6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL AUGUST 8, 2018
HEALTH CARE
from A1
it?”
According to a 2018 report
released by the Commonwealth
Fund which was founded in
1918, the percentage of unin-
sured adults jumped from 12.7
there’s a 70 percent chance she’s
going to need surgery,” Kurt said.
“She needs to go to Portland but
the people here said we better
have some kind of insurance be-
fore we go.”
ment. Th e company boasts on the
page set aside for users to create
to that.
campaigns, “We’re the leader in
“She didn’t want to go to the
online medical fundraising” and
doctor because we didn’t have
reports more than $650 million
any health insurance,” he said.
raised per year for those cam-
Th e Walkers had
paigns. Th e site makes
always paid health
it easy, letting indi-
insurance costs for
viduals choose from
their employees,
breast cancer, cancer,
dating back to that
IVF, lymphoma, sur-
fi rst print shop in
gery, leukemia or the
California 40 years
more-broad, ‘health
ago. But 18 months
insurance’ to launch
ago, the couple
their campaign pages.
was priced out of
On the Walker’s
the market. Th ree
page, they write that
months later, Tere-
they’re thankful for
sa was diagnosed
people who can do-
with colon cancer.
nate but push an ac-
“We make too
tion more urgent for
much for OHP
them: contacting local
(Oregon
Health
government represen-
Plan) and it would
tatives to ask for solu-
cost
$2,000
a
tions to the health care
month for Tere-
crisis.
sa and me on the
“Th ey say they’re
marketplace,” Kurt
helping us, but they’re
said. “So, that’s
not,” Kurt said of sena-
$24,000 a year I
tors and congressmen.
would be paying
“Th ey get free health
for health insur-
care but they can’t
ance. Th at leaves
seem to fi x ours.”
me with $10,000
Th e Sentinel reached
for the rest of the
out to both state and
year. So, if I paid
federal representatives
for health insur-
from the Walker’s dis-
ance, we would be
trict. State Senator
below the poverty
Floyd Prozanski cit-
line and we’d qual-
Teresa Walker was diagnosed with colon cancer months after dropping her health ed local options like
ify for OHP.”
insurance due to climbing costs.
the Bridge Assistance
2018
require-
program for individu-
ments for the Ore-
percent in 2016 to 15.5 percent
PeaceHealth has been helping als without insurance and said,
gon Health Plan, a program for in March of this year. Th e Cen- the Walkers ferret out resources “We, as a state and as a country,
low-income Oregonians paid ters for Disease Control places and Teresa said the couple has need to think about our health
for through federal Medicaid the number of uninsured adults been looking for grants. To date, care policy to insure everyone
and state funds, require individ- at 28.2 million.
PeaceHealth’s Bridge Assistance is able to have access to medical
uals to earn up to 138 percent
“I just keep thinking about program, has paid $7,000 of Te- care when they need it.” He also
of the federal poverty level, or that story I saw,” Teresa said, resa’s expenses.
off ered to speak with Teresa di-
$32,900 for a family of four, to pausing to gather her voice from
Cheryl Mallory is the assis- rectly. A representative from
qualify.
tears, “It was that a woman fell tant director for patient access Senator Ron Wyden’s offi ce said
Teresa is in the middle of a onto the subway tracks and at PeaceHealth and said that, po- his schedule did not allow him
round of chemo, then she’ll have she just kept saying, ‘Don’t call tentially, 70 to 100 percent of pa- to respond prior to the news
another round and then she’ll 911, please don’t call 911.’ She tients’ charges could be covered deadline. Congressman Peter
need surgery. Her doctors say couldn’t aff ord it.”
by Bridge. Th e program follows DeFazio’s offi ce cited constituent
she’s about half way through her
In July of this year, CCTV a process dictated by the federal privacy concerns in declining to
course of treatment. To date, the footage showed a woman exit- poverty guidelines and off ers set comment.
couple is up to $262,000 in med- ing a train in Boston when her discounts. However, only charges
Teresa’s numbers are too low
ical bills.
leg slipped between the platform related to PeaceHealth facilities for surgery right now but she
Th e community has rallied and the train. Her fellow passen- and physicians are eligible for always halts just short of fi nish-
around the couple, off ering gers stepped in to pull her from the discount. Teresa’s surgery at ing a thought that may lead any-
meals and setting up a gofund- danger. Bystanders reported at OHSU would not be eligible.
where other than a healthy, safe
me page. But Kurt manages his the time hearing the woman beg
Kurt has loved Teresa since recovery. When asked if there is a
schedule so he can cook most would-be helpers not to call for high school and they’ve hardly debt point or moment when the
of their meals and the couple is an ambulance for the leg that was been separated in the 44 years couple runs out of money, if she’ll
thankful for the $3,610 raised so cut up her thigh and to the bone they built their family and raised be denied further treatment she
far out of a $5,000 goal. But Te- because it was “$3,000” and she their children. Th eir son and pauses. “I don’t know.”
resa said it isn’t as much about “couldn’t aff ord it.”
a nephew help out at the print
Her prognosis, according to
the money as it is about the sys-
“By the time we’re done, we’re shop tackling the design work Kurt though, is good. “It’s cur-
tem.
looking at half a million,” Kurt Teresa used to handle.
able,” he said. “It’s all curable if
“Why aren’t we talking about said. Teresa’s already had a long
Th ere's been only one update you have enough money.”
this? I’m home more now and hospital stay and if she under- on the couple’s gofundme page
To donate to Teresa’s medical
watch the news and why aren’t goes surgery, it will be for an es- since it was started and became bills, visit www.gofundme.com/
we talking about the 35 mil- timated eight hours and followed one of the more than 250,000 teresa-and-kurt-walkermedi-
lion Americans who don’t have by a minimum two-week stay.
campaigns on the platform cal-fund.
health insurance and can’t aff ord
“Th ey told us last night that crowdfunding for medical treat-
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