Health care... or not

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 7:26 pm

I've been watching a sort of retrospective of Little People, Big World

and something really bothers me. In one show, they have to take one

of their sons (a dwarf) in for health care, and the father mentions

that they can't get insurance because dwarfism is a "pre-existing

condition". WTF? People who overeat and need heart bypass and

people who smoke and get cancer and and AND... we take care of all

of them. It makes me angry.

There is something wrong with a health care system where the smokers

and the obese can get health insurance and someone can't through no

fault of their own!!

Thoughts, anyone?

Patsy Warnick · Post by **Patsy Warnick** » Sat Oct 07, 2006 7:51 pm

No way,

That doesn't make sense. being a dwarf is not a disease. That individual did not do anything to increase the danger to be a dwarf. unreal how insurance co. justify the funds.

Oh, trust me I've done my barking in the past - just recently with my husband's cancer, the DR. & I locked horns immediately - I went over his head & the Ins. Co. head. You have to bark, you may not get everything your barking about, but you will get results.. I guess one could say - I'm not introverted..

Patsy

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 4:20 pm

Dwarfism a pre existing condition? Seems the Health Care agency has thier own pre existing condition, stupidity.

I know the show you mention...used to watch it. Isn't the boy one of a set of twins?

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 4:30 pm

Marie5656 wrote: Isn't the boy one of a set of twins?

Yes, fraternal, obviously. But admitting my ignorance, I didn't realize

that could happen...

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 4:34 pm

valerie wrote: Yes, fraternal, obviously. But admitting my ignorance, I didn't realize

that could happen...
Do you mean dwarfism in one of a set of fraternal twins? Remember, they did not start as one egg, but two separate fertalized eggs. Thus, two separate children. That is how you can also have fraternals who are a boy and girl.

No ignorance, Val. We have several sets of twins in my family, I have researched it alot.

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 4:56 pm

Thanks for the lesson but I know about the two eggs.

I said it wrong I guess. I can't explain but while I know intelligently

what happens, I didn't CONSIDER it before I saw this show.

Marie5656 · Post by **Marie5656** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 4:44 pm

valerie wrote: Thanks for the lesson but I know about the two eggs.

I said it wrong I guess. I can't explain but while I know intelligently

what happens, I didn't CONSIDER it before I saw this show.

It is amazing what does not occur to us till we see it happen. In my work with people with disabilities I have been amazed at the number of sets of twins I have met where one has a disability, usually Cerebral palsy and one is not disabled at all. In one case, the disabled twin was the first born twin. At the time of delivery (over 60 years ago) the mother and doctors did not know she was carrying twins. So, he was born, and while they were tending to him, they realized another baby was coming. The team went to take care of her birth, and the boy stopped breathing...not noticed by doctors or nurses, till it was too late, by the time they got him breathing the brain injury had occured and he had cerebral palsy. Turns out the sister always felt very guilty as she felt it was HER fault he was disabled.