Posted on 03/15/2010 3:01:31 PM PDT by American Dream 246
Natoma Canfield is 50 years old. She was diagnosed with cancer 16 years ago. She quit her job or was laid off 12 years ago. She has reportedly held odd jobs cleaning homes the last few years. Natoma was paying $5,000 a year for her insurance but dropped it after it went up to $8,000. She wrote president Obama in December to tell him about it. She was worried she might lose her home. Some people might say she’s lucky to still have a home after losing her job 12 years ago.
President Barack Obama is introduced by Connie Anderson, sister of cancer patient Natoma Canfield, who wrote the president saying she gave up her health insurance after it rose, prior to speaking about health care reform, Monday, March 15, 2010, at the Walter F. Ehrnfelt Recreation and Senior Center in Strongsville, Ohio. (AP/Charles Dharapak)
Barack Obama came to Ohio today to prop Natoma up on stage with him. But, Natoma Canfield couldn’t make it. She is back in the hospital. (Our prayers for a quick recovery) She is getting cared for despite the fact that she has no insurance. She’s not out on the street. She’s not a statistic like Rep Alan Grayson would have you believe. Natoma is getting the care she needs. Her sister met with Barack Obama instead.
It was a bad day for Obama’s health care props.
UPDATE: Barack Obama talked about Natoma’s mortgage today… Natoma is living in a house her parents built. Something isn’t adding up.
UPDATE: Major Kong added this:
Canfield, who had breast cancer 16 years ago…”
Lets see, if my rudimentary math skills don’t fail me, that would mean she was diagnosed at age 34. How fortunate for her that the current American Cancer Society recommendations for regular mammographies only after age 50 weren’t in effect then. She’d probably be a dead woman today if Obamacare had been in effect then.
several questions.
First, $8000 a year for insurance isn’t that outrageous. That’s under $700 a month, which has to be cheaper than paying for cancer treatment. I am healthy mid-30s guy and just got a quote for $425 a month. Still high but not outrageous.
Second, why is she not eligible for existing government programs for low income. If her income is high enough, why not pay for care. Especially true if she has no home payment. That’s less than most rent.
Third, How would this bill lower costs. Since we all will pay for coverage of people for pre-existing conditions, her rate will be higher than $8000, as will all of us.
If she was that poor as they are trying to make her out to be then she should qualify for Medicaid.
How come she couldn’t manage to get a job for 12 years?
Is she back in the hospital with cancer??
Even $5000 is hefty....
Something isn't addding up...
For some reason people believe that everything is supposed to be free. Why do I believe that she would be upset if she cleaned some ones home and then they didn't pay her. But it is fine that she takes thousands of dollars in cancer treatments and she isn't paying. I gues her oncologists work isn't as important as a house cleaners.
$5000 a year for Health insurance is not alot ofmoney for a woman with a history of cancer. It is only $416 month. This is way less than most people pay for health insurance. If she had the $8,000 policy in effect it would have paid for itself ten times over already. The $8,000 policy is only $666 a month. A lot less than 1 Chemo treatment.
Big scam. Big lie.
Obama says everything should be free!
“Why do I believe that she would be upset if she cleaned some ones home and then they didn’t pay her”
Hey—your absolutely right. Now I demand the right to have someone clean my house for free. I’m sure it’s in the Constitution.
Prayers for Ms. Canfield.
You mean Obama is a liar?
Glad somebody is showing class. Prayers indeed.
As Charles Krauthamer just said, Diogenes would be proud of obama.
Yes, an outright LIAR.
Joe Wilson pegged him long time ago as one......he was right...yet admonished for saying such. Please admonish me, kkthx.
Folks,
Republicans can easily destroy the “health care reform” bill right now; if they will but repeatedly and emphatically declare:
IT WILL KILL OUR STRUGGLING ECONOMY.
If every prominent Republican who attends a presser or gives an interview emphasizes that one crystallized point; then the political pressure and citizenry push-back against wavering Democrats in the House will be enormous and irresistible.
Economy Killer = Jobs Killer. And the case can easily and succinctly be made that this new colossal entitlement mandates massive new taxes while hobbling the medical industry. It legislates new taxes on personal incomes and medical devices that will IMMEDIATELY go into effect. RAISING TAXES DURING A RECESSION will obviously hurt the economy. So as unpopular as this crappy bill already is, it can be made much more so with simple clarion emphasis regarding its destructiveness to the American economy.
