Boomers' Wisdom Blog

A friend of mind gave me the following Hepatitis C story and I think it is worth sharing since the debate on health care is in full bloom these days.  She prefers to remain anonymous to protect her identity and that of the subject of the story.  This is valuable information for boomers who spent any of their youth living life a bit on the edge.  And the moral of the story could be expanded to consider the ramifications of genetic testing to see if you carry a gene for breast cancer, Alzheimer’s or any number of other diseases. Is the possibility of a disease enough to leave people unable to get insurance coverage?

I knew a wild 15-year-old teen who fancied herself a hippy. A bit precocious in 1971, she ran with the big boys and girls and did most of what was being done at that time . . . marijuana, psychedelics, IV drugs, etc. At a regular annual checkup her gynecologist looked at her yellowed eyes and informed her she had hepatitis. She had not even noticed her jaundiced condition, nor had she felt ill. Back then Hep A and Hep B were the typical forms of hepatitis so the doctor gave her a prescription and in two weeks she was all better. However, many of her friends also had the same condition. Odd coincidence?

As the girl grew into womanhood she became responsible, reliable, ambitious and gave up all her wayward activities.  She got her undergraduate degree and then two masters degrees and successfully held well-respected managerial jobs in the business world.

Over the years during each visit to the doctor she always checked the box on the health survey that said she once had hepatitis.  Not one doctor ever questioned her about it until she was well into her 40s.  Finally one diligent physician asked what form of hepatitis she had when she was 15. She didn’t know. The doctor who discovered it back then never told her.  He treated it  and no symptoms had ever occurred again. So the new doctor asked, how did you get it? The woman answered truthfully that it may have been from IV drug use since many of her friends with whom she had shared needles also had gotten the condition.

The well-intentioned doctor, all up in arms, declared the woman must be tested. He feared it could be Hep C, which was undiscovered until 1992. Little did she know what repercussions would occur when the test came back positive for Hep C. People could contract it through transfusions prior to 1992, since blood was not being screened for the disease before then. Many people got very sick, but many did not and never showed symptoms.

 The disease is not sexually transmitted except perhaps by anal sex when blood exposure can occur. The woman gave birth to and raised a child who does not have Hep C. She has been married and had unprotected sex with her husband who has not contracted the disease. When reading the literature and information on the Internet regarding the disease it is presented as a dramatic malady with no cure.

 Now this woman is trying to get individual health insurance since like so many in the recent past, she lost her job. Hep C is treated by insurance companies like other pervasive and incurable diseases such as HIV, Parkinson’s, Leukemia, and many others. After trying to get insurance with several companies she was turned down flat. No exclusions, no higher than usual premiums, just one big NO.

The woman’s COBRA is about to run out and state law requires and guarantees they provide continued coverage. Yay! So she thought. The premium quoted to her for continuation coverage from COBRA through CIGNA (I am sure they are not the only insurance company that does this) is $6,432 per month. YES, that is $6,432 per MONTH for hospital coverage with a surgical maximum of $9,000. No office visits, no prescriptions, no preventive care is included in the policy. The lifetime limit under this policy is $250,000. What a joke!

However, there is good news. Since this woman is a resident of Colorado there is a high risk pool available where the woman can get individual coverage for a very decent policy that covers preventive check ups and has a lifetime maximum of $2 million. She will pay, at her current age of 53, $450 per month. There is a $3,000 annual deductible and some percentage co-pays. See CoverColorado.org for more information. Other states may have similar programs available.

It is time for the moral of this story. If you are a former or current IV drug user, participate in risky sex practices, received a blood transfusion before 1992 or even have old tattoos from before the parlors were regulated you are in a high risk group for Hep C.  If you were diagnosed with “hepatitis” before 1992 but have no current symptoms DO NOT get it confirmed by your physician.

The subject of this story has not received any treatment for and has never been sick from Hepatitis C, but she is paying dearly now to get insurance coverage for something she never even had symptoms for. If you find you have it and are afraid you will give it to others, don’t be. Enjoy a lifestyle without shared IV needles and engage in sex practices that do not endanger your loved one. Transfusions are now screened and tattoo parlors are regulated.

Natalie Cole was featured in the November/December AARP magazine. She had kidney failure (unrelated to Hep C) but the doctor worked up a Hep C diagnosis from some blood work. She got it when she was 23 and had never had any symptoms or any clue she had it. Having Hep C is not the end of the world . . . unless you are trying to get health insurance with a Hep C pre-existing condition.