk w/out the aide of crutches or a walker. Luckily by that point I did some research and found that there were resources out there such as county ID clinics to help with the medical care and prescription coverage for treating my HIV. But little did I know the real battle had just begun. I was in desperate need of a hip replacement, and began the long and hard two year process of jumping through hoops trying to get approved for Social Security/Disability/Medicare, I was referred to the Well Star Indigent Clinic for emergency orthopedic surgery for the AVN. I saw six different orthopedic Dr.'s while there. The first one looked at my MRI in the next room and I overheard him tell the nurse "oh, an AIDS patient, well this one won't be getting surgery!" Then he walked into my room long enough to tell me I had nothing to worry about, that my condition would "heal on it's own!" and walked out in the middle of my asking a question, completely ignoring me as he slammed the door shut! The next five Dr.'s I saw there were in complete agreement that I needed an immediate hip replacement, all amazed that I was still able to walk at all, although screaming out in pain with every step. The ball of my hip joint was just a nub held on by connective tissue. But they would all order new test so when I returned, a new Dr. would be stuck with me. They finally set up an appointment for surgery with the first Dr. at the Resurgeons Group. As I waited for my appointment, I filled out paperwork. When my time came to go back, he must have read my chart, and remembering I was an AIDS patient, sent a nurse out to the waiting area, who announced loudly to the entire room that the Dr. does NOT see indigent clinic patients in his office, and unless I had the cash in my pocket to pay beforehand, I would have to leave immediately! Embarrassed over the discrimination, I left & went by the clinic that made the appt, & they said he had seen patients there on many occasions! That same day I returned home to find my denial letter from SS, saying they saw no reason I couldn't be on my feet all day working as usual...(I was in a wheel chair) So I began the appeal process & 1 year later I was approved for disability. And denied surgery due to my HIV once again! Finally I was approved for the hip replacement by a great surgeon with Emory... I am now able to walk again, and taking things one day at a time, and taking nothing for granted ever again |
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DERECO2000 |
4 months, 1 Week, 1 day, 57 minutes ago |
Personal Story |
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All Votes: 0 |
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