The Battle
Tracie Revis two-year battle with Hodgkins Lymphoma also meant a fight with the health care system. Here she describes how she struggled to ensure treatment almost every step of the way. Enlarge video
Two Years Later
Tracie Revis talks about what she has learned after fighting cancer while not covered by insurance. She warns not to let a lack of health care coverage compromise your health. Enlarge video
KU law student Tracie Revis has had to battle Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer. But some of her worst experiences in the process have been in dealing with the health insurance system.
When Tracie Revis started her fight against cancer more than two years ago, she didn't expect to take on a health care system ill-equipped to handle an uninsured 20-something.
After rounds of chemotherapy, radiation treatment and a stem cell transplant, it's still one of the few battles Revis has yet to win.
In fall 2005, as a newly enrolled Kansas University law student, Revis was forced to withdraw from class after doctors discovered a large mass in her chest. On Christmas Day, the now 30-year-old Oklahoma native's illness was diagnosed as Hodgkins lymphoma.
As a student, Revis didn't have health insurance. So she fell back on Indian Health Service, federally funded care provided to Americans Indians. But Indian Health Service didn't have the resources to cover her medical needs. She didn't qualify for Medicaid, was told she had the "wrong type of cancer" to receive assistance from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services and heard from hospitals that they had already taken their quota of uninsured patients. Letters to senators and state representatives didn't help, either.
The results were that Revis was denied care, had her treatment put on hold as her tumor grew and eventually took on more than $150,000 in medical debt to avoid compromising her health.
"I don't have parents to cover my bills. I don't have a lasting employer to cover my bills," Revis said, "and the system doesn't allow for someone of my age and my status to be covered."
Uninsured in Kansas
Now in remission, with freshly grown black hair, sparkling blue eyes and an easy laugh, Revis could have been the poster child for National Cover the Uninsured Week. The campaign - a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation - ended Saturday.
The event has received little attention in the past. But this year, with recession in the air, a presidential race in full swing and gathering grass-roots support for universal health care, a series of events was conducted throughout northeast Kansas.
Among them were three presentations at the Kansas University Medical Center, made possible through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Last Tuesday, Corrie Edwards, executive director of Kansas Health Consumer Coalition, stood before a lecture hall full of doctors and nurses in training.
She mapped out the landscape of Kansas' uninsured. There are nearly 300,000 of them, or roughly 10 percent of the population. And, like Revis, almost half of the state's uninsured are between the ages of 19 and 34.
Armed with recently published statistics from Families USA, Edwards said more than three working-age Kansans die each week because of a lack of health insurance.
The uninsured are likely to become more ill and die sooner than those with health insurance, she said.
"We all know it is unsustainable to continue down the path we are on. We can't continue to do this," Edwards said.
Fighting the system
Without a doubt, a lack of health insurance compromised her health, Revis said.
After the tumor was discovered in Revis' chest in November 2005, she had to negotiate with Indian Health Service before a biopsy was performed. Then, it was finding an oncologist and coverage for chemotherapy. It was a hard task without proof of insurance to back her. Finally in March - more than three months after the mass was found - she began treatment.
By that time, 75 percent of the tumor that was cut out in December had grown back and her cancer had hit Stage III - it had spread into her lymph nodes on both sides of her diaphragm.
Eventually, Indian Health Service agreed to cover the biopsy and the first few rounds of chemotherapy.
Insurance through a job at the University of Oklahoma's Health Sciences Center and Indian Health Service helped cover part of her treatment when her cancer relapsed and she underwent a stem cell transplant the following year. But she also had to pick up a substantial tab.
And by the end of last summer, after a 30-day stay in the hospital to recover from the transplant, Revis' work had ended, and she was planning to return to KU.
Then came the call from her doctor that not all the cancer had left. Revis decided to push ahead with school - juggling radiation treatments at Lawrence Memorial Hospital with classes at KU. She wore a wig and informed her professors of her health.
This time around, she decided to forgo the bureaucratic dealings for fear it would delay care. So she took on the cost of radiation and follow-up treatment. To date, her medical bills range in the $150,000 to $200,000 zone. That's on top of debt from student loans.
