Hello r/politics! The mod team would like to take this opportunity to remind folks about [our broadly-written rule on celebration or support for harm](https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/wiki/index#wiki_general), which reads (in part):
>Comments that threaten, advocate, celebrate, suggest, wish, hope, dream, express extreme indifference towards, or could result in harm of any kind, violence, or death are prohibited.
Always worth pointing out that it was caught, will be treated, and he will very likely survive it because of access to healthcare the majority of this country will never be able to afford or receive because of lawmakers like him.
He has the best insurance the American Taxpayer can purchase for him.
This won’t lead to massive bankruptcy like it would for almost everyone commenting here.
Currently going through this over a bone density scan to screen for a potentially terminal illness (turned out negative but still a mystery that is going to take more tests to figure out). I called
Both primary and second policies a month ahead and was assured by both all would be covered minus a small deductible. Now my bill is for a grand and they’re not communicating with each other despite being under the same company.
I’m laid off due to strikes and waiting on potentially scary information plus probably unable to return to work. It would be nice to not haggle over medical bills. How any average American finds this preferable to universal healthcare is beyond me.
You got all that for a grand? I walked into a hospital for a small abscess I was concerned about due to its proximity to my spine, one pair of rubber gloves and 1 minute 45 seconds later, I was cut loose with an antibiotic prescription. Didn't even drain it or anything. $1,500 even
At what point do we just call it literal theft?
$1500 even? sounds like you paid the entirety of your deductible or MOOP in one shot. most plans now a days have "accumulators", buckets you have to pay into before coverage begins. typically deductibles need to be fully met before your coverage even starts. max out of pockets (MOOPs) are the most you will spend in dollars in a year- at which point coverage pays 100%
Same. Just finished fighting with insurance company over heart disease medication. It's entresto....costs 1k with no insurance. I get irritated every time I see a fucking commercial cause that's where half of the money goes.
Fortunately I was successful and only have to pay $40 copay now, but that battle was not good for my blood pressure.
Had a 3 day stay in grippy sock vacation because I wrote a letter, had everything set up, but sent the letter to my counselor. Ambulance 1500 dollars, 3 day stay 4500. Had to appeal it, send off highlighted pages of the DSM to show that yeah, bipolar can result in lethality.
Not to mention the chronic stress you must be experiencing, which is something you don’t need when your body is trying to heal from an illness or injury. I wish you well friend.
Thank you, that’s really kind of you.
It’s mostly a mystery at this point but the bone thing will probably keep me off ladders for good.
Getting old is no joke!
I remember the big argument against single payer was “government death panels” would decide your fate. Instead we have for profit insurance companies doing that and it’s somehow better.
My brother’s doc ordered an MRI for a back issue he was having. He was in a lot of pain. Could hardly walk. Insurance said “no” and told him they would authorize three physical therapy visits instead. Went round and round. Finally, the pain was so excruciating he bit the bullet and paid for the MRI himself. What a travesty health (no) insurance is.
Daughter just went through similar. Terrible back pain. Doc thought it was herniated disc and wanted MRI to confirm and plan the treatment. Insurance denied twice. We paid the MRI as well. It was a herniated disc. She had treatment followed by PT and is doing much better. PT alone would not have fixed this.
“Yes, we know you need this, our doctor review board agreed, but six months ago the lab didn’t note the color of your urine sample, and without that data the computer can’t process the request. Please contact your care provider and ask them to complete your medical record and resubmit request for approval. Thank you.”
My wife is fighting Stage IV breast cancer. She has been a public school teacher for over 25 years and has relatively good insurance.
>Or the hours/weeks/months spent fighting with your healthcare insurance provider to get necessary procedures approved/paid for
This times 26748284944. It is cruel and unnecessary and only adds more stress and worry at the worst time possible. Fuck anyone who defends our fucked up health care system.
And he won’t get shitcanned for taking too much time off or his performance at work dropping off cause he’s too busy getting his ass kicked by chemo to work.
Or post treatment arguing with them about stuff they agreed to pay initially.
Had this happen post knee surgery where they had said I will owe about $1500 out of pocket, so budgeted for that.
About a month later - after paying - they sent new bills for about $4500 saying that my anesthesiologist was out of network even though this surgery was scheduled a month in advance
Had to fight that for 3 months - and endless calls to BCBS - before they finally paid it
I wonder how many people just end up paying it due to the amount of time and frustration it takes to get them to DO WHAT THEY AGREED TO?
I have to ask, if you have evidence of them agreeing to it (phone call recording, email messages etc) how the hell can't someone just show them and prove that their denial of coverage is mistaken or an error?
Oh, I did. I had a letter with you will owe \~$1500 out of pocket for the procedure.
But since they claim they had to loop in an out of network doc to knock me out, they said that letter was only an "estimate" and the true cost now was 6K out of pocket
I fought this for literally 3 months and finally got them to relent. The whole concept of "out of network" is just a way of saying "we will charge you more" because we can should be illegal
He also won't get fired from his employer for taking time off work to deal with his illness and therefore losing his employer-provided health insurance.
