Cover America Tour: Americans And The High Cost Of Health Care

Back in April, I told you about the Consumers Union Prescription for Change and its mission to “urge the FDA to require the same MedWatch 1-800 number given in print drug advertisements to also be given during television drug advertisements, as well as Web site information.”

Today, I want to introduce you to a new Consumers Union campaign, the Cover America Tour.

From the Web site:

The Cover America Tour, sponsored by Consumer Reports Health, will roam the country this summer, putting faces on the flaws in our broken health care system. At every stop, we’ll videotape Americans talking about the challenges they’ve experienced getting the affordable, high quality health care they need.

We want to make sure that politicians promoting solutions listen to your voice, not just the voices of the big money lobbyists representing the health care industry.

This campaign is interesting for all Americans, and Americans with mental health conditions are no exception. Prescription medications for mental health disorders such as anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia can cost hundreds of dollars a month – a big chunk of change, especially for someone who doesn’t have adequate health insurance (another problem many Americans with mental illnesses face).

The two videos my contact at the Consumers Union recommended are:

• The one from Tom, who along with his partner buys his own health insurance but was still going to have to pay $10,000 for a hip replacement (due to arthritis) and began experiencing depression from all the pain and hopeless feelings. Tom eventually waited until he was 65 and qualified for Medicare before having the hip replacement (he and his partner, who are potters – not of the Harry variety – realized they couldn’t make and sell enough pots to cover the cost of the surgery until then). He had waited so long, his muscles had began to atrophy.
• The one from Kathy, who can’t afford her diabetes medication on her Social Security income. She lost her health insurance after her husband retired and they divorced, and even the cost of her diabetes medication at Wal-Mart is over $200 a month. Kathy likens her situation to “committing suicide slowly.”

These stories are not only heartbreaking; they’re also close to each and every one of our homes. These people are your family members, friends, and neighbors. If they’re not you today, they could be you tomorrow.

I only just became familiar with the Cover America Tour this week, but I already love this campaign. These videos give faces and voices to statistics, making it harder to keep ignoring the problem of inadequate health insurance and high health care costs.

You can check out The Route to find out if the Cover America Tour is scheduled to stop in your area, share your story online, or read the Cover America Tour Blog to stay up to date with what’s going on. You can even submit your photo and receive a free Cover America Tour tee-shirt.

So what do you think about the Cover America Tour? Do you know anyone who’s participated, or have you participated in some way?

Image: SXC