With a recent checkup that showed she was cancer-free, Revis is heading to Washington, D.C., this summer as a Native American Congressional Intern with the Morris K. Udall Foundation.
Among her areas of interest will be working on the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
With bachelor's and master's degrees and her work on a law degree, Revis said she had the education and drive to fight the system.
"And, I still had to suffer, I still had to endure the constant fighting, the self-advocating, the waiting," Revis said.
Comments
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mom_of_three (anonymous) says…
Situations like this should never happen in this country. good luck and health to you, Tracie
sunshine_noise (anonymous) says…
Your fore-fathers would be very proud of you. I pray their spirit provides you with the strength and stamina to pursue this fight and the fight for your life. Best wishes to you Tracie - hope you read this.
KEITHMILES05 (anonymous) says…
The basic question was never asked of her WHY did she not have insurance. Being a student you can get it realatively cheap. It was irresponsible on her part not to have it.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
"I don't have parents to cover my bills. I don't have a lasting employer to cover my bills," Revis said, "and the system doesn't allow for someone of my age and my status to be covered."------------------------------Perhaps it should have been explained in greater detail, Keith.
Confrontation (anonymous) says…
Yes, because we know that all students are super rich and should be able to afford everything. Obviously, some posters had mommy and daddy to rely on.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
This is the policy that's available to KU graduate students--https://www.uhcsr.com/Public/ClientBrochures/2007_200118_1_Brochure_v4_print_061907.pdf
HootyWho (anonymous) says…
When i was a student, i didn't have healthcare, couldn't afford it, can't hardly afford it now, I didn't have help from mom and dad either, and i took a chance because i had to, not cause i wanted to, Doesn't anybody think it sucks that a person could die because they have no insurance? Arent we the richest nation on earth????
guesswho (anonymous) says…
We have way too much dependence on employer based insurance. Puts too much of a blame the victim mentality for those who do not have insurance as part of their benefits package.
alchemist (anonymous) says…
That insurance that KU offers to graduate students is a complete and utter joke. Essentially, nothing is covered under the policy and they find a way to get out of paying any of their part nearly everytime I've needed to use it. I can't imagine having to deal with all of this....My guess is even if she had the insurance it would have bounced her out because she would have hit her limits way too soon. Let alone the fact that is covers nothing.
flux (anonymous) says…
Good luck Tracie
flux (anonymous) says…
Keith are you stupid enough to make silly comments like that AND give your real name out Mr Miles?
dorothyhr (Dorothy Hoyt-Reed) says…
Sometimes employee insurance stinks. When my brother found out he had renal cancer, the insurance didn't cover much, plus he soon couldn't work, and couldn't afford to continue the insurance. Fortunately, his doctors did have room for an indigent patient. They did all they could for him, but renal cancer is almost impossible to beat.Hang in there Tracie. Contact the cancer groups. They can't always help individuals, but they can find groups who can.
torcia (anonymous) says…
When I was a law student at KU I did have the student insurance. It was horrible. An emergency surgery and 9 days in the hospital left me with 30k that the insurance company didn't cover. Thankfully the hospital wrote off the balance. I feel for her.