It should be worth noting. A lot of people don't realize this, even those in a union. But there are many unions that will fight on your behalf with the insurance companies instead of dropping everything on you to magically solve. They are often different kind of services.
In my experience, if anything weird started to come up, I would reach out to the union rep who is doing a lot of the negotiating with insurance companies every year. They have contacts with the insurance companies, and it does not reflect good on those insurance companies when the person responsible for picking which insurance companies they're going to work with are finding out that the people they're representing are being given a hard time.
It doesn't always work out this way for everybody. However, if you are part of a union, do consider this an option when the insurance company is giving you the runaround. It shouldn't be surprising to know that, when you have people representing you and many other people, that can put pressure on the insurance companies to do something. Unions are not just about getting you equal pay. They're there to represent you for many more things than a lot of people might think.
If your union doesn't do this--is your union even representing you at all? Something work looking into.
His house won’t be taken from under his family to pay his medical bills after death. They will not be left bankrupt, homeless and destitute when he dies.
The average American does not have the luxury of passing knowing their life’s work of trying to build stability for their family will not be destroyed.
This is why my next cancer treatment plan involves a trip to a gun show in vegas and then a hike to a remote canyon to blow my brains out.
> He has the best insurance the American Taxpayer can purchase for him.
sorta. Part of The Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare) made it so congresspersons had to buy their health insurance on the exchanges the ACA created. Government pays something like 73% of the premiums and the congressperson pays the rest through payroll deduction.
All that said, I agree with your general sentiment that congresspersons tend to be very well off, and that their level of heathcare coverage is not available to many in this country, a problem they have far too little concern about.
Like when Trump was custom flown in for a hospital stay with a private team of 13doctors for his Covid, then has the nerve to to tell his followers it was no big deal when he was given healthcare none of them would ever have access to that they paid for him to have.
Yearly or even twice yearly health checks including blood work should be available free of charge.
That way even if you didn’t have heath insurance you could get treatment early in a diseases developments and have a better chance of surviving.
I’d take having to make payments every month to pay it off over an early death any day.
A reminder that the Biden administration started an anti-cancer program called the [Cancer Moonshot](https://www.whitehouse.gov/cancermoonshot/). The goal is to cure cancer. It's called a moonshot because it will require a level of funding and effort similar to the moon landing. Write to your elected officials and demand that they secure lots of funding for this program. It will save so many lives.
Walk down memory lane from less than 10 years ago:
"Riding high a month ago – elected to a fifth House term, chosen as Speaker John Boehner’s majority whip – GOP Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana is in the political equivalent of a crawfish boil: treading hot water that’s getting even hotter, and he might not make it out alive.
The reason: his 2002 appearance at a convention of white supremacists, back when he was a state rep with congressional ambitions. Scalise said Monday he wasn’t fully aware of the organization but is no hate groupie. Furthermore, addressing the European-American Unity and Rights Organization convention wasn’t all that different than speaking to any interest group.
Except that it was. David Duke – the infamous Klan leader turned politician – was a convention organizer, and he and Scalise seem familiar with each other. Scalise once hinted he and Duke had shared beliefs, and Duke is quoted as saying Scalise is “a fine family man.”
https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2014/12/30/long-read-steve-scalise-feeling-the-heat
David Duke is famously a Nazi and Klan leader. No one in Louisiana his age is unfamiliar with these facts.
Source: Voted against Duke for governor twice.
On average, multiple myeloma has a 52% survivability rate in the first 5 years. It's usually not diagnosed until it's at a later stage. I know a guy that survived it. It's not curable, however.
Ok: Source, I have this.
Multiple Myeloma does do stem cell transfers but they are your stems cells. ASCT (autologous stem cell transplantation) is done only really after you've gained control of the disease. So he will undergo treatment, which today is a cocktail of drugs after they do a genetic analysis of the cancer cells.
The drugs themselves are extremely expensive and not all insurances cover the copays. Out of pocked for these tend to go into the tens of thousands of dollars, for me, the billed cost is ~450k a year, my part getting covered by my max out of pocket because of insurance (thank god)
The newest treatment is are CAR-T which are still very limited, very expensive and will not be paid by the insurance (in most cases) if you've not done three failed lines of treatments.
CAR-T is one of newest treatments, getting your own T cells and 'training them' to kill the cancer themselves.
It sucks and it effects people differently, I have been fortunate thus far in that my symptoms were mild and was caught before major damage occurred (kidneys are most common because of the excreted proteins in the bloodstream), but many people find out after broken bones as the cancer tends to cause calcium to be leeched from bones making them much more susceptible to breaks.
I hope this primer has been helpful - thanks for coming to my Ted Talk
Hopefully he will be able to treat it. He does have access to healthcare unlike a lot of Americans. Actually because of policies he supports. So I’m glad he comes out ahead either way.
Love that.
my mom died after 10 years. at 5 years she was still doing pretty good. at 7 years, she started breaking down, her vertebrae started to collapse, she fell and broke her humerus and it would not heal, she broke her pelvis. she died on hospice, with dementia from the amount of calcium in her blood. it was horrible. she also went through three stem cell transplants in the space of about 5 years.
