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Letters to the Editor<\/a>\u00a0is a periodic feature. We\u00a0welcome all comments<\/a>\u00a0and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names.<\/em><\/p>\n A Tragic, Deadly Denial<\/strong><\/p>\n I read your article in The Washington Post about the woman whose Humana policy required prior authorization for a drug she\u2019d been taking (Bill of the Month<\/u><\/a>: \u201cShe Struggled To Get a Lifesaving Drug Even After Insurers Vowed To Help<\/u><\/a>,\u201d June 29).<\/p>\n My husband, Kenney, had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. On June 7, he fatally shot himself after a COPD exacerbation event.<\/p>\n His pulmonologist had prescribed two new nebulizer prescriptions on June 2. One was a specialty medication that would come directly from the drug company. A couple of days later, we called Walgreens to see why the other one hadn\u2019t been filled. Turns out it required prior authorization.<\/p>\n Why the doctor who prescribed it needed to tell his health insurer that he really<\/em> did think his patient needed it, I will never understand. The pharmacist said she would send the request to the doctor. And why she hadn\u2019t already done that, again, I do not understand. By June 7, of course, it still wasn\u2019t filled.<\/p>\n That day, a Sunday, Kenney experienced the flare-up when I was out mowing the yard. How terrifying it must have been for him to be unable to breathe and me not being there at least to hold his hand. That night he killed himself, leaving a note saying that he hated to leave me but that he couldn\u2019t keep living like that \u2014 with the constant anxiety of not knowing when he wouldn\u2019t be able to draw a breath.<\/p>\n Not long ago, a \u201cwelcome\u201d packet came in the mail about the other nebulizer treatment \u2014 25 days after it had been prescribed.<\/p>\n Admittedly, my husband\u2019s health was not great. He did have COPD, but we still went out to eat once in a while, and he didn\u2019t have to take his oxygen on those trips. He rarely used it just walking around the house.<\/p>\n He did make a serious suicide attempt six years ago (our daughter and granddaughter had died), but after seeing what it did to me and our son, he promised he\u2019d never do it again. It was only when these exacerbation\/flare-up events started this year that he indicated life was getting bad.<\/p>\n Perhaps, just perhaps, if he had received both medications in a timely manner, he would be here today, and we would have had many more years together. We met when we were 16 and had been together ever since. He was 78 when he died.<\/p>\n \u2014 Cindy Clements Blewett; Kyle, Texas<\/em><\/p>\n Navigating GLP-1 Coverage<\/strong><\/p>\n Sydney Lupkin\u2019s thoughtful article about the obstacles in obtaining weight loss drugs was interesting (Healthcare Helpline:<\/a> \u201cTrouble Getting Weight Loss Drugs Covered by Insurance? Here\u2019s What To Know<\/a>,\u201d June 26). It would have been more helpful had it included a discussion of Medicare\u2019s decision to cover these drugs as of July 1, 2026, and how to navigate the rocky shores of obtaining a prescription that won\u2019t be denied.<\/p>\n \u2014 Sharie Hartman; Manteca, California<\/em><\/p>\n Beyond the Veil of Pregnancy Centers<\/strong><\/p>\n I would like to address the article about a pregnancy resource center providing prenatal care in Sandpoint, Idaho (\u201cReligious Anti-Abortion Center Finds Opportunity in Town Without OB-GYNs<\/a>,\u201d May 20). It is unfortunate that many still do not understand what pregnancy resource centers do, nor the high-quality care they provide. While there are some \u201ccrisis pregnancy centers\u201d that provide limited offerings, most centers are aligned with a national organization like the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, the Heartbeat Pregnancy Center, or Care Net. All these organizations require centers to have a medical director (a licensed healthcare practitioner) and require that the nurses who perform the ultrasounds have appropriate training. While I am not affiliated with 7B Care Clinic, I am concerned that the article may not have accurately reflected what is provided in such clinics. I offer my experiences to bring further clarity.<\/p>\n I work at a life-affirming women\u2019s clinic. I am a board-certified family physician. I have delivered approximately 1,000 babies in my career. I have been performing ultrasounds for my patients for over a decade, and fought for this ability under the scrutiny of maternal-fetal medicine specialists, spending time alongside their registered diagnostic medical sonographer technicians, and having my scans reviewed by maternal-fetal medicine physicians. I have practiced medicine in three states over three decades.<\/p>\n Second, while I am life-affirming, I am not \u201canti-abortion.