Deadly Delay

I believe their is a ned for research for Africqn American who has insurance. I had breast cancer at age 57. I found the lump which moved and mu primary doctor sent me for a mammogram. It did not show up on the mmammagram. I had to put the doctor's hand on the lump. Immediately I was sent for a sonogram. Bingo it was seen and it was odd shaped. Everything was tasken out of my hands and it was a rollercaster ride,It appeared early stage until the post operation study and then it was diagnoised as Stage 3B fron stage 1. It was agressive, odd shape and 14 out of 30 lymph nodes infected. I had immediate care. My prognoises was 30 percent survial. That was 71/2 years ago. I had advance cancer not because delayed treatment but just because I am Black. Iwent to the doctoras soon as I found the lump that was less than a centimeter. I have bee followed every month for 61/2 years and noe every 3 months. Praise Jesus 7/12/08 I will be 8 years cancer free.
So as i begn there is a need to refine your research to include race with those who get immediate care, the agressiveness of breast cancer in black women even thogh we get breast cancer at alesser rate, economical level, asess to good medical care, geographical location, and spiritual coneection.
Also i am retired with free lifetime medical an drug care. I have been blessed withcivil service retirement.

Yep, thats true I am what is considered a middle class white man, who has a decent job, but I have no health insurance-I guess I could if I did not have a house payment? Or if my employer offered to pay for me and my daughter in the Health Policy, but they do not, they only pay for the employee, to add my daughter would cost me an additional $255.00 every two weeks, I asked my employer for the money and they gave it to me, we went out and got additional private Health care at $267.00 a month-after no claims and less than a year they wanted to raise it $50.00 more a month, at that point we had to cancel, I am just one of the millions of working and uninsured.
I think that for certain all races and creeds are being affected by this, not just hispanic and blacks, though it may be that they somehow don';t seek treatment as early as other races??
The rich people want the poor to die off first-they are the ones who can afford treatment, they don't care if you or I get treatment-we would only stand in the way of their families and people recieving treatment, we would burden the already overloaded and taxed Health care system..
I remember a time prior to 2001 where I had decent medical insurance, but that changed, and I know it will never return..
I haven't been diagnosed with anything yet-and I pray for all of you who have-All things are possible with God-Pray and He will hear you.

mY guess is that poor people in general get diagnosed late, and minorities are disproportionately poor.

Disparities in health care does indeed exist within the American health care system. As an undergrad, I was dumbfounded by the by the evidence that was uncovered by myself in an internet search for a research paper. If you discard all the variables and just look at the patients that have health insurance, the disparity still is evident. It is still true if you only consider the patients who have Medicare or Medicaid. The only constant variable, in the previous situations that I mentioned, are the doctors involved. Either consciously or subconsciously, a large number of American doctors aren't aggressively treating illness in the minority population. In one study, African Americans who had health insurance and suffered from cardiac disease, weren't referred to specialists, at the same rate as there white counterparts. In another study, pain control was clear and evident in the white population but was sorely lacking in the African American research subjects. The statistics don't lie and they shouldn't be ignored. As for me, I am neither white or black, just another student working on a masters degree and hoping to one day make a dent in the health care problems that face all Americans.

The primary goal of the health care corporations in this country is not to treat you, help you or cure you. The goal of these corporations is to make a profit. Thats why you hear horror stories , because when it comes time for these companies to make a decision, do we grant this person a 25K opertation or do we increase our profits , what do you think they will do.
Corporations have no soul , corporations have no conscience, you are just a bottom line and the bottom line is you are an expense. Thats why Im voting for Clinton, because this is not just a campaign issue for her , this is her passion, this is her legacy. This is the greatest country on earth, no one , should have to die , because they are too expensive.

Posted By: Bass26 @ 02/17/2008 10:08:59 PM Comment: The United States is the only country in the world that still has some form of democracy left. We should try to build and enforce democracy to make this country a shining example to the rest of the world. As a people, it does not matter who wins the presidency of the United States, we will still have to work and pay taxes. The only way this country and come together, and the true panacea to all this mess that we are in is to have Barak Obama for president.

