In 1993, I was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, a then-fatal disease. Because of a class of drugs approved in 2000 that attack only the diseased cells in my body, I am alive and well today. Sprycel put me in full remission in early 2013 for the first time since 1993. In fact, I had my annual checkup at the U this afternoon right before this meeting, and Dr. Greg Vercellotti told me all my tests show I’m disease free.
I am in a state of dis-ease, however. The president and congress have consistently signaled their intent to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, which has kept me alive since it was enacted. Because of the cost of Sprycel at $15,335.82 a month, I reached my lifetime limit sometime in 2013. The ACA got rid of lifetime limits and it protects people like me from being denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions.
I joined my spouse’s individual Medica plan in January after Blue Cross, a plan I’d had since 1999, kicked off all of their individual subscribers last year. I didn’t know Sprycel wasn’t in Medica’s formulary, so last month I had a profoundly stressful week appealing Medica’s denial of my prescription, which they eventually and reluctantly approved.
That week of uncertainty was a glimpse into what my life will be like without the ACA. I felt like I had no recourse if Medica hadn’t approved my drug because they aren’t accountable to anyone other than themselves and their bottom line.
At this point, if the ACA goes away, I will have to bankrupt my family in order to qualify for Minnesota Care.
I’m here today to beg you to extend Minnesota Care to all Minnesotans. If the federal government turns our health insurance industry over to the free market, I will be uninsurable, as will many tens of thousands of Minnesotans. Thousands of people with CML for sure. Minnesota Care for all will be a safety net to ease the fears and uncertainty of many Minnesotans and cure my own dis-ease.
