60 Minutes did a very good job with this report. Some might think it over the top with their footage of the people behind fences, lining up to get healthcare. It was a reminder of the Mariel boatlift and Katrina refugees.

I was shocked and very saddened by the 60 Minutes segment.

80,000 uninsured in Knox County? How can this be?

Many thanks to Stan Brock and Dr. Tom Kim, neither are from the U.S. Apparently they can see what is happening here. Many thanks to the large group of other volunteers willing to help.

I am committed to supporting elected officials that are pursuing a fix to America's broken health care system so that every man, woman, and child in America has health insurance they can afford or that is provided for them if they can't.

One thing that I found curious about the 60 Minutes program. They spoke to a man who had driven to Knoxville from Dalton, GA.

It turned out Tankersley had two heart attacks and heart surgery a few years back, but almost no follow up since.

The Tankersleys live in Dalton, Ga., and fall into the underinsured category. Marty's a truck driver and has major medical insurance through his employer. But the deductible is $500, really unaffordable. And the dental insurance costs too much.

Now, I have a family of 5, and I carry a $500 deductible, with a $1250 deductible for the family. Yet, I never considered this to be unaffordable. Actually, by today's standards, I considered it to be pretty acceptable.

Are pundits and analysts looking at the health care crisis through such a small microscope as to consider that to be unaffordable? If that is the barometer we're using, then I believe there is very little chance for a solution to our health care coverage problems.

Thank you for pointing this charity out to the KnoxViews readership. I'm sending them a donation, and I would encourage the rest of the KnoxViews community to do the same.

Thanks, Randy. I had heard this promo'd but forgot about it in the social activities of the day. And, thanks for bringing up the Free Clinic and Interfaith.

As I think I've said before, I am a patient at Interfaith. They are good people, who have helped keep me healthy and sane the last three years. I'm self-employed and have pre-existing conditions that make private insurance impossible in today's world.

Some insight into Interfaith. My income means I pay a $16 co-pay for a doc's visit. This winter I was horribly ill twice with upper respiratory issues. The first time it started w/ laryngitis. My throat was neon red. The doc visit was $16. The strep test was $10. The meds were $5. They have donations from drug companies or for ongoing needs use the drug companies patient assistant programs. The $5 is their handing fee, basically.

In late January, still throat issues, coughing, managed to get dizzy and faint. Sinuses messed up Doc visit, another strep test (the nurse practitioner said that it was odd but that many people w/ strep faint early on), a blood panel just in case b/c I'd managed to avoid having one for a year and a half, more meds. $44. If I'd gone to the ER or a walk-in clinic that $44 would likely have been just the beginning of the charges.

I take three meds for a chronic condition that they have dealt w/ almost better than my previous doc when I had insurance. I take one med for another chronic condition, which keeps everything pretty well ok. They get 600 mg ibubrofen for $5 a month that addresses my arthritis issue, mostly. I get generic allergy meds for $4 at Kroger. They have trouble keeping nasal sprays -- every body in Knoxville needs them you know -- but theses days the KC health department has them so I get a prescription that's good there.

There have been a couple of times that they meds haven't come in when ordered, and I've ended up going to a drug store w/ a prescription. Belew's near the Fellini Kroger has the best deals. And I have some card that someone was handing out last year that helps w/ the price. Once when one of my main medications, which is very expensive, was delayed by paperwork, the nurse practitioner (who I love already for other reasons) actually approached the drug rep at the gym and explained that I needed the meds and got samples straight from the reps car trunk.

Which brings me to the other thing that's wonderful about these clinics -- continuity in care. The nurse practitioner I spoke of above is who I see when I can, she remembers things about my various problems. She knows what works best for me, and understands better than if I saw a random health care provider.

They also have dental care -- $20 something a cleaning visit, i don't remember now exactly. And a percentage for various procedures/appliances. I could get a mouth guard for my teeth grinding habit for about $120.

And, last fall I got my second eye exam -- $13. For another $13, they give you a voucher to take somewhere for glasses. However, for my prescription the voucher wouldn't work, so I paid out of pocket for a Lenscrafters special. I get my complicated vision problems from family, and have always had optician issues.

What I'm saying is that I'm a working person, who would gladly pay for insurance if I could get it and could afford it. But health insurance companies don't care that my medical conditions are manageable, they just care that I have them. And, the last few years my income hasn't been the greatest. i get by. I have some fun, and I'm far from getting to do all I want to do. But if I had to pay out of pocket for the full-price of my health care, I'd be in debt instead of debt-free w/ a tiny bit of savings here and there.

