January 2018 marked the implementation of an executive order previously signed by President Trump which would reshape the Affordable Care Act. A major game-changer was that agencies could now find additional ways to increase competition and choice in health care. There is no argument about the dangers that frequently accompany monopolies. However, a far-greater danger may be the failure to address what’s lurking in the shadows and waiting for an opportunity to hurt you when you are most vulnerable.
My husband (88 years old) and I are both senior citizens. We found this out the hard way. My husband is an honorably retired Black American Army veteran (WWII Occupation and the Korean War, enlisted in 1948), diagnosed with kidney disease and on hemodialysis. I am a retired school psychologist and counselor (31-years in three states). I am now his caregiver, and the author of a new, non-fiction book, Patient or Profit: Where Is The Love?
This book is written from the perspective of a caregiver. It chronicles our journey as we fought “prior authorization process barriers” used by the U.S. Government and Big Pharma, which denied him legitimate access to a life-saving pharmaceutical drug requiring a medical prescription. My book reveals how this happened, presents strategies to overcome barriers, and challenges federal agencies to write and enforce regulations which will stop this unjust discrimination.
In a world filled with chaos and confusion, Patient or Profit: Where Is The Love? is a survival manual, serving as a wake-up call for those who continue to believe that you will always get what you think you paid for. Your health insurance plan might not always “have your back.”