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Joined 3 years ago
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Cake day: June 14th, 2023

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  • It’s not about “sacrificing comfort.” It’s about literal survival for a lot of people.

    PERSONAL STORIES:

    Example #1: My nephew needed a heart transplant within days of being born. He is on very expensive drugs for the rest of his life. The only reason his family can afford it is because his dad’s work pays for really good insurance. His dad is basically a prisoner at work.

    Example #2: I have bipolar disorder. My one medicine is $1,500 a month without insurance. I get suicidal without it. The only reason we can afford to pay is because of my husband’s job and related insurance. He is basically a prisoner at work.

    OTHER STORIES - JUST INSULIN:

    • Alec Smith (Age 26, Minnesota, 2017): After turning 26, Alec aged out of his mother’s insurance plan. His monthly insulin costs were estimated at $1,300, prompting him to ration his medication. He was found dead in his apartment from diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) shortly after.

    • Josh Wilkerson (Age 27, Virginia, 2019): After aging out of his stepfather’s insurance, Josh could not afford the $1,200/month cost for his prescription insulin. He switched to a cheaper over-the-counter version, which was less effective and led to fatal complications.

    • Jesse Sheerer-Radcliffe (Age 21, Minnesota, 2019): Jesse died after rationing his insulin due to the high cost, a case his father highlighted as a “ridiculous”, preventable loss.

    • Antavia Lee Worsham (Age 22, Ohio, 2017): Antavia struggled to afford her $1,000/month insulin costs and supplies after turning 18 and losing state coverage, resulting in her death from DKA.

    • Shane Patrick Boyle (Age 48, Arkansas, 2017): A comic book writer who struggled with costs, Shane was $50 short on a GoFundMe campaign for his insulin and died from DKA just days after his mother passed away.

    • Monique Gabriel Moses (Age 26, 2017): After losing her job and insurance, Monique rationed her insulin to make it last, resulting in her death.

    • Jesse Lutgen (Age 32, 2018): After losing his full-time job and insurance, Jesse rationed his insulin, which was later determined to be from a “black market” supply of left-over insulin from a deceased friend.

    Source: https://rightcarealliance.org/activities/insulin/




  • Reading the article might help:

    Although young people in the UK are offered a meningitis vaccination that protects against certain strains of the disease, since 2015 only infants have been vaccinated against MenB, which is one of the most common causes of meningitis among teenagers and young adults, said Nutt.

    Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, England, said that while some countries offer a MenB booster vaccine to adolescents, the results of cost-benefit studies mean that UK officials decided not to do so.

    The UK decided not to give boosters to teenagers despite knowing the risk to young adults who attend universities. This is a systemic failing on behalf of the government, not the fault of those who got infected and died.