Sandra Burt's Health Care Story
My Story
"My name is Sandra Burt. I’m from Concord, New Hampshire.
I’m 65 years old.
I worked for my company for 40 years. And I recently lost my job. I have an auto-immune disease and I need my medication. There are shots that I take twice a week. I applied for Medicare first, and then I found out that I have to have two other insurances - a supplemental insurance, Part B and Medicare Part D for the drugs.
Well, that’s where all my trouble started.
I found out that with having all of these insurances, I started at a $1,043 a month, and I ended up with $625. My shots are $2800 a month, and I can not get $2800 a month out of $625, no matter how hard I try.
So I have applied for help through different foundations, different grants. I talked with social workers. New Hampshire does not have a drug assistance program, so I got no help there.
I’m kind of exasperated right now because I don’t know what to do. My husband sold his truck to try to get more insurance for us, so we’re now down to one 10 year old van that we’re trying to keep going. I’m getting help, I hope, from a foundation – a wellness foundation. I’ve applied for help there.
I haven’t heard from them and they’re my last chance. They will pay the co-pay, but I still have to pay $138.69 as my co-pay, which is better than $2800 a month, but still it’s hard to come up with that as well.
It’s been 2 weeks since I mailed them and I have not heard from them. My time is running out, my shots will be running out, and I’m not exactly sure what is going to happen.”
We should be able to get help in this country
“Somewhere out there, there has got to be some help for everybody because I don’t care if you’re a young child, a young mom, a middle-aged woman or a senior like I am, if you’re hit with a catastrophic disease that takes a catastrophic drug, you’re going to need help and you’re going to need it soon. And you’re not going to be able to sit around and wait and wait for someone to help you. You should be able to get it in this country. And you should be able to get it when you need it.”
I’m a Health Care Voter
“I started out being a Health Care Voter by going to a John Edwards rally which was close to my house. I’d never been to a political rally in my entire life. But due to my health care issues, I decided I was going to go and see what he had to say.
And after that, this whole thing kind-of snowballed on me. The “I’m a Health Care Voter” people came to me, the AARP people came to me, the Concord Monitor came to me, and I was truly amazed that something like this could happen to me at my age, in this time of my life, all because I have a disease that I’m trying to find a solution to. But I have met some wonderful people through these organizations; I’m getting more political than I’ve ever been. I’ve always been a voter, but now I’m getting to meet the candidates, and I’m talking to them about my issues, and I’m hoping that will help me and anybody else like me in my situation, or in their situation, whatever it may be. I’m very proud and happy to be involved. It seems great. All my friends are calling me, saying “I saw you on TV!” or “I heard you on the radio” or “You go, girl!” It’s been really great and I love the people that I’m with and I intend to stay with them as long as they want me!”