Patients Under Pressure: Profiles of How Families Affected by Cancer Are Faring in the Recession - Kaiser Family Foundation

Patients Under Pressure: Profiles of How Families Affected by Cancer Are Faring in the Recession - Kaiser Family Foundation

The report shows many of the problems cancer patients face during a recession including:

• The obstacles to continuing coverage through COBRA;
• The difficulty in finding an insurer who will sell them non-group coverage;
• The limited availability of public coverage;
• The medical debt that patients can incur and the delays in care they often suffer if they are uninsured even for short periods of time.


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Adult Cancer Survivors & Psychological Distress

Adult Cancer Survivors At Increased Risk Of Psychological Distress

ScienceDaily (2009-07-29) -- Long-term survivors of cancer that developed in adulthood are at increased risk of experiencing serious psychological distress, according to a new report. ... > read full article

In Their Own Voice

A great way to understand the current debate on health care reform is to listen to your own elected leaders discuss the need for real reform. We'll post links to interviews with Ohio leaders in Congress as they become available.

Below are links to recent interviews with Ohio's senators, George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown with their takes on finding ways to make health care affordable and available to all Americans.

Click here to watch interview with Sen. George Voinovich

Click here to watch interview with Sen. Sherrod Brown

Obama's 8 Points About Health Care Reform

President Obama has developed an 8 point list of key requirements for a new health insurance system to provide affordable coverage for all Americans.

* No Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.

* No Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays: Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.

* No Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.

* No Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.

* No Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.

* No Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.

* Extended Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.

* Guaranteed Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.

There are many additional details being worked out and it appears we may not see progress until after the August recess, but he probably felt it was important to get these points out to counter all the misconceptions and myths circulating about health care reform.