Quality, Affordable Coverage for All...Including People with Celiac!
Posted Jan 27 2009 3:49pm
Over
the last five years, I’ve heard a lot of stories about how hard it is
to get diagnosed with celiac disease. Some patients complain that their
doctors refuse to test them. Some can’t get tested because their
insurance won’t cover the $140 blood test plus the nearly $1,000
endoscopy. Those without insurance simply can’t afford testing.
Others
who have high quality health insurance and received the proper testing
and an accurate diagnosis struggle to follow a strict gluten-free diet
because they haven’t received proper instructions from a skilled
dietitian or a nutritional counselor. Why? Because their insurance will
cover the expensive testing, but won’t cover the $17 nutritional
counseling session. It’s sad, right?
When I was diagnosed with
celiac five years ago, just one session with a dietitian would have
changed my life. I was a junior in college at the time, living in a
dorm room with little access to fresh, natural food. I was like a
prisoner to my college dining hall, where I could eat nothing except
for white rice and coffee. It took me months to figure out what was
safe and unsafe for me to eat at school and even longer for me to
figure out cooking for myself. With the help of my wonderful family and
friends (especially my mom), five years later, I’m happy, healthy and a
fabulous cook!
But not everyone has the same support that I
did. That’s why it is so important that we see major health care reform
in 2009. President Obama has said it numerous times and now it’s time
for all of us out there with celiac disease and other chronic
conditions to let our voices be heard. How, you ask?
Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is the national grassroots campaign organizing millions of Americans to
win a guarantee of quality, affordable health care for everyone in the
United States. HCAN believes that the government should act as a watchdog, setting and
enforcing rules on the private insurance industry so it cannot continue
to charge patients more or deny care based on age, gender, chronic
disease or a pre-existing condition. Everyone in the United States
should have a choice of public or private health insurance with
comprehensive benefits that meet our needs and with costs that are
affordable based on a family’s ability to pay.
HCAN is made up of community members, nurses, doctors, small business
owners, patients, faith-based organizations, patient advocacy groups,
and seniors, all working towards comprehensive health care in America.
This means quality, affordable health care for you!
To date, more
than 175 members of the 111th Congress as well as President Obama and
Vice President Biden have already signed on to the HCAN principles for
reform. Now it’s your turn! Read more about HCAN and how you can get
involved with health reform that will change your life at http://www.healthcareforamericanow.org.
Over the last five years, I’ve heard a lot of stories about how hard it is to get diagnosed with celiac disease. Some patients complain that their doctors refuse to test them. Some can’t get tested because their insurance won’t cover the $140 blood test plus the nearly $1,000 endoscopy. Those without insurance simply can’t afford testing.
Others who have high quality health insurance and received the proper testing and an accurate diagnosis struggle to follow a strict gluten-free diet because they haven’t received proper instructions from a skilled dietitian or a nutritional counselor. Why? Because their insurance will cover the expensive testing, but won’t cover the $17 nutritional counseling session. It’s sad, right?
When I was diagnosed with celiac five years ago, just one session with a dietitian would have changed my life. I was a junior in college at the time, living in a dorm room with little access to fresh, natural food. I was like a prisoner to my college dining hall, where I could eat nothing except for white rice and coffee. It took me months to figure out what was safe and unsafe for me to eat at school and even longer for me to figure out cooking for myself. With the help of my wonderful family and friends (especially my mom), five years later, I’m happy, healthy and a fabulous cook!
But not everyone has the same support that I did. That’s why it is so important that we see major health care reform in 2009. President Obama has said it numerous times and now it’s time for all of us out there with celiac disease and other chronic conditions to let our voices be heard. How, you ask?
Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is the national grassroots campaign organizing millions of Americans to win a guarantee of quality, affordable health care for everyone in the United States.
HCAN believes that the government should act as a watchdog, setting and
enforcing rules on the private insurance industry so it cannot continue
to charge patients more or deny care based on age, gender, chronic
disease or a pre-existing condition. Everyone in the United States
should have a choice of public or private health insurance with
comprehensive benefits that meet our needs and with costs that are
affordable based on a family’s ability to pay.
HCAN is made up of community members, nurses, doctors, small business owners, patients, faith-based organizations, patient advocacy groups, and seniors, all working towards comprehensive health care in America. This means quality, affordable health care for you!
To date, more than 175 members of the 111th Congress as well as President Obama and Vice President Biden have already signed on to the HCAN principles for reform. Now it’s your turn! Read more about HCAN and how you can get involved with health reform that will change your life at http://www.healthcareforamericanow.org.