JustBecuz (anonymous) says…
I have the priveledge of knowing Tracie, and know the she actually has beautiful GREEN eyes, not blue. Nevertheless, I am glad people have countered the comment by Keith. Tracie, as most American Indians, did have insurance through Indian Health Service, however it was not sufficient. IHS still had to seek the funding and was not able to cover many of Tracie's expenses. Additionally, when they do cover something, it is for that specific purose and anything else discovered must also be approved. I witnessed Tracie struggle just a couple of months ago when she was feeling sick and had to seek out a way to get a CT covered under IHS or another means. She stressed about it daily and made numerous calls and inquiries herself to get the procedure covered. And when she did make it work out,it had to be in Oklahoma, which resulted in missed school days. All for a CT-something many people take for granted because they have no problems at all getting these. In regards to the KU insurance...I was a student at the University of Oklahoma, a school that also has an insurance plan for undergrads...it too was a joke! Generally speaking, schools do not have great plans to help their students. Everything costs money, so what makes you think a school will have great ins to cover every student when they are not getting much benefit from it? Tracie has scars on her body that show what lack of insurance can do to a person physically. However, she is a tenacious and persistent person and was able to keep it at "just" scars. It is because of her own work in finding ways to cover some expenses and deciding that she wanted to live-even with several hundred thousand dollars in debt. Many of us did not have family to pay ourschooling, so we took on college loans to better ourselves an become educated people in society. The debt grows if you choose to continue on to graduate school and even more so when you want to go into law, the medical field or any other career that takes years of schooling to complete. Tracie has taken that on along with the never ending medical bills. Bills that continue to pile up as more tests and procedures are done. Just because she is cancer free does not mean she is hospital, procedure or testing free. The debt is something she will face for the rest of her life- on top of continuously fighting the cancer and trying to get coverage later on in her life. Insurance companies make money by taking chances on whether a person will stay healthy or not....Tracie will not be able to have an insurance company take that chance with her due to the fact that she has already been a victim of cancer. So, she will continue to fight this daily while earning her law degree. She will also be able to see first hand how Indian Health is dealt with on Capital Hill and people will be able to hear her story...the story of a promising young beautiful woman who has been fighting for the right to live!
understated (anonymous) says…
This article is so outrageous that I had to comment. I am the same age as Revis, and I was also not a rich student with financially generous parents, but I refuse to pose as a victim of unfair, hierarchical society as Revis happily does. I worked part-time as many hours as possible through school and used my money towards buying myself coverage in case I ever did get sick. I was also in my 20s and was healthy, but I bought it anyways. Even though I have been fortunate enough to not have had to rely on it heavily, I do not regret the money I spent because of the sense of security that it gave me. I would rather spend that money on insurance than spend it on a pair of breast implants that are noticeably already starting to sag, but maybe that's just me.With all due respect, Revis needs to simultaneously get off of her high horse (in her video interview, she claims that her she, at 30, "already" has a bachelor's and a master's and that uneducated people in her situation would not have made it through cancer as she did because she's so smart) and stop playing the victim (as seen in the entire article). I wish her the best of luck and hope that one day she can accomplish these goals.
reidrhollander (anonymous) says…
- UnderstatedGood for you for working while you were in school. Were you in law school? Probably not because if you were you would know there are restrictions imposed by the ABA on working during your first year. Also, you would realize that the first year of law school is a 50 hour a week job.
Bossa_Nova (anonymous) says…
it frustrates me when people say socialized healthcare will be the end of quality healthcare. just because something is government funded or paid for by taxes does not mean that it will be inferior or lacking improvements, just take a look at our government funded, paid for by taxes military. we have the most advanced, high-tech, capable military in the history of mankind. nobody in their right mind would say otherwise. and despite the advances we have made in reference to our military prowess and technology and the fact that we are decades ahead of the rest of the world in military might, capacity, ability and know-how, we are constantly investing billions of dollars annually allowing it to evolve to make it even better and more improved. if americans took our healthcare as serious as our military, we would have an even better healthcare system than our current one (well, the current one for those of us who are fortunate to have healthcare) and who knows what advances we would have already made in healthcare technology, fighting disease and offering everybody the same protection that our military currently offers us from foreign invaders. why are so many people opposed to the idea of socialized medicine? are americans uncapable of producing a socialized healthcare model that would be decades ahead of the rest of the world just like our military? i guess if you are motivated by things such as war, negativity and might-makes-right, then perhaps you are a nay-sayer to the idea of a successful health plan. but if you have a positive attitude and are motivated by doing good, improving our society and economy then maybe you see it as something acheivable.
understated (anonymous) says…
reidrhollanderI never claimed to be a law student or that the money I earned came from working during grad school. I worked through undergrad and then completed a PhD program. I'm sure Revis also had the opportunity to work during undergrad. I was also completely financially independent, paid my rent, all my expenses, my tuition, etc.I think that attitude is extremely important, and I understand that this article is designed to take the "Revis is a fighter and isn't this horrible that this could happen?" angle. I support health care reform and think that the insurance situation in the US is horrible, but I also think that there are ways to be proactive and combat things rather than just playing the "poor me" card.
