My Journey: The cost of being ill; Cut's, cut's and more cut's!

It's becoming more difficult by the day to have any hope at all for a future that will be filled with lack of care or benefits for those with illnesses. It seems that all businesses and governments want to do is cut benefits related to heath care.

Everyday, you hear about another cut, or budget that reduces the allowances for health care. It is very obvious that those involved in making those decisions do not have illnesses or family members with illnesses. Because if they did, they surely would not be voting in favor of these cuts.

All they are doing is passing on this burden to future governments or CEO' s to deal with. When that happens, the costs will be so astronomical that either you will be taxed to death or left to your death. I am honestly beginning to think that, that is exactly what they want for people with chronic or life threatening illness, death, it's cheaper for them if your dead than it is to care for you, and they make that more obvious by the day.

I personally am affected by these cuts and will surely be affected in the future as well. Being in either an injured or ill state for the past seven years or so has taken it's toll on us and on our finances as well. It was determined for me three years ago that I would no longer be able to work, and with a disability plan that deducts household earnings or income dollar for dollar, Brenda going back to work would have zero effect on our income until this benefit runs out.

That time is coming near where I am going to lose my disability income that I had through my employer. You see, we once had a Long Term Disability plan that we, the employees. paid 100% of the premium and that when needed, paid you either till you went back to work, age 65, or you died.

Over the past two collective bargaining agreements my union failed to properly inform the employees and therefore allowed them to collectively vote away the terms we had in place, by recommending ratification of those agreements.

The first agreement, back in 2008, changed those terms. The time payable to employees on Long Term Disability went from return to work, age 65 or death, to return to work, death or 5 years which ever came first. This is where it affected me, and I am at the point where the 5 years is up. That changed again in our current contract and that maximum is now return to work, death, 3 years or length of seniority of less than three years!!

What I'll never understand is how the union allowed this to even happen, as we the employees pay 100% of that premium for long term disability!! We the employees should be dictating the terms of that, not the employer!

Also, I have been affected by cuts to my other benefits as well, which includes my Green Shield coverage which covers my drug plan, dental, and other health related benefits. That same contract which cut the length of my long term disability coverage also cut my Green Shield benefits. Prior to this contract we paid a $3.00 co-pay on all drugs covered under the plan, so that meant I paid $3.00 for each prescription I had. That covered your spouse as well as any children as well.

That coverage went from a $3.00 co-pay to a 20% co-pay with no cap. At that particular time I was having to inject myself at home every 3 weeks with a drug call Neupogen which was to boost my white blood cell count which was being severely affected by the chemo treatments I was undergoing at the time. The actual cost of that drug was $2,700.00 and change, for which I paid $3.00.

With this new co-pay of 20% this drugs was now going to cost me $540.00 out of pocket every three weeks! I told them (the union and fellow employee's) at the time they were in effect signing my death warrant if they ratified that deal. I even brought all my receipts to show and explain to them what was going to happen to me if they signed that deal.

Well, they signed the deal, I could not believe they did that, I told them at the time, I hoped they or any of their family members never got ill, because this is what they would have to look forward to. That did not seem to phase anyone at all. I even wrote a letter to the union telling them they just bargained with my life and that of others, should they fall ill with a life threatening illness.No response, not that I expected one.

Fortunately I have a cancer center that cares about it's patients, and through them anonymous funding was found to pay that $540.00 co-pay I was now faced with. Either that or I would have been spending a lot of time in the hospital fighting infections which could have been life threatening.

Now, I am once again faced with a financial predicament due to cuts in benefits. That is the 5 year LTD term which is up. Now that I am faced with the fact, my income will decrease by more than 1k, and what I'm left with will not pay my rent and bills.

When I say bills, I am only speaking of things such as phone (cell and home), Internet & cable, car and life insurance. You see I have no credit debt, that was cleared when we were forced to declare personal bankruptcy just over 7 years ago, due to my reduced income as I was on reduced hours for a year while I waited for a surgery date due to a work related injury which blew out my knee.

So thankfully I don't have that debt now, or I'd be forced into that situation anyway, and that's one less stress I need right now. Stress, that's another issue right now that I'm dealing with in the face of all this other stuff going on. Stress is not something I need right now, but will have to face and get through with the help of my social worker at the cancer center. Thank goodness that is covered!!

What are we going to do? Well, that is still not 100% clear yet, but in the meantime Brenda will go back into the workforce after not having to work for the past 17 yrs. Not easy, and not something I am happy about, but what else are we to do. So it's suck it up like everyone else has to.

Being ill and faced with a life threatening illness not only takes it's toll on you the patient, but your spouses and caregivers as well.

So do I sound bitter about the cuts that go on, your damn right I do, and when I fight for things, it's not just for me but for others in the same situation. These things will still be going on after I'm gone, I'm sure. But know this, I will do everything I can to voice the concerns of those in this situation!!

To business and Government. STOP THE CUTS to health care and disability pensions!! Future generations and Governments are going to be faced with caring for a whole lot of sick people with no where to go and no private insurances to help them along the way. Yes, you may think they are better off dead it will indeed cost you less, but you will be paying for all the funerals, as no one will have the capability of paying for them!!

What will happen to me? That remains to be seen, however, if nothing develops soon cell phones will be cancelled, then internet, and so on. This is were I have to stop now. I could go on for hours, but then some would accuse me of just being a bigger whiner than I am now in their eyes!

Please write your Federal, Provincial and Municipal politicians today, stop the cuts to health and long term care now!

Provincial Members of Parliament