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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMan taken off of transplant list due to lack of insurance
PORTLAND, Maine A man in need of a kidney was denied a transplant due to his age.
Thiwat Thiwat discovered that his kidneys were failing during his senior year at Deering High School four years ago.
Thiwat was a member of the schools 2013 state championship team, but a year later, he found out that his immune system attacked his kidneys.
His kidneys are now only functioning at 1 percent.
Hes enrolled in college full-time and also has a part-time job. He was relying on Mainecare, but was recently cut off when he turned 21.
Thiwat is no longer qualifies for the kidney donation list because he doesnt have health insurance.
more
http://www.wmtw.com/news/man-in-need-of-kidney-denied-transplant/39764878
madokie
(51,076 posts)no insurance companies allowed in the mix. That is why we need to elect the man from Vermont. He can get us there. Nothing stopping that from happening except for not having the leadership to guide us. The will is here
CurtEastPoint
(18,680 posts)dembotoz
(16,865 posts)B Calm
(28,762 posts)spanone
(135,924 posts)heaven05
(18,124 posts)who is this inddividdual to have an expectation of a long normal life, without the venerated $$$$$
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)TexasBushwhacker
(20,250 posts)kidney disease. It's the only disease specifically covered by Medicare for all persons regardless of age. He will still be covered by Medicare after the transplant too.
REP
(21,691 posts)And if the prognosis is terminal within a relatively short period, the waiting period can be waived as well. Not posting to be an ass; sometimes random bits of stuff can be useful to other people
You are totally correct; he automatically qualifies for Medicare and someone screwed up!
Texasgal
(17,049 posts)It takes a minimum two years to get Medicare. Time is of the essence in these cases.
herding cats
(19,569 posts)I'm sorry for your situation! It shouldn't be a case of navigating 1000 layers of borocratic tape at a time like that.
I wish you, and he, the best in your personal trials. It shouldn't be like it is, but I'm sure you understand that all to well.
Snarkoleptic
(6,002 posts)People are considered profit/loss centers rather than human beings.
We are some sick puppies for allowing this!
Recursion
(56,582 posts)SickOfTheOnePct
(7,290 posts)But why is everyone blaming the insurance companies on this? They didn't cut him off, the state of Maine did.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)Reading this story I was very surprised that Maine has not expanded Medicaid, which would have provided coverage in this case. Apparently Maine is the only New England state not to expand Medicaid.
"We have vetoed Medicaid expansion five times," LePage said in his weekly radio address, according to the Maine Public Broadcasting Network, "and we will veto it every time electioneering politicians try to bring it up."
LePages vow comes as two Republican state senators are pushing for a Medicaid expansion bill, citing the states problem with abuse of prescription painkillers and heroin, an issue that has been growing nationwide.
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/264401-maine-gov-vows-to-veto-obamacares-medicaid-expansion
Standard Republican cruelty on this issue.
kag
(4,079 posts)LePage is such an ass.
20score
(4,769 posts)fought the day they found out the public option was sold out for the entire year prior. They said people who wanted the public option or single payer were children who wanted ponies and didn't understand life or politics.
They all have blood on their hands. Every fucking one of them...and since it's between 30 and 35 thousand a year who die from the cost of, or no insurance - it's around a quarter of a million people who died because of those hypocritical assholes. They think like children, who can't admire, they have to worship. I truly despise them. (They also lost us the House and being assholes of highest quality, blamed everyone but themselves. The ones who could have saved it, if they were capable of critical thinking and decency.)
kag
(4,079 posts)And all of the back-room deals going on. The Democrats who trusted their reps in Congress to do the right thing got SO cheated. One of my own two Dem senators was among the worst (Bennett, D-CO).
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)mountain grammy
(26,666 posts)The shame of all governors who haven't accepted the Medicaid expansion. Murderers, torturers, and all around hateful human beings.
IronLionZion
(45,628 posts)Elections have consequences
ryan_cats
(2,061 posts)It says in one place he was denied because of his age which is what 20?
Then it says down lower because of lack of insurance. I am thinking it is no insurance. Nice to see some faceless bureaucrat gets to decide someone's fate.
kag
(4,079 posts)He just turned 21, and was taken off of Maine's insurance program (about which I know nothing) because he was no longer a juvenile.
Gene Debs
(582 posts)NorthCarolina
(11,197 posts)That's why we need a true humanist like Bernie to turn things around for that group of folks TPTB consider "undesirables" or in some instances "super predators".
jwirr
(39,215 posts)until you are 26? Or applying for ACA on your own?
Octafish
(55,745 posts)These are the wealthiest times in human history. Shame on all who can do something and don't.
Doctor_J
(36,392 posts)Better than Medicare, Medicaid, CRA AND VRA combined (actually claimed at du)!
SammyWinstonJack
(44,130 posts)REP
(21,691 posts)Covers dialysis, transplant and post-transplant drugs.
Texasgal
(17,049 posts)that's all.
REP
(21,691 posts)Though most ESRF patients have been in CRF for more than two years.
Fairgo
(1,571 posts)What do we stand for again?
Texasgal
(17,049 posts)My husband is on a liver/kidney transplant list he's in stage 4 failure. We could not even be considered without insurance, as a matter of fact that is the one of the first determining factors when you go for listing. Must have insurance.
I just cannot imagine what this poor kid is going through. *cry* Organ failure in any capacity is a terrible thing to go through.
Rex
(65,616 posts)just wander off and die. Predatory capitalism means never having to feel guilty about someone dying, because you wanted to make a few bucks of their corpse.
malaise
(269,278 posts)I'm a businessman - it's what we do (after wishing for the housing collapse because he'd be able to buy cheap).
malaise
(269,278 posts)Lady Blah Blah
hopemountain
(3,919 posts)even though it is illegal to sell body parts - universities, hospitals, institutes and scientific/medical labs have found a way to make money: they only select transplant candidates with a high success profile.
why? because if their transplant patients do not survive the transplant and the hospital or medical facility has a high rate of "failures" - they are less able to attract monstrosity size donations. large donors do not like to have their donations and names associated with high "failure" rates.
of course, the candidate must fulfill or meet specific criteria to qualify for the donor list - first, all of their organs must be as high functioning as possible.
here are a few more of the determining criteria: there are many expensive tests for determining the donated organ acceptance rate of the potential candidate, the overall health of the potential candidate, the current functioning status of the failing organ, and of course how the entire process will be paid for/covered.
of course there are more criteria to add to the equation and it may vary with institutions.
for example, at age 41, my husband suffered a stroke and congestive heart failure following a viral infection which settled in his heart. he had a 50/50 chance of living 6 months - but he pulled through.
he was sent to a research hospital where luckily (yes, luck is huge in the transplant business) was assigned an awesome cardiologist who coached him through the entire screening process to qualify for a heart transplant and got him on the transplant list. he continued to maintain his health and heart function for 6 more years.
the month before 9/11, we discovered that one of his heart medications had been mixed up by the pharmacy. we don't know for how long he had been taking a diabetes med with a similar name instead of the key heart support med he needed.
when this was discovered, the cardiologist ran tests to assess for any damage. yes, in 2 months time (since his last heart function test) his heart function rate had decreased by 50% more than what was acceptable to be on the list - so, he was dropped from the list.
my husband lived 8 more months. he passed at the age of 47. incidentally, he passed the same year cheney had his transplant.
this young man's family might consider looking at other medical facilities that offer kidney transplants. they do vary in determining what is acceptable / considered for transplants.