\u201d I happen to believe that there are better choices, and I know that some women will still choose abortion, even after hearing all their options. I will gladly see those women for follow-up to answer questions and evaluate for complications \u2014 something that the abortion clinics in my area apparently will not do. I say this because that is what the women I see tell me. The clinic that performed the procedure or gave them the pills will not see a patient after the abortion for any follow-up. I have always willingly seen patients for any reason, whether I was working at a private clinic or hospital-owned clinic. That is no different now that I work for a life-affirming women\u2019s clinic.<\/p>\n We provide a variety of services \u2014 free of charge. We are also stepping up to provide prenatal care up to 20 weeks because there is a shortage of obstetrical clinicians in our county. We encourage women to see a clinic where they can be followed throughout the entire pregnancy, if possible, and we are in no way marketing ourselves as competition. We are stepping in to fill the large gap that exists.<\/p>\n Just because the clinic in Sandpoint chooses to respect life does not make it a fake clinic. This clinic seeks to bring in physicians to provide prenatal care. They are bringing in OB-GYNs from Washington state, which has no restrictions on abortion. With this information taken into consideration, I ask you to reconsider any concerns about a clinic bringing board-certified OB-GYNs into an area where there is a shortage.<\/p>\n \u2014 James Heid, Vancouver, Washington<\/em><\/p>\n The Root of All Good<\/strong><\/p>\n The article Claudia Boyd-Barrett wrote about how immigrant parents\u2019 arrests are creating a mental health crisis for children was moving and brought awareness to the mental health challenges faced by them (Growing Up Scared: \u201cArrests of Immigrant Parents Create Mental Health Crisis for Children<\/a>,\u201d June 18). It was important to note how every story was different but focused on how much children missed and yearned for their parents to come back home. You also wrote about how it affected them by not having a parental figure in the home. That really touched me. Specifically, Jacob\u2019s story and when he listed all the things he missed about his mom but especially being close to her.<\/p>\n I am currently a master\u2019s student in social work working to become a better ally to the Hispanic immigrant community. I\u2019ve seen how being afraid and sad over the immigration policies has affected my friends in this community. Losing a close parent and not being able to have that security with them anymore is hard to go through, and trauma affects children as they grow.<\/p>\n In this article, you have recognized the worth of a person, which is a core principle in social work. These children are worthy and have the right to feel taken care of and secure.<\/p>\n I would love to see more mental health services accessible to immigrant communities and their families. This would benefit children as they learn to cope with their feelings and how to make sense of a new world.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stacy Xiong, Athens, Georgia<\/em><\/p>\n Bagging a Bargain<\/strong><\/p>\n Author Susan Jaffe mentioned GoodRx in the article \u201cThousands of Medicare Beneficiaries Thought Their Drug Plan Was Free. Then They Lost It<\/a>\u201d (July 7), but she failed to mention a much better discount drug site, Mark Cuban\u2019s costplusdrugs.com, where a 90-day supply of 2.5 milligrams of rivaroxaban, a generic for Xarelto, is available for under $50. This could help the thousands of people who lost coverage through unpaid premiums from Wellcare Value Script obtain their medications. The problem of yearly increasing penalties for losing Part D coverage is something that has to be addressed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.<\/p>\n Thanks to KFF Health News for the relevant coverage.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jackie Button; Miami<\/em><\/p>\n Fleshing Out the Details<\/strong><\/p>\n Your report identifying alpha-gal syndrome as a red meat allergy is accurate in that respect but inadequate in its breadth (\u201cWould Hunters Take a Lyme Disease Vaccine? We Asked<\/a>,\u201d June 30). Alpha-gal is an allergic reaction to virtually all mammalian products. If you explore that, you\u2019ll find an interesting story, as mammalian products are everywhere, including in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and other non-meat products. Alpha-gal is growing rapidly, and too many people, including doctors, do not realize that AGS is far worse than just a red meat allergy.<\/p>\n I suggest you help build understanding of the threat by describing the allergy in the future as an allergy to mammalian products. If you do not think your audience will understand that term, perhaps you can explain that it includes pork and anything derived from animals with hooves. As a former and now retired reporter, I encourage you to cover this allergy because its implications are surprising and scary.<\/p>\n
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