Posted on 08/16/2009 8:50:10 AM PDT by tosh
In President Obama’s recent speeches and in his editorial in the New York Times today, he has continued to mention the sad case of a man who lost his health coverage during life saving chemotherapy and consequently died because he did not disclose a previous condition of gallstones.
Quoting his editorial in the New York Times, “A man lost his health coverage in the middle of chemotherapy because the insurance discovered that he had gallstones, which he hadn’t known about when he applied for his policy. Because his treatment was delayed, he died.”
Unfortunately for the president, the story is not true. The man received his life saving operation and lived an additional three years. The man in question is Otto Radditz, an Illinois businessman. He became a central focus in a hearing on June 16th entitled “Terminations of Individual Health Policies by Insurance Companies” held by the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in the Energy and Commerce committee. His sister, Peggy Radditz, testified on his behalf. She testified that the insurance company Fortis dropped his coverage right before a life saving stem cell transplant because he failed to notify the company of pre-existing gallstones and an aneurysm.
Soon after, he was mentioned all over the left blogosphere as having perished because he did not receive this treatment. For instance a blogger on Slate states “Otto Raddatz, a restaurant owner in Illinois, was rescinded in 2004 by Fortis Insurance Co. after he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Fortis said this was because Raddatz had failed to disclose that a CT scan four years earlier had revealed that he had an aneurism and gall stones. Raddatz replied—and his doctor confirmed—that he had never been told about these conditions (the doctor said they were "very minor" and didn't require treatment), but Fortis nonetheless refused a payout until the state attorney general intervened. The delay in treatment eliminated Raddatz's chances of recovery, and he died.”
http://www.slate.com/discuss/forums/thread/3054423.aspx
The president was quick to pick up this meme and it has become part of his health care reform stump speech and at his town halls. The only problem with his narrative is that Otto Raddatz received his treatment and lived another 3 years. According to the meeting transcripts found at
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090616/transcript_20090616_oi.pdf
starting on page 4, “… Otto Raddatz was a 59-year-old restaurant owner from Illinois who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system. He underwent intensive chemotherapy and was told that he had to have a stem cell transplant in order to survive. With coverage provided by his individual insurance policy, he was scheduled to have the procedure performed. But then his insurance company suddenly told him it was going to cancel his insurance coverage. Otto could not pay for the transplant without health insurance. The stem cell transplant surgery was cancelled. The insurance company told him that it found when he applied for his insurance, he had not told the company about a test that had shown that he might have gallstones and an aneurysm, or weakness of the blood vessel wall. In fact, Otto's doctor had never told him about these test results. He didn't have any symptoms, and these conditions did not have anything to do with his cancer, but the insurance company was going to rescind his policy, effectively tearing up the contract as if it never happened and it would not pay for his stem cell transplant. Otto made a desperate plea to the Illinois Attorney General's Office seeking help to get his insurance company to reverse its decision. He told them, and I quote, ``I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It is a matter of extreme urgency that I receive my transplant in 3 weeks. This is an urgent matter. Please help me so I can have my transplant scheduled. Any delay could threaten my life." The Illinois Attorney General's Office launched an investigation, confirmed that Otto's doctor had never even told him about the test findings and sent two letters to press the insurance company to reinstate his policy. The company relented and Otto received his stem cell transplant. He was able to live 3 more years before passing away earlier this year.”
Now certainly the insurance company looks bad in this instant and should have not rescinded the policy. But why does our President need to embellish and outright lie to try to bolster his case. His arguments should stand on there own merit.
Every thing the messiah says is lie’s what’s new
a lie by this administration
I’m shocked
ARF
Will the media pick up on this?
course not, the media have been so pathetic that I cannot even call them a free media or a job which deserves respect anymore
All of Obama’s lies need to be pointed out as often as possible. Eventually even the dumb people will catch on that Obama is a fraud.
Truth to the Left is that which advances their goals. Factuality is irrelevant.
Just another way Barry is using deception and false “sob stories” to push a liberal, socialist and wreckless agenda. With the media in his corner, he has an ally.
Hussein’s a liar.Now *there’s* news.
Strange—when’s the last time a sitting president got to write an Op-Ed for the NYT, WaPo, etc?
It’s about time the NYT ran an 0bama editorial to balance all those NYT editorials by George W Bush.
So, this guy lived 3 years longer than he would have, under Obamacare!
For the longest time I did not understand the phrase “Speak truth to power”. I finally figured it out a while ago. It is so applicable with this administration.
Good catch!
Well, it’s obvious the man can’t win the argument with the TRUTH. Lies are his only hope.
Has anyone caught the President telling the truth?
True, but note the "story" doesn't say when the tests revealed the gallstones and aneurysm. The guy could very well have purchased health insurance to get treatment for those conditions, perhaps not knowing he had Hodgkins.
For all the angst about insurance companies not covering pre-existing conditions, there is another side to the coin: people who don't bother buying insurance until they get a costly illness.
I was just thinking the same thing.
In my 50 plus years on earth I can't recall a sitting President writing editorials for a newspaper.
This ignorant arrogant socialist bastard is in way over his head and needs to be removed from office.
Spreading lies and fear just like he accuses his opponents
LOL
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