Again, thanks, Randy. Me and others like me appreciate it.

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

One suggestion I have seen if you do not have insurance is to go to the Medicare Physician Fee Lookup web site and check the price and offer that plus 10%

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/PFSlookup/

Although that is still beyond possible for a lot of people.

That could be tight w/ some folks, especially when you get into specialists. I regularly see an orthopedic physicians assistant for a knee problem I have. First time was a huge round of x-rays and a steroid injection. It seems to me that the total was $500. .......

Through Interfaith, they payment is between 10 and 30 percent. pgs

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

Are these guys located in the old Giffin Elementary School building (my "alma mater", I might add parenthetically)?

I was still in shock over the sloppy "reporting" CBS News' David Martin did in the previous segment about the Pentagon's new Active Denial System.

I've used Interfaith and Cherokee through the years and have had good and bad experiences with both. At times I've had a three week wait for appointments, but once I got in good care and cheap meds helped. But at times its also felt sort of like a cattle call, in and out really quick and not much help if your situation is complicated. At Interfaith it depends on what dr. or nurse is on duty that day, some good , some not. All that said I know people with insurance who have had similar experiences at their dr. Its not quiet a safety net, sort of a patch work thing for me.

most about this whole story was the editorial piece that Dr. Kim wrote for the News Sentinel.

RAM plans for an annual East Tennessee Healthcare Exposition in Knoxville. This year 276 volunteers, including almost 100 dentists and medical doctors, participated. [...]

The volunteers came from throughout the United States, and a partial list of states includes Alabama, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Tennessee.

Sadly, only nine of the 52 dentists were from the local area, and I counted only four local medical doctors, including myself.

And we call our hometown "Home of the Tennessee Volunteers". Indeed.

_________________________________________________
"You can't fix stupid..." ~ Ron White"
"I never said I wasn't a brat..." ~ Talidapali

No one has mentioned this and I know it has helped some of my patients find the best prices on medications. www.knoxrxcard.com allows you to look up the prices charged by different drug stores for a specific medication. Valtrex, for example, ranges from $240 to $120 depending on which drug store you go to. It isn't generic yet so it's quite pricey, the generic of it is much cheaper but you have to remember to take it 5 tiems a day instead of 3 times a day.
Anyway, there is also a discount feature with the card that can help reduce the costs of some meds. It is available to all Knox county residents and if I am not mistaken, there is a similar program available in Blount county.

Yeah, the generic thing is a blessing for sure.

(

I guess they lure people in with $4 blood sugar pills hoping they load up on cases of soda and potato chips.)

Well, you've got to market however you can...

Pam Strickland

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." ~Kurt Vonnegut

My name is Michael. I live in Middle-Tenn after moving here from Morristown Tn. a little over two years ago. My wife and I saw you amazing program on 60 Min.We were both moved. I have always wanted to help programs that really truly help people. I haven't been able to with my tight budget.Another problem has been able to find someone like yourself that actually helps from your heart. You remind me so much of my Mom. She always helped people.When I was growing up in a small town in East Tenn. my sister (one of three,me being the only male) was a beautiful young lady that had alot going for her.She worked as a model,making alot of money. She fell into a life of drugs. It started with recreational drugs then onto harder ones. She lost her then Husband and her job. She had a little girl,remarried and continued using. She ended up getting a divorce and continued her life-style.We even went to court and got custody of her daughter.Long story short,we recieved a call from UT hospital that Linda was there and my Mom needed to get there now if she wanted to see her before she died. My Mom got there and they said her alchahol level was .5% and she was on the verge of being in acoma .My Mom prayed to GOD and asked HIM to spar her life and she would open up a facality to help other people with addictions.My Mom mad good on that promise. She bought a building in Morristown,and 13 mths. later it was up and running. The people of Morristown, the Sherriff (Charles Long) had inmates from the jail and other people that were on probation come to help.With the city and the community we did it. Today it is thriving and doing well.Also Linda,my sister, is doing great. She is clean,remarried,and she got her daughter back.As for my Mom she has went on to HEAVEN to be with GOD and recieve the blessings that people like yourself will. I just wanted to share this story with you to say thank you for doing the things you do. ITS GIVING FROM YOUR HEART AND