1029 (anonymous) says…
Wow, keithmiles05! What a misinformed, arrogant, spoiled jerk you are! Not all students can hit their parents up for the cost of health insurance. Wow, what a stupid insensitive comment!
torcia (anonymous) says…
1029. I dont think what keithmiles05 said is a jerk thing to say. it is a valid question. Even with the crappy student insurance she likely would have lots of costs that were not covered. If I remember correctly I think it was like $800 for coverage. Not a insignificant sum of money but when taking out student loans you plan for that. Lets be honest most college students will spend much more than that on booze during the course of the year.
simplykristib (anonymous) says…
If you are over a certain age, you cannot be covered by your parents' insurance. I look at the coverage I had under my parents' coverage at KU back in the mid 80s and what I had at my previous job, it was like night and day. Healthcare in this country is a disgrace.
salad (anonymous) says…
Give us universal coverage NOW!!!BTW, my mom had non-hodgkins lymphoma and passed away last December after that same dang stem cell transplant caused a rare condition that ate her brain and killed her. The doctors never mentioned it was a possibility. We are sad.
timetospeakup (anonymous) says…
No excuse for not having at least a catastrophic health insurance policy. I used to carry my own when my job didn't cover me, cost was $90/month and this was only 2 years ago, so it's still affordable now.
understated (anonymous) says…
beobachterThat couldn't be farther from the truth. I'm not a Republican Evangelist. I'm a hard-working, second generation American, and I love the diversity in this country. I'm an Obama supporter and as I mentioned before, I support health care reform.Like I said, I worked my way through school and to pay for my own health insurance. Please don't make ignorant comments just because I support self-empowerment over self-victimization.
bondmen (anonymous) says…
Why should I worry about taking care of myself when all I need do is vote for the most Socialist of The Three Stooges and, through government force, make somebody else cover my expenses and pay for my stupidity? Just watch me, it's as easy as 1, 2, 3!
tony88 (anonymous) says…
I think we should have some sort of poll to determine the income of each of the posters who: a. support health-care reform & b. support the system as it is now.That could really be informative.
Atalanta (anonymous) says…
It's pretty reprehensible to judge this woman for not working during a serious illness. Reads to me like Tracie is a fighter, not a victim (and not an embittered, sad LJW reader/commenter).Go Tracie.
davidnta (anonymous) says…
understand,This is not meant to be an attack, but not everyone is like Tracie, and is as resourceful as her. I support healthcare overhaul that mimics Canada's or Western Europe's healthcare policy. As a graduate student, the healthcare that is offered to me is a joke, and not worth paying to have it screw you over in the future. Now that I am off my parent's insurance, it's all that I have.
sdinges (anonymous) says…
Look, you're right, the responsible thing to do is carry insurance. The responsible thing to do is find the money somewhere. This girl thought she had insurance, but it turned out to be insufficient. Hind sight is 20-20. But you aren't thinking you're going to get some form of horrific cancer in your twenties.What's the point of saying "should have"? Yeah well, if she knew she was going to get cancer or that her coverage wouldn't work out, doubtless she WOULD have. But you know what, once you get cancer, it's too late for that. In fact, you can't get affordable coverage for YEARS afterwards because of your risk factors.
acg (anonymous) says…
It's really easy to say "well l worked my way thru school and paid for my own insurance and aren't I just the bees' knees?", isn't it, understated. But you know what? I bet when you were working your way thru school, saving the world and showing everyone else how it was done, you weren't battling cancer, radiation and chemotherapy treatments. You ever been with someone after they've had a bout of chemo? Have you ever held someone's head as they curled on the floor projectile vomiting after a bout of chemo? Man, she should've picked herself up off that floor, quit her bitchin' and gotten a job, eh? What a freakin' d-bag you are! You should have some serious shame in your heart over judging this girl and the battles she's had to endure in order to survive a horrible disease.
lristh1230 (anonymous) says…
I'm assuming that since she is claiming to be Native American that she expected the government or her tribe to pay for. But guess what they are finally starting to crack down and stop paying for those who don't carry insurance way to go!!
dirkleisure (anonymous) says…
lristh1230 (Anonymous) says:I'm assuming that since she is claiming to be Native American that she expected the government or her tribe to pay for. But guess what they are finally starting to crack down and stop paying for those who don't carry insurance way to go!!-------------And this is why I love message boards. Wowzers.