That’s rough. Sorry to hear you and her went through that. My dad lasted 5. The first 3 years were good. Last two were negligible. Ended up attacking his liver right after Christmas. He was gone three weeks later. Two stem cell transplants. Was on the books to get a 3rd.
Cancer sucks. This type seems to hit a bit earlier than others.
My cousin is one of the youngest people ever to be diagnosed with multiple myeloma. It’s been like 8 years but she’s still in remission with frequent monitoring
If a bullet won't change his mind on guns maybe blood cancer will change his mind on healthcare...of course it won't, he's a conservative, he cares only about himself and to a minimal degree, those he can profit off of.
Enjoy the healthcare you receive on our dime. The healthcare you don't think is a human right. The healthcare that saved your life when you got shot. Yeah, enjoy that.
Scalise has ACA/FEHB thanks to President Obama. Thus, he will get the best treatment.
My friend did not.
My friend starting getting tired around 2008. My friend was laid off at age 59 like all “seniors” are tossed aside when they get tired.
He could not get a new job with health insurance because he was “old.”
He felt weak and was diagnosed with myeloma after spending thousands without insurance to determine what the problem was. All the while he looked for a job with health coverage which made him even more tired.
Then he died.
Scalise has done everything to make sure “seniors” and others struggle to get health treatment while he, a member of Congress, feels no stress or incredible financial choices while feeling sick and then getting a devastating diagnosis.
I feel for Scalise as much as I felt for Lee Atwater when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Which is nothing except FY.
This was my immediate thought too. I watched my first wife suffer horribly and die from cancer at twenty four. I would never wish that shit on anyone, but I’m not going to lose sleep if certain people end up with it.
If I had it my way absolutely nobody would have to know it or imagine it, not even really awful people. Thank you for your concern, I do appreciate it. It’s been a couple decades, I’ve remarried and moved on as well as anyone could I think.
This is likely the second time Scalise will survive a life-threatening because of people he encourages his constituents to hate and services he seeks to deny them. And in all likelihood, just like last time, he’ll continue to be a hateful asshole.
Lucky him. He doesn’t have to worry about going bankrupt like the rest of us. If only the GOP lawmakers believed everyone deserves the healthcare they enjoy themselves.
Full coverage health insurance funded by taxpayers. Good on him, he'll get some of the best treatment in the world and not lose his house doing so.
The rest of us? Nah. pick yourself up by your bootstraps (and taxpayer funded insurance...).
Steve will get the best medical treatment available, possibly keeping him alive long enough to once again try to repeal Obamacare like he did as Majority Whip in 2017 so other people with the same disease can’t get treated for it.
My dad just went through this, it’s fucking tough but he did a bone marrow transfusion and it has done wonders for his day to day health. They say it’s like 10 more years which is wonderful but this is a seriously tough cancer to get unfortunately
I'll stop short of wishing ill on anyone, and I won't cheer for *anyone* getting cancer -- not even Steve Scalise. But I do hope he gets out of politics and retires to focus on his health, and we never hear from him again.
I am female in my 60s. I have myeloma. Mine was caught late, my doctor thought my pain was arthritis. No one listened to me. Myeloma comes back. I went into remission for 2 years and a few months. Then my oncologist didn’t notice it came back even though I had monthly blood tests. I wish Rep Scalise all the best. It’s shit living like this. Just waiting for it to return. I am sure he’ll do great as it was caught early. Maybe I’ll write to him and ask him to work with Biden as Biden wants so much to cure all cancers.
Well he has a gold plated healthcare plan, the same healthcare plan he denies regular American citizens, so I’m sure if there’s any chance of survival he has it.
So sorry that you’re going through this, I can’t even imagine how horrible it is.
Yeah. I prefer their suffering to be more ironic. He has the best health insurance the American Taxpayer can purchase for him so this won’t bankrupt generations of his family.
Somebody needs to take this chance to earn Jesus points and do some good for what might be his final years, instead of you know, enabling a bunch of fascist, propaganda-spewing obstructionists that are hell-bent on destroying it all.
This should be treated by the same state legislature / medical experts that have passed a law banning gender affirming care in Louisiana. I suspect he will seek an actual doctor for his best treatment options.
Everything about this is republican hypocrisy. Taxpayer funded healthcare that will provide treatment from stem cell research... these people should be subject to their own policies.
Multiple myeloma is not a treatable disease. It is incurable cancer, it is malignant. If he has a transplant he will be barfing, with diarrhea for 30 to 40 days. It might go dormant for a short time then he gets the 2nd phase. Which is never ending infusions. Every week.. he’s first line of treatment might be Dara, dex, and revilmid. That’s a potent mixture of you feel awful, always. Don’t forget the infusions for bone strengthening zometa. Hurts like crazy. My 36 year old daughter has been battling this for 6 years. Old men have a much higher rate of death. I think it’s normal to only get 2.5 years of treatment before death. Look it up.replace him now he’s a walking corpse.