Sir or Madam: The United States is not now and never was a "democracy." It is a Constitutional Republic that allows a limited amount of popular participation in government. The notion that we have some responsibility to other nations is childish: the only responsibility is to provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and ensure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. Equally childish is the notion that as some sort of penance or PR ploy, we should put our trust in an eloquent and untried demagogue as Chief Executive and Commander in Chief. The subtext of your remarks is that white folk can demonstrate that they are not racist by voting in Obama. But if we are genuinely concerned to bring the country together, whyever would one choose the very most liberal US Senator instead of one with a long and proven record of bucking the ideologues in his party and working across the aisle to find solutions to our problems?

Generally white people are in a collective denial. No it is unreasonable for them to expect you to just get over having lost your identity, because of hundred of years of racism... while letting us know that they are part Irish, Swedish, German and Italian. What's really funny is the attempts they've made since 1964 to support the notion that black people are the true racists. Of course, not all white people are the same. I appreciate the efforts of those who are smart enough to know that if you don't l"let them have the bread, they may take the palace."

I've had relatives die rather than seek medical treatment, because they are afraid of doctors, partly because of the history of the country. I thought they were out of their minds until I had to have surgery and ended up a guinea pig, even had the resident's instructor contact me to ask whether she ask my permission to do certain things. She did not. I'm also bother by this whole "women" thing that we see around even the Clinton campaign, when what is meant is white women.

Health care is not a black, white or brown issue. Its about everyone, regardless of race, having the ability to obtain affordable health care. Health care costs are out of control. I don't want a free ride, just a level playing field. I worked non-stop for 40 years, never asking for anyones help, but now I would be grateful for any help and to not have to be on my death bed to receive it. Its not easy to ask for help or to choose between eating healthy, paying bills or paying for a NEEDED prescription. My only "luxury" is internet service. No cable, no dinners out, etc. Health care is not a "luxury". I don't know why some ppl don't take advantage of health care that IS available, but for millions of children etc., it should be mandatory to provide it.

Don't be naive, you are paying for uninsured and underinsured patients. Hospitals pass these costs onto you with inflated rates to insured patients and insurance companies, who then pass it onto their clients. If people were able to obtain tests that would provide early diagnosis or prevention then your costs would be lower. You would probably be paying about the same in the long run and people would be saved. I was like you once, had insurance I could afford, worked hard for most of my life ias an emergency responder that might have saved your life once and now I am underinsured. I pray it never happens to you.

You sir or madam, trestles25, personify some of the reasons why black people lash out in anger. I will not sanction any racist over-generalizations about whites made by fellow African-Americans, but at the same time I REFUSE to tolerate the same coming in my direction from any one else. You know what's not right? How you claim to be upset are tired of being blamed for things "you" didn't do, yet your entire diatribe is laced with "facts" that are little more than sweeping stereotypes, gross over-generalizations, slanted characatures of the truth, and some outright falicies. You sir, in your fiery response have demonstrated and confirmed the type of thinking and attitude that spurs many African-Americans, whether tactfully or not, to still take issue with the socio-political identity of this country. You are tired? You have no clue what it means to be tired. I am tired of hypocrites like you who get upset when anyone mentions racism or discrimination, and then turn around spew the type of banter that personifies both. I am tired of being accused of getting a free ride or having things handed to me when, because of those perceptions, I have to work twice as hard as others to be seen as equal. I am tired of the ignorance( whether feigned or real) of how I am suppossed to "get over" 400 years of oppression, murder, and explotation because it's in the past. You need to understand the dynamics of history. The past is the foundation for the present and the future, how you expect 4 centuries to be undone in less than one is amazing, but that's for another conversation. You sir, are the epotimy of the modern day racist, masking the same old hatred in thin veils of pseudo-intellect and arm chair politi-speak.
You keep of the work, and we'll continue to run in place as a country on these issues.

thats crazy you cant blame the doctors for being racist, the minorities cannot afford the insurence or treatment,, itsnot the doctors fault, the minorities are too lazy to work, im in high school right now and most of the minority population doesnt care about school at all, our society is way too politicly correct, you cant connect all this the way that they do,

In the big picture, you'll likely find that the poor and low-income people of all races without health insurance. Of course, if you use the favored "per capita" argument, the results are inevitably skewed, Lack of health insurance is more likely an economic indication of whether one can afford it or not. People will choose food over coverage every time.

When I'm driving I often let blacks go in front of me even though they don't give the "wave". I figure that I owe it to them because of slavery. When they cut me off, I don't get angry. I deserve to be cut off because I am white and they have suffered at my hands.