Bossa_Nova (anonymous) says…
Ditto acg! Very well said. i cant believe the cold-heartedness on this message board. heaven forbid any of the coldhearts get a terrible desease!
kansas_o_kansas (anonymous) says…
$90/month is not "reasonable" for most self supporting college students; or at least it wouldn't be an option for most of the ones I've met. I guess $90/month is reasonable in a world where "affordable" housing = $100,000.
kansas_o_kansas (anonymous) says…
Nevermind - the ugly racist flag has been raised...
understated (anonymous) says…
Please brush up on your reading skills before making unfounded attacks. I never said that she should have started working when she had cancer. That's ridiculous. Using basic math, you can figure out that if she's 30 now, she was 27 or 28 in fall 2005, which is when she first found out about her cancer. Obviously you can't get coverage after you're diagnosed, so I thought it was obvious that I was saying she could have worked during undergrad and saved here and there. She did not have cancer during undergrad.The only reason I use my example is to show that it is actually possible to buy insurance even when you're struggling financially if you make it a priority. I just think that it's always good to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. It's all of our responsibilities to take care of ourselves in case something horrible does happen, even if that means having to give up other luxuries.By the way, I do know what it's like to sit by someone through chemo. My husband had cancer, so please don't be insensitive. I'm grateful for this article because I think it can serve as a warning sign that the government isn't always going to be there for us. We sometimes do have to be self-reliant.
bettie (anonymous) says…
but even if she had followed your lead and saved up for that student insurance, it wouldn't have done much for her. it's a joke. and whoever was implying that students could afford insurance if they didn't spend so much of their loans on booze obviously hasn't been to school in quite some time. the maximum direct loan amount is capped at $20,500/year (as it has been for 30 years). my tuition and fees alone this year were around $14,000 (i'm a first year at ku law with tracie.) above that, you can take out federal "plus" loans, which have interest higher than some cards. even then, you can only take up to your "cost of attendance," which is supposed to reflect your cost of living and tuition/fees/books. my cost of attendance for the year is around $28,000. the moral of the story being that when you are expected to live on $14,000/year, $90/month for an insurance plan that doesn't cover anything seems like less and less of a reasonable (or even possible) idea. (and to those who want to talk about working through school: trust me, law school is different. i worked multiple jobs during undergrad and didn't believe them when they told me i wouldn't be able to swing it my first year of law school.)
funnygirl (anonymous) says…
understated-I have known Tracie for many years and she has never had breast implants. The fact that you would make such an ignorant comment completely destroys the credibility of your argument. I enjoy an great debate, but stick to the issue and use educated facts to back it up. You obviously have serious issues if you would make such a completely unfounded ignorant statement about a cancer victim's breasts! Get a life!
sdinges (anonymous) says…
If she had been really pro-active and pursued non-student insurance, you can bear in mind that the moment a woman turns 25, her insurance premiums skyrocket (a special bonus if you have a uterus). She'd be looking at $200-250 a month for something that would have made cancer financially manageable. If she was male, she could subtract about $100 a month from that.
kansas_o_kansas (anonymous) says…
before you can "give up" luxuries you have to be able to afford them in the first place...