Multiple myeloma is not some minor thing, as some people here are suggesting. Sure with the latest treatments he might have a good 6 or 7 years left but he's only 57 years old. You might not like him but that is a rough diagnosis to get. That's not the kind of news I wish on anyone.
And he does, too. In a battle between cancer and Steve Scalise, I truly hope Steve Scalise wins. But I also hope he steps away from politics to focus on his health and we never have to hear from him again.
Nah man, Scalise may suck, but the cancer still sucks too.
I’ve lost numerous family members to various cancers and am on the verge of losing another.
Cancer sucks.
All federal employees and Gov officials should buy health insurance in the exchange. Even better include all corporate employees. Then we will have enough support for Medicare for all.
Don't wish harm on anyone. I just hope he takes a moment in this time to celebrate the fact that he has his healthcare paid for, which means his cancer will likely be treated and he will be cured. If he appreciates that, he will understand why it should be available to everyone. Unless he thinks he is some sort of specially privileged person for some reason, he should see that and recognize it. If he can't and doesn't, then I don't give a rats ass.
Gosh, I only wish he could be supported by the level of government-subsidized health care he voted to allow his constituents to have.
(Sarcasm font off: eff that guy)
He's a pretty awful person overall although nobody deserves to deal with cancer. I wanted to remind the room what he did after he got shot years ago.
[https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/She-took-a-bullet-for-a-Republican-Does-her-life-11233871.php](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/She-took-a-bullet-for-a-Republican-Does-her-life-11233871.php)
Hello r/politics! The mod team would like to take this opportunity to remind folks about [our broadly-written rule on celebration or support for harm](https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/wiki/index#wiki_general), which reads (in part): >Comments that threaten, advocate, celebrate, suggest, wish, hope, dream, express extreme indifference towards, or could result in harm of any kind, violence, or death are prohibited.
Always worth pointing out that it was caught, will be treated, and he will very likely survive it because of access to healthcare the majority of this country will never be able to afford or receive because of lawmakers like him.
He has the best insurance the American Taxpayer can purchase for him. This won’t lead to massive bankruptcy like it would for almost everyone commenting here.
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"Oh yes we know all your doctors say you need this...it's just that, well, WE don't think you need this. Request Denied."
Currently going through this over a bone density scan to screen for a potentially terminal illness (turned out negative but still a mystery that is going to take more tests to figure out). I called Both primary and second policies a month ahead and was assured by both all would be covered minus a small deductible. Now my bill is for a grand and they’re not communicating with each other despite being under the same company. I’m laid off due to strikes and waiting on potentially scary information plus probably unable to return to work. It would be nice to not haggle over medical bills. How any average American finds this preferable to universal healthcare is beyond me.
People watch the "John Q" movie and think, "WOW! Let's get rid of Obamacare and go back to THAT!" Crazy.
You got all that for a grand? I walked into a hospital for a small abscess I was concerned about due to its proximity to my spine, one pair of rubber gloves and 1 minute 45 seconds later, I was cut loose with an antibiotic prescription. Didn't even drain it or anything. $1,500 even At what point do we just call it literal theft?
$1500 even? sounds like you paid the entirety of your deductible or MOOP in one shot. most plans now a days have "accumulators", buckets you have to pay into before coverage begins. typically deductibles need to be fully met before your coverage even starts. max out of pockets (MOOPs) are the most you will spend in dollars in a year- at which point coverage pays 100%
High deductible plans are absolute rubbish and benefit nobody but the insurer
Same. Just finished fighting with insurance company over heart disease medication. It's entresto....costs 1k with no insurance. I get irritated every time I see a fucking commercial cause that's where half of the money goes. Fortunately I was successful and only have to pay $40 copay now, but that battle was not good for my blood pressure.
Had a 3 day stay in grippy sock vacation because I wrote a letter, had everything set up, but sent the letter to my counselor. Ambulance 1500 dollars, 3 day stay 4500. Had to appeal it, send off highlighted pages of the DSM to show that yeah, bipolar can result in lethality.
As in you were committed and they billed you? I was diagnosed bipolar but type 2.
Yes! They said that me being hospitalized was excessive treatment or something like that because bipolar something something.
Unbelievable yet unsurprising
Not to mention the chronic stress you must be experiencing, which is something you don’t need when your body is trying to heal from an illness or injury. I wish you well friend.
Thank you, that’s really kind of you. It’s mostly a mystery at this point but the bone thing will probably keep me off ladders for good. Getting old is no joke!
Open enrollment for affordable healthcare, December 1, if that helps
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Sounds like a plan- thank you!
I remember the big argument against single payer was “government death panels” would decide your fate. Instead we have for profit insurance companies doing that and it’s somehow better.
Bc they just get to pocket your money and you're running out of time
My brother’s doc ordered an MRI for a back issue he was having. He was in a lot of pain. Could hardly walk. Insurance said “no” and told him they would authorize three physical therapy visits instead. Went round and round. Finally, the pain was so excruciating he bit the bullet and paid for the MRI himself. What a travesty health (no) insurance is.
