Insurance Coverage – a determinant of health and life for young people with diabetes in the US!
Some time ago, I watched a Netflix movie “The Purple Heart” with horror. Later, I convinced myself that the story may be unique or fictitious! If you have not watched it yet, I recommend you to do so.
Living in Pakistan, I had always found the access gap between the low and middle income countries and the high income countries to be stark and disturbing. I could not imagine the horrors a young person with diabetes may have to face in a country like the United States. And while the movie told about it, I still did not believe it to be as bad as presented. What could be worse than what the low income countries face, right?
In the movie, a young girl at the age of 18, out of parental insurance coverage, has to struggle with her diabetes care- she ends up marrying a US marine for the sake of getting medical benefits, while the officer receives some extra income due to the exalted “married” status. The couple had no romance, and no relationship, except they make it work for the two of them!
Some time back, I was sitting with a small group of advocates where a young woman (let’s name her Erica) revealed her Purple Heart to us. She had done exactly the same in her life! It was eye opening for me to know that Purple Hearts could be real and was not just a fictional tale. Erica went on to tell us about how she not only lost access to diabetes technology, but had to struggle for her insulin. She had to forego her ambitions of higher education to take up jobs that could pay for her insurance! She then resorted to a paper marriage with a US Armed Forces officer in a mutually beneficial friendship that kept her alive and supported for a few years. Lets take a moment of silence to absorb this!
There is charity support in many low and middle income countries. Or you can buy insulin over the counter. With the insurance inaccessible and the insulin prices for out-of-pocket purchase exorbitant, the same cannot be said about the United States. A 2021 study reported over 16.5 percent of insulin users in the US rationing insulin to save costs. Deaths have been reported due to rationing, while the complications and loss in quality of life may be immeasurable.
Advocacy Action: Have you ever heard such a story? Do you think that 18 years is too young an age to expect a person to be able to earn enough for appropriate diabetes coverage? Do you think its fair to put a young person in a situation where they have to forego college and university for keeping themselves alive and healthy?
Let us know what you think about the Purple Hearts and what can be done about it! Write to us at sana@pdgn.org.uk or adrian@pdgn.org.uk and share your feedback!