JayCat_67 (anonymous) says…
OK, I'm just going to assume that all Understated is saying is that, if it is at all possible, be prepared for the worst. The part about "playing the victim"... bad form. More like she puts a face on the millions out there who are falling through the cracks. I'd be interested to know if you actually ever had to use your insurance for anything major. Providing health insurance is a gamble, and the insurance companies are darned sure hedging their bets. My wife had a nice little home daycare going and tried to get private insurance for herself. Problem is she has arthritis in her ankle and was honest about it on the paperwork. They wouldn't touch her. For those who are lucky enough to have some sort of coverage, just the co-pays and deductables are enough to keep many from going to the doctor right away. Early treatment that may have cost $5000 and saved a life becomes a $200,000 excercise in futility as the person is now beyond saving. Too bad the low life bum only worked two jobs for minimum wage instead of going for that MBA and making six figures like any respectable red blooded American, huh? And for those out there who say "Why should I pay to cover these people. They should all go out and get jobs." Well, a lot of them do have jobs, and I guarantee you they work every bit as hard if not harder than you do. Plus, if you haven't figured it out, you already are paying for their coverage. Doctors and Hospital administrators don't just shrug their shoulders and say "Oh well" when someone with a huge medical bill goes bankrupt or has the gall to actually die before they can collect any money. Like any other business, this expense is built into their rates. And we wonder why costs are spiraling out of control. Plus a lot of the federal grants that hospitals receive go toward paying for those who cannot pay for themselves. Add to that medicare and medicaid, and whether you like it or not you're already paying for people like Tracie and other uninsured folks. Don't you think it might be just a little more cost effective if everyone was provided at least enough coverage to go to a doctor right away and nip a potential disaster in the bud, than to continue to make a few insurance company CEO's and Shareholders wealthy for doing nothing more than gambling that you won't get sick so they don't have to pay out? Oh crap! somebody get me a stool. My soapbox just got mighty tall, and I can't get down now.
simplykristib (anonymous) says…
Even after you pay the monthly premiums, you still have to bear the cost of what is not covered. You must realize that most insurance companies require a co-pay and/or deductible.Catastrophic insurance is just that.... The deductible is very high. Hence, the $90 a month premium. My dad is in the process of being diagnosed with lung cancer... Thank goodness he has Medicare and great secondary coverage so my parents won't go bankrupt If I get cancer because I am uninsured, I will just die. Wouldn't want anyone to pay for it. Anyway,. there was no way I could afford a $300+ monthly premium for health insurance. Sorry but this country needs to do a lot more to make healthcare affordable and accessible for everyone!
Atalanta (anonymous) says…
Understated, perhaps you should brush up on your reasoning skills and stop jumping to conclusions and making assumptions.And just how do you know she didn't work in undergrad and grad school? Perhaps she did. If she's motivated enough to go through undergrad, grad, and law schools, I'd be willing to bet she held some sort of job as well. Clearly you are completely out of touch with the cost of going to school if you think working just about any job available allows for a lot of "savings" - if any. That's laughable. Oh, and stupid. I am 36 years old and not out of touch with how this works. I suggest you get a clue and stop preaching about subjects about which you seem to be able to demonstrate no knowledge. By the way, I'm glad someone commented about the completely inappropriate breast implant comment. Understated? No. Uncalled for. Wow. I'm just floored that an article about someone having CANCER can bring out such ugliness in some people.
Lynn731 (anonymous) says…
What a terrible story, but with a good outcome. In this country, this should never happen. We have medical miracles to make people well, if they have money to pay for it. Socialized medicine is definitely not the answer. It kills more people than the mess we have now. There should be a fund to cover expenses like this, and the patient should be able to pay it back over a long period, like 20 years. After being screwed by Blue Cross, I appreciate what this wonderful young woman went through. God bless you Tracie. Thank you, Lynn
situveux1 (anonymous) says…
I have health insurance through KU as a grad student and I found it to be not only cheap, but I thought they covered quite a bit as well when I had to use it. Even employer health insurance isn't going to cover everything. The few hundred dollars it costs me each semester is worth it, even if it isn't an end all policy.I feel for this girl, but socialized medicine isn't the answer. It sounds like she's really having trouble fighting the beaurocracy. I don't see how more government intervention is going to solve that. The only thing the government is good at is creating more beaurocracy, which is the last thing any of us needs.We need to get away from employer based policies. I can only imagine the state of medicine in the world if it hadn't been for the US private health care industry. How often do you hear of advanced medical treatments and solutions coming out of other countries? Sometimes, but not nearly as often as here at home.