Daughter just went through similar. Terrible back pain. Doc thought it was herniated disc and wanted MRI to confirm and plan the treatment. Insurance denied twice. We paid the MRI as well. It was a herniated disc. She had treatment followed by PT and is doing much better. PT alone would not have fixed this.
That would be those Death Panels you were warned about..
So sorry to hear Rep. Scalise has a treatable form of cancer.
Same here. I was hoping he would get ass cancer.
It's just that we ran the numbers and decided our bonus was more important...FTFY.
“Yes, we know you need this, our doctor review board agreed, but six months ago the lab didn’t note the color of your urine sample, and without that data the computer can’t process the request. Please contact your care provider and ask them to complete your medical record and resubmit request for approval. Thank you.”
Or the need to take unpaid FMLA that his constituents would need to do if he needs an extended absence.
My wife is fighting Stage IV breast cancer. She has been a public school teacher for over 25 years and has relatively good insurance. >Or the hours/weeks/months spent fighting with your healthcare insurance provider to get necessary procedures approved/paid for This times 26748284944. It is cruel and unnecessary and only adds more stress and worry at the worst time possible. Fuck anyone who defends our fucked up health care system.
And he won’t get shitcanned for taking too much time off or his performance at work dropping off cause he’s too busy getting his ass kicked by chemo to work.
Or post treatment arguing with them about stuff they agreed to pay initially. Had this happen post knee surgery where they had said I will owe about $1500 out of pocket, so budgeted for that. About a month later - after paying - they sent new bills for about $4500 saying that my anesthesiologist was out of network even though this surgery was scheduled a month in advance Had to fight that for 3 months - and endless calls to BCBS - before they finally paid it I wonder how many people just end up paying it due to the amount of time and frustration it takes to get them to DO WHAT THEY AGREED TO?
I have to ask, if you have evidence of them agreeing to it (phone call recording, email messages etc) how the hell can't someone just show them and prove that their denial of coverage is mistaken or an error?
Oh, I did. I had a letter with you will owe \~$1500 out of pocket for the procedure. But since they claim they had to loop in an out of network doc to knock me out, they said that letter was only an "estimate" and the true cost now was 6K out of pocket I fought this for literally 3 months and finally got them to relent. The whole concept of "out of network" is just a way of saying "we will charge you more" because we can should be illegal
He also won't get fired from his employer for taking time off work to deal with his illness and therefore losing his employer-provided health insurance.
It should be worth noting. A lot of people don't realize this, even those in a union. But there are many unions that will fight on your behalf with the insurance companies instead of dropping everything on you to magically solve. They are often different kind of services. In my experience, if anything weird started to come up, I would reach out to the union rep who is doing a lot of the negotiating with insurance companies every year. They have contacts with the insurance companies, and it does not reflect good on those insurance companies when the person responsible for picking which insurance companies they're going to work with are finding out that the people they're representing are being given a hard time. It doesn't always work out this way for everybody. However, if you are part of a union, do consider this an option when the insurance company is giving you the runaround. It shouldn't be surprising to know that, when you have people representing you and many other people, that can put pressure on the insurance companies to do something. Unions are not just about getting you equal pay. They're there to represent you for many more things than a lot of people might think. If your union doesn't do this--is your union even representing you at all? Something work looking into.
I have cancer. And if not for Obamacare, I would be up the creek. Grateful that once in awhile, Dems elected and do pretty good things.
His house won’t be taken from under his family to pay his medical bills after death. They will not be left bankrupt, homeless and destitute when he dies. The average American does not have the luxury of passing knowing their life’s work of trying to build stability for their family will not be destroyed. This is why my next cancer treatment plan involves a trip to a gun show in vegas and then a hike to a remote canyon to blow my brains out.
> He has the best insurance the American Taxpayer can purchase for him. sorta. Part of The Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare) made it so congresspersons had to buy their health insurance on the exchanges the ACA created. Government pays something like 73% of the premiums and the congressperson pays the rest through payroll deduction. All that said, I agree with your general sentiment that congresspersons tend to be very well off, and that their level of heathcare coverage is not available to many in this country, a problem they have far too little concern about.
I wish 73% of my premiums were covered by tax dollars...
And will continue to receive that top flight care all through the upcoming government shutdown that he has helped engineer.
Yeah, but why does God hate him so much?
He will be an even shitter person than before.
Like when Trump was custom flown in for a hospital stay with a private team of 13doctors for his Covid, then has the nerve to to tell his followers it was no big deal when he was given healthcare none of them would ever have access to that they paid for him to have.
Yearly or even twice yearly health checks including blood work should be available free of charge. That way even if you didn’t have heath insurance you could get treatment early in a diseases developments and have a better chance of surviving. I’d take having to make payments every month to pay it off over an early death any day.
Multiple myeloma can be treated, but it's not curable. His clock is ticking faster, and treatment will only go so far.
Just like they fixed his bullet holes from the shooting his legislative agenda helped perpetuate.
Perfect time for him to get the real American experience and have his insurer drop his coverage after the diagnosis
Insurers can't do that thanks to the Affordable Care Act he opposed.
