People started talking about Obama care and brought back this old memory. In 2009 I had a reporter from the Dallas Morning News ride a long to one of my chemo appointments and discussed my views on government ran healthcare. My views on Obama Care have not changed much since 2009. Cost of Care: Woman's hardship is compounded with cancer diagnosis after layoff
02:06 PM CDT on Saturday, September 19, 2009
Amy Townsend, 38, of Hurst, was laid off in July 2008. Then, in June this year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her husband, Jesse, 42, was laid off in August. In 14 months, the Townsends' $125,000 yearly income fell to $37,700 in unemployment compensation.
And because of a tumor in Amy's breast, they're now on the hook for weekly $2,000 chemotherapy treatments. "I'll be fine, as long as I can afford to get the treatment," Amy said.
The cancer caught her by surprise. She has had cysts before, but they were drained and determined nonmalignant. Amy's father was adopted, and it was only after her diagnosis that Amy learned that his biological mother died of breast cancer in her 50s.
The Townsends are insured, with help from the federal government, but overwhelmed. This month, they started getting family groceries through their church's Angel Food Ministries. They pay $30 for a week's worth of food for themselves and their 8-year-old daughter, Katie.
Jesse worked as an equipment purchaser at ATT. The family coverage under his policy has been extended for 18 months under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, known as COBRA.
Monthly insurance premiums are $1,200, but because of subsidies provided in the Obama administration's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Townsends will pay $300 a month for the next nine months. The subsidized COBRA payments stop in June 2010. Jesse sees it as a deadline for finding another job: $1,200 a month, let alone $2,000 a week, is unimaginable.
So they network nonstop, talking to friends, neighbors and church members about job leads. His resume is posted on nearly every Web site promising an opportunity. He is motivated by cancer's threat.
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(c) 2009, The Dallas Morning News
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