George_Braziller (anonymous) says…
When you are young you think/feel that you are invincible. Health insurance isn't high on your radar. I was fortunate that when I was in college I was covered by my mom's family insurance policy. Thankfully I never needed to use it but had I been left to my own to take care of it, it never would have even crossed my mind that I might need it.
dr_yo (anonymous) says…
I have known Tracie for several years, and can affirm that she is anything but a victim; she is a fighter. She in no way plays the victim and is not seeking sympathy. What she is trying to do is bring attention to a health care system that is grossly inadequate and allows far too many Americans to slip through the cracks. It is very easy to say that Tracie should have found a way to buy health insurance, or that there is "no excuse" for not having some form of coverage. It is easy to pass judgement and blame the individual for an inadequate system. Those people miss the point completely. The reality is that Tracie DID have health insurance the second time she was diagnosed with cancer, not to mention the fact that she worked the entire time she was undergoing chemo and up until she had to be hospitalized for her transplant. She still had to fight to get adequate care and was left with thousands of dollars in medical bills. The point here is that there is a personal side to all of the debates over health care reform, and that the gaps in our current system affect people in real and often catastrophic ways.understated-I can not believe that you would have the audacity to make unfounded, personal attacks on someone you don't even know! Your comments about breast implants are insensitive and reprehensible. It seems to me that anyone who makes such tactless comments really has nothing to say at all. Anyone who fights for her life the way that Tracie has, and fights against a system that is grossly inadequate so that hopefully others will not have to experience what she did deserves some respect. Get over yourself!
LawrenceLover88 (anonymous) says…
to understated i cannot believe that you would stoop so low as to actually comment on a cancer survivor's breast implants. Um, why don't you send us a link to some photos of yourself...or your myspace?I'm betting that you're pretty much...jealous. You have no class and absolutely no common decency. You are an embarassment to this entire community. I am devastated to think I have to drive the same streets as someone as crass, ill-bred and ignorant as you. I imagine you as a pathetic, loveless soul who is miserable and angry. I pity you. Terribly. I don't know Tracie but she is obviously strong and beautiful!Tracie, I know I don't even need to tell you to ignore the dumb comments on this board because someone who's faced death down the way you have is way too tough to let a few low-IQ-having dorks bother you. And I love your hair!
JustBecuz (anonymous) says…
Understated, It has been addressed, but it is worth mentioning again and clearing it up since you tried to put Tracie down...your comment on breast implants is absolutely ignorant and shows what a shallow person you are. This article is about a health system and you chose to make a comment about her breasts. The best part about this is that you showed your ignorance and those of us who know Tracie know that she is natural...no implants there!
kcwarpony (anonymous) says…
Tracie,You are a strong woman and I admire you for not giving up and for fighting for what you want, a chance to live. You also have my greatest respect for coming forward and telling your story. Not only will you be re-living the frustrations all over again but opening yourself up to all the negative ones who will try to blame you for your predicament. May their words fall on deaf ears.Prayers for you and stay strong.
kcwarpony (anonymous) says…
lristh1230 (Anonymous) says: "I'm assuming that since she is claiming to be Native American that she expected the government or her tribe to pay for. But guess what they are finally starting to crack down and stop paying for those who don't carry insurance way to go!!"One must have a CDIB card (Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood, which is issued by the BIA) to receive services from Indian Health Services, so she is an American Indian. You do not need to carry insurance in order to receive help for IHS. If her tribe chooses to help her, that is between her and her tribe. As for expecting the government to pay for her health care, they should. It's called treaty obligations.
PK_traumatized (anonymous) says…
Boo the Haters!IHS Sucks!Go Tracie!aka: pk-yq
KEITHMILES05 (anonymous) says…
The lady can easily declare bankruptcy if everything else fails. It is done all the time. The fact is there are many, many people in her situation which have to deal with medical bills after illness. Nothing will ever change that fact.