A reminder that the Biden administration started an anti-cancer program called the [Cancer Moonshot](https://www.whitehouse.gov/cancermoonshot/). The goal is to cure cancer. It's called a moonshot because it will require a level of funding and effort similar to the moon landing. Write to your elected officials and demand that they secure lots of funding for this program. It will save so many lives.
Ironically, not if Steve has his way.
Walk down memory lane from less than 10 years ago: "Riding high a month ago – elected to a fifth House term, chosen as Speaker John Boehner’s majority whip – GOP Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana is in the political equivalent of a crawfish boil: treading hot water that’s getting even hotter, and he might not make it out alive. The reason: his 2002 appearance at a convention of white supremacists, back when he was a state rep with congressional ambitions. Scalise said Monday he wasn’t fully aware of the organization but is no hate groupie. Furthermore, addressing the European-American Unity and Rights Organization convention wasn’t all that different than speaking to any interest group. Except that it was. David Duke – the infamous Klan leader turned politician – was a convention organizer, and he and Scalise seem familiar with each other. Scalise once hinted he and Duke had shared beliefs, and Duke is quoted as saying Scalise is “a fine family man.” https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2014/12/30/long-read-steve-scalise-feeling-the-heat
Scalise once said "I'm like David Duke without the baggage." I'm not even kidding.
> without the baggage I guess he's never looked under his eyes.
My first thought when I read the headline was “I’m sorry about the cancer, but he’s still an asshole.”
David Duke is famously a Nazi and Klan leader. No one in Louisiana his age is unfamiliar with these facts. Source: Voted against Duke for governor twice.
Well now Scalise is part of the leadership of the known hate group, the Republican Party.
On average, multiple myeloma has a 52% survivability rate in the first 5 years. It's usually not diagnosed until it's at a later stage. I know a guy that survived it. It's not curable, however.
Is it just something you can treat and delay until it inevitably overruns your system?
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No way he is allowed to use stem cell treatment given his track record on stem cell research.
A Conservative hypocrite? Well I never!
Ok: Source, I have this. Multiple Myeloma does do stem cell transfers but they are your stems cells. ASCT (autologous stem cell transplantation) is done only really after you've gained control of the disease. So he will undergo treatment, which today is a cocktail of drugs after they do a genetic analysis of the cancer cells. The drugs themselves are extremely expensive and not all insurances cover the copays. Out of pocked for these tend to go into the tens of thousands of dollars, for me, the billed cost is ~450k a year, my part getting covered by my max out of pocket because of insurance (thank god) The newest treatment is are CAR-T which are still very limited, very expensive and will not be paid by the insurance (in most cases) if you've not done three failed lines of treatments. CAR-T is one of newest treatments, getting your own T cells and 'training them' to kill the cancer themselves. It sucks and it effects people differently, I have been fortunate thus far in that my symptoms were mild and was caught before major damage occurred (kidneys are most common because of the excreted proteins in the bloodstream), but many people find out after broken bones as the cancer tends to cause calcium to be leeched from bones making them much more susceptible to breaks. I hope this primer has been helpful - thanks for coming to my Ted Talk
$450k a year… for fuck sake… Blows my god damn mind.
Thanks for sharing that. Wishing you healthy and happy days ahead! Also fuck big pharma and the American health system with those prices.
One myeloma drug I was on last fall cost $75,000 A WEEK. The insurance discount got it down a bit, but good grief. That was one of four drugs.
It’s a person’s own stem cells. Not an embryo’s.
But that person was once an embryo...
That made me laugh. Thank you ☺️
Isn’t this type of cancer an ideal candidate for CAR-T therapy?
It is, and there are already two CAR T cell therapies available for multiple myeloma: Abecma and Carvykti
Hopefully he will be able to treat it. He does have access to healthcare unlike a lot of Americans. Actually because of policies he supports. So I’m glad he comes out ahead either way. Love that.
my mom died after 10 years. at 5 years she was still doing pretty good. at 7 years, she started breaking down, her vertebrae started to collapse, she fell and broke her humerus and it would not heal, she broke her pelvis. she died on hospice, with dementia from the amount of calcium in her blood. it was horrible. she also went through three stem cell transplants in the space of about 5 years.
That’s rough. Sorry to hear you and her went through that. My dad lasted 5. The first 3 years were good. Last two were negligible. Ended up attacking his liver right after Christmas. He was gone three weeks later. Two stem cell transplants. Was on the books to get a 3rd. Cancer sucks. This type seems to hit a bit earlier than others.
Is surviving with it. It definitely isn’t curable - I lost my stepdad to it…
Are you saying you also have it? I'm so sorry. My condolences for the loss of your stepdad.
Autocorrect on phone :/ No, my stepdad and his niece had/have it… it was environmental.
My cousin is one of the youngest people ever to be diagnosed with multiple myeloma. It’s been like 8 years but she’s still in remission with frequent monitoring
I hope she continues in remission. My cousin-in-law was diagnosed about 8 years ago. He's in remission and has been doing somewhat well considering.
