Kay Hagan has accepted far too much money from health insurers and pHarma. But the real problem is no publicly-mandated control on campaign spending and 503 PAC influence-peddling. So politicians seeking tenure feel entirely justified accepting what amount to bribery in campaign fundraising, compromising all morality in a race to the ethical bottom. Free speech is not money, and money is not free speech – money is too-often a vehicle for bribery, plain & simple, and its use in political campaigns should be entirely outlawed.

Just wait until your private health insurer decides your wife cost then too much to insure and jacks up your rates or drops you with some bogus excuse.

It will happen one day since insurance is for profit and sick people are not profitable. When they do dump you, I pray there is a public option so you can buy coverage from the government.

I wish you the very best of luck in fighting your battle with cancer. It is something that no one should have to go thru. However I do find it rather interesting when you say “Well, none of them will ever have to worry about what it’s like to be at the mercy of the insurance industry when your life hangs in the balance…” How come you are so willing to put your life to the mercy of the government when they have a terrible track record of managing things? Do you want the government deciding whether or not it is “worth it” to cover the medical costs? This is a reality. Check out the Canadian and European model. Not everyone is covered for everything all the time. If they feel your cancer has advanced to far they will not cover your expenses. My wife has RA and she takes injections every 4 weeks. The cost is about $3600 a month which my insurance company covers all of it. I have no doubt that if we had public plan that there is no way that the government will approve this treatment. Be careful for what you wish for, because you may just get it. Your contempt for insurance companies is clouding your judgment.

Making progressive noises then voting to protect big insurers’ profits is like spraying a little room deodorizer on the mess the cat left in the middle of the living room carpet. It might feel good, but it won’t help much.

My sister, who lives in Canada was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) in September–a disease that, without expensive treatment, is an almost immediate death sentence. (Our mother died of it 23 years ago.)

Because my sister was cared for under a single-payer system, plus an inexpensive supplemental policy (like our Medicare works), her 10 months of treatment (much of it spent in the hospital), for extensive rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and finally a stem-cell transplant–well over a million dollars worth of treatment–cost her approximately $1000, for a single room, rather than a double. Wonderful care, and I’m happy to say that she is leukemia-free, with an excellent chance at life.

Kay Hagan, Olympia Snowe, Diane Feinstein, Mary Landrieu and others–listen up! You may have a policy (courtesy of the government) that gives you wonderful coverage like this, but so many of the rest of us do not. Those of us with pre-existing conditions, unable to get good, reasonably priced coverage, live in fear every day that we will be be diagnosed with a disease that will leave our families destitute. Where is the empathy and understanding??!!
Thanks for your great article…

I’ve been NED for 5 years,but it took 4 years to get over the side effects of the chemo treatments. I have been very lucky with my fight with cancer but not with my personal fiances. Even with excellent health insurance it cost us our saving, investments and my company.

I was recently informed by NC BC that they would NOT accept me even though I have had BC in another state for 20 years. I have no hope that I will be able to buy insurance from any other insurance company in NC.

I relayed all of this to Sen. Hagen last month and received a non-reply reply. The woman is a coward.

Best of luck in your visit ladies, all of us are supporting your efforts.