Health care

Baucus tailors health reform provision for asbestos-stricken Libby

By MICHAEL JAMISON of the Missoulian | Posted: Thursday, April 1, 2010 6:15 am

LIBBY - If the nation's new health care bill has a hometown, it must be Libby, Mont., and if it has a face, it must be the face of Red Busby.

Last year, Busby lost his wife to cancer, despite years of treatment that "left me with a mountain of bills."

Her cancer, he said, was considered a pre-existing condition, and so the insurance companies wouldn't touch her with a 10-foot policy.

Busby himself is diagnosed with serious asbestos disease, and "it's getting harder to take a breath and get the oxygen I need."

He's on a fixed income now, unable to work, and after basic expenses lives on less than $200 per month. Much of Busby's health care is paid for by W.R. Grace and Co. - the mining outfit that left this town riddled with asbestos - "but I have fears that they will discontinue my coverage when they have gotten out of bankruptcy."

"Thank goodness," Busby said, "for Max Baucus."

Baucus is Montana's ranking Democrat, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and in many ways architect of America's new health care plan. It's no accident that the bill carries special provisions for Busby, and for many more of his Libby neighbors.

Op-Ed from MDP Chairman Jim Elliott: Good Medicine


MDP Chairman Jim Elliott
March 30, 2010
 
Good Medicine

Amid all the fear and confusion being promoted by those who are opposed to the passage of health care reform, one essential question is ignored; “should the good health of Americans depend on how much money they have?” We partly answered that question and set a standard thirty-five years ago when we created a medical insurance program for Americans over 65—Medicare. Not many of us remember what old age was like before Medicare; for many, getting old was something to fear. People over 65 who could not afford medical coverage died earlier than those who could, and often in squalid and horrific circumstances we would not wish on anyone.

Opponents criticize Rehberg’s vote on health bill

By CHARLES S. JOHNSON IR State Bureau | Posted: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 12:00 am

Most of Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg’s challengers have blasted his vote against the health care reform bill Sunday, while one GOP rival, Mark French, said he also would have voted no.

Rehberg, seeking his sixth term this year, faces four Democratic opponents and two GOP opponents. Here are their reactions to Rehberg’s vote on the health-care bill:

Democrat Tyler Gernant of Missoula said he favored the bill, realizing it isn’t perfect, and vowed to work to improve it if elected.

“After over 40 years of attempting to make real reforms to the health care system, I am proud to have witnessed the passage of this historic bill in Congress,” he said.

Rehberg fought for “his party’s salvation” but forgot the 160,000 Montanans lacking health insurance, Gernant said.

Healthcare Homefront: Excerpts from Senator Tester's Emails

The below story is from a series of emails Senator Tester sent to his distribution list to highlight the importance of health care reform. These are real stories from real Montanans, and their experiences show how the health care reform legislation now being debated in the U.S. Senate will benefit other Montanans in similar situations.
Stay tuned this week for more stories from real folks around the state.

HEALTH CARE HOMEFRONT #4
"Nothing left"
Name:  William Simonsen
Home:  Bigfork

Bill Simonsen, a writer and editor from Bigfork, was diagnosed with lymphoma back in 1996.  Fortunately, he had health insurance.  But it wasn’t enough to protect his family from the high cost of treating the cancer.

Bill has been in remission for several years now. But now he has “nothing left.”

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