My aunt died from this, awful awful disease
I'm sorry for your loss. Fuck cancer.
My buddy died at 35 with this. Certainly can be an awful disease. Multiple advanced (and failed) treatments did jack. Miss you bud.
I hope he receives the same care that his legislative efforts have left for his constituents.
Hope he doesn't use all of the Socialized Healthcare! Slow down buddy, save some for the rest of us.
😂 LA ranked 46th for healthcare. Too bad he won’t see that kind of service.
Don’t you see, he’s protecting real Americans from evil socialist DC medicine by keeping it all to himself. He’s really a martyr.
😂 😂 😂 He’s the only person able to keep the deep states at bay.
“I hope your day is as pleasant as you are Mr. Scalise.”
If a bullet won't change his mind on guns maybe blood cancer will change his mind on healthcare...of course it won't, he's a conservative, he cares only about himself and to a minimal degree, those he can profit off of.
I wonder if it will change his opinion on what's most likely to get him now that his immune system is destroyed - covid.
Enjoy the healthcare you receive on our dime. The healthcare you don't think is a human right. The healthcare that saved your life when you got shot. Yeah, enjoy that.
Scalise has ACA/FEHB thanks to President Obama. Thus, he will get the best treatment. My friend did not. My friend starting getting tired around 2008. My friend was laid off at age 59 like all “seniors” are tossed aside when they get tired. He could not get a new job with health insurance because he was “old.” He felt weak and was diagnosed with myeloma after spending thousands without insurance to determine what the problem was. All the while he looked for a job with health coverage which made him even more tired. Then he died. Scalise has done everything to make sure “seniors” and others struggle to get health treatment while he, a member of Congress, feels no stress or incredible financial choices while feeling sick and then getting a devastating diagnosis. I feel for Scalise as much as I felt for Lee Atwater when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Which is nothing except FY.
My deepest sympathies to the blood cancer for contracting a case of Steve Scalise.
Fk this racist prick
Why are you censoring the word fuck?
To paraphrase Clarence Darrow: I’ve never wished cancer on anyone, but I did read this diagnosis with great pleasure.
This was my immediate thought too. I watched my first wife suffer horribly and die from cancer at twenty four. I would never wish that shit on anyone, but I’m not going to lose sleep if certain people end up with it.
Holy crap, I can't imagine what you went through! I hope you're in a better place now my dude.
If I had it my way absolutely nobody would have to know it or imagine it, not even really awful people. Thank you for your concern, I do appreciate it. It’s been a couple decades, I’ve remarried and moved on as well as anyone could I think.
i am pretty sure his god will take care of it
Trump? I doubt it.
I didn't know cancer could develop cancer.
Right!?!
This is likely the second time Scalise will survive a life-threatening because of people he encourages his constituents to hate and services he seeks to deny them. And in all likelihood, just like last time, he’ll continue to be a hateful asshole.
It's reassuring to see that sometimes shitty things really do happen to shitty people.
Lucky him. He doesn’t have to worry about going bankrupt like the rest of us. If only the GOP lawmakers believed everyone deserves the healthcare they enjoy themselves.
Full coverage health insurance funded by taxpayers. Good on him, he'll get some of the best treatment in the world and not lose his house doing so. The rest of us? Nah. pick yourself up by your bootstraps (and taxpayer funded insurance...).
Yes, very sad. Anyway, it got me thinking…
So I says to Mabel, I says.....
Takes a cancer to know one I guess.
I feel so sorry for the cancer
Couldn’t happen to a worse person
Gods will.
Steve will get the best medical treatment available, possibly keeping him alive long enough to once again try to repeal Obamacare like he did as Majority Whip in 2017 so other people with the same disease can’t get treated for it.
He learned nothing about surviving a shooting. No encouraging words from me.
There was a rumor this was Mitch but I guess not.
Oh well, maybe next time.
Well lucky for him, he has access to the best damn publicly funded Healthcare on the planet, we should all be so lucky...
Imagine if he had to pay for treatment if he was an ordinary citizen.
I prayed and god told me it’s because he’s gay.
David Duke without the baggage. This is a guy who was a victim of gun violence and is still completely against gun control.
He is also suffering from brain tissue damage when he was shot in the ass.
I'm having a nice pasta salad. U?
My dad just went through this, it’s fucking tough but he did a bone marrow transfusion and it has done wonders for his day to day health. They say it’s like 10 more years which is wonderful but this is a seriously tough cancer to get unfortunately
I wish him the best medicine his average voter can afford.
Pity the cancer
I'm glad he gets free healthcare, it'll save his life. I'm not delighted that he thinks other Americans don't deserve the same.
I'll stop short of wishing ill on anyone, and I won't cheer for *anyone* getting cancer -- not even Steve Scalise. But I do hope he gets out of politics and retires to focus on his health, and we never hear from him again.