The American people already hate what the bill stands for (the rotten substance of the bill) as well as they hate the corrupt process that has produced it. Now it needs to be branded into the national psyche that IN THE NEAR TERM the bill will obviously cause personal financial harm to everyone. - If Republicans will simply apply immense pressure to this one point (using the new CBO numbers on the “reconciliation / fix it” bill as a new cause for alarm), that will end the ball game. There is no way Pelosi can secure wavering votes in the House if the Republicans concentrate on the message that this bill is instant poison to our ailing economy.
“If the Health Care Takeover Bill becomes law, it will make one of the worst recessions we’ve ever experienced much worse.”
PS: This is NOT the same as arguing that the deficits that the bill is sure to generate will be crippling and therefore unsustainable in the long run. – That message has been lucidly conveyed, and it has found profound resonance with the public. Rather, there has not been the emphatic and persistent argument that the bill will do serious harm to TODAY’S jobs and to TODAY’S economy.
absolutely...
Text of the Letter from Natoma Canfield to President Obama
December 29, 2009
President Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear President Obama
I am 50 years old. I was diagnosed with carcinoma in-situ 16 years ago and following my divorce 12 years ago I became self-employed. After my Cobra ran out I was able to find costly, but affordable health insurance. As a responsible individual, I have struggled to maintain my individual coverage and have increased my deductible and out of pocket-limits in an attempt to control my cost and keep my health insurance.
Last year (2009) my insurance premium was increased over 25% even though I increased my deductible and out of pocket to the highest limits available. I paid out $6075.24 in premiums, $2415.26 for medical care, $225 in co-pays and $1500 for prescriptions. I never reached my deductible of $2500 so the insurance company only paid out a total of $953.32 to my providers.
I must repeat, in 2009 my insurance company received $6075.24 in premiums and paid out only $953.32! Incredibly I have just been notified that my premium for next year 2010 has been increased over 40% to $8496.24 ($708.02 per month)!!!! This is the same insurance company I have been with for over 11 cancer free years!!!
I need your Health reform bill to help me!!! I simply can no longer afford to pay for my health care costs!! Thanks to this incredible premium increase demanded by my insurance company, January will be my last month of insurance.
I live in the house my mother & father built in 1958 and I am so afraid of the possibility I might loose [sic] this family heirloom as a result of my being forced to drop my health care insurance. The health insurance industry technically has not denied me insurance directly, but indirectly they have by increasing my costs. They perceive me as becoming a higher risk factor to them despite being a loyal customer. I will never be able to obtain new health insurance due to the lack of real competition.
We are talking about Anthem who apparently has no respect for your attempts to reform the health insurance industry.
Please stay focused in your reform attempts as I and many others are in desperate need of your help.
Sincerely,
Natoma Canfield
Natoma Canfield
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/03/15/im-here-because-natoma-0/letter-text
CC: many
Note that 5 days ago, they supposedly did not know what was wrong with her. Funny how she can’t make it now. I don’t trust Obama or her. I feel bad that anyone is sick, but I don’t trust her. Her pain and sickness is NOT A VALID REASON to destroy the medical system of a major nation. Government by pathetic anecdote is asinine. This lady gets sick, and 300 million people have to suffer?
You can pray for someone and not have to swallow their story, hook, line and sinker.
She is renting herself out in order to help get something passed that will be catastrophic for all of us, and given the Democrat penchant for using people and manufacturing stories, I don’t think it is a stretch to give this close examination.
“in 2009 my insurance company received $6075.24 in premiums and paid out only $953.32!”
This is the problem with health insurance. People don’t view it as INSURANCE, but instead as prepaid medical care. Hence they feel “ripped off” when their benefits don’t at least equal their premiums paid. No one has this mentality with homeowners or auto insurance. Most people HAPPILY pay a premium that exceeds their payout since that implies they didn’t get into an accident or catastrophic damage to their house, hence they didn’t need to rely on insurance to pay for such events. But they had the peace of mind of knowing that IF they had experienced any of those events, their coverage would have significantly eased what otherwise could have been an unaffordable financial burden.
A person with a history of cancer especially is at risk of hospitalization or other care. This woman lucked out: her bills amounted to less than $2500. But IF she had needed hospital care, surgery etc. her insurance would have been there for her. Instead of being grateful for her good fortune, this women is whining about being ripped off. Insurance clearly doesn’t work if everyone expects to use medical benefits that match the amount paid in. The whole idea of insurance is to pool RISK, not pool expected expenses. If everyone takes out what they put in, they’d be better off cutting out the middle man and paying for their own care directly.
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