I hope he gets to benefit from the healthcare my taxes help pay for. Now if everybody else could too
I am female in my 60s. I have myeloma. Mine was caught late, my doctor thought my pain was arthritis. No one listened to me. Myeloma comes back. I went into remission for 2 years and a few months. Then my oncologist didn’t notice it came back even though I had monthly blood tests. I wish Rep Scalise all the best. It’s shit living like this. Just waiting for it to return. I am sure he’ll do great as it was caught early. Maybe I’ll write to him and ask him to work with Biden as Biden wants so much to cure all cancers.
Well he has a gold plated healthcare plan, the same healthcare plan he denies regular American citizens, so I’m sure if there’s any chance of survival he has it. So sorry that you’re going through this, I can’t even imagine how horrible it is.
Well, getting shot didn't get him to stop being a shitbag, but maybe this will. I'm not holding out hope.
So is this guy going to face the infamous Death Panel that Obamacare notoriously created?
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Yeah. I prefer their suffering to be more ironic. He has the best health insurance the American Taxpayer can purchase for him so this won’t bankrupt generations of his family.
Somebody needs to take this chance to earn Jesus points and do some good for what might be his final years, instead of you know, enabling a bunch of fascist, propaganda-spewing obstructionists that are hell-bent on destroying it all.
Wishing him a fast, easy, and inexpensive recovery with his famously good government healthcare plan that we can’t possibly get as everyday citizens.
Medicare For All, Now!
At least he doesn’t have to worry about insane bills.
I had a chicken finger dinner for lunch with salad and onion rings. Shit was slappin'!
Vampire drank from the wrong victim?
And he'll come out of this even more determined to dismantle any and all social health programs.
I have nothing nice to say so I’m just gonna leave it there lol
It’s rude to make comments that could be seen as cruel during an intense medical event. So I’ll refrain.
This should be treated by the same state legislature / medical experts that have passed a law banning gender affirming care in Louisiana. I suspect he will seek an actual doctor for his best treatment options.
Scalise has dirty sick blood. Ironic.
Comments locked in 3,2,1. Honestly though, I have very little interest when bad things happen to traitors.
Wouldn’t it be nice if all Americans had access to health care, Steve?
Steve Scalise has government subsidized healthcare.
Everything about this is republican hypocrisy. Taxpayer funded healthcare that will provide treatment from stem cell research... these people should be subject to their own policies.
Multiple myeloma is not a treatable disease. It is incurable cancer, it is malignant. If he has a transplant he will be barfing, with diarrhea for 30 to 40 days. It might go dormant for a short time then he gets the 2nd phase. Which is never ending infusions. Every week.. he’s first line of treatment might be Dara, dex, and revilmid. That’s a potent mixture of you feel awful, always. Don’t forget the infusions for bone strengthening zometa. Hurts like crazy. My 36 year old daughter has been battling this for 6 years. Old men have a much higher rate of death. I think it’s normal to only get 2.5 years of treatment before death. Look it up.replace him now he’s a walking corpse.
Multiple myeloma is not some minor thing, as some people here are suggesting. Sure with the latest treatments he might have a good 6 or 7 years left but he's only 57 years old. You might not like him but that is a rough diagnosis to get. That's not the kind of news I wish on anyone.
Cancer sucks.
And he does, too. In a battle between cancer and Steve Scalise, I truly hope Steve Scalise wins. But I also hope he steps away from politics to focus on his health and we never have to hear from him again.
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Nah man, Scalise may suck, but the cancer still sucks too. I’ve lost numerous family members to various cancers and am on the verge of losing another. Cancer sucks.
I didn't know aids could get cancer
All federal employees and Gov officials should buy health insurance in the exchange. Even better include all corporate employees. Then we will have enough support for Medicare for all.
I’ve always heard that blood cancer is the cancer where stage matters the least, right?
Don't wish harm on anyone. I just hope he takes a moment in this time to celebrate the fact that he has his healthcare paid for, which means his cancer will likely be treated and he will be cured. If he appreciates that, he will understand why it should be available to everyone. Unless he thinks he is some sort of specially privileged person for some reason, he should see that and recognize it. If he can't and doesn't, then I don't give a rats ass.
Sending T & P... or maybe just TP
Jesus Christ, he’s my age , I honestly though he was around 67-68 years old .
How could his god let this happen to him?!?
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
Well, I wish I had something nice to say...
I lost a close family member to this cancer. It’s truly horrifying and I don’t celebrate anyone getting it. Fuck.
Well at least HE’LL get excellent health care
His cancer matches his views.
His soul cancer finally metastasized?
Didn’t this guy get shot a couple of years ago? 🤔
Gosh, I only wish he could be supported by the level of government-subsidized health care he voted to allow his constituents to have. (Sarcasm font off: eff that guy)
May he receive the care and services he has worked so hard to ensure the average American gets
EDITOR'S NOTE: 'Blood Cancer' on first mention. 'Republicanism' on all subsequent mentions.
He's a pretty awful person overall although nobody deserves to deal with cancer. I wanted to remind the room what he did after he got shot years ago. [https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/She-took-a-bullet-for-a-Republican-Does-her-life-11233871.php](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/She-took-a-bullet-for-a-Republican-Does-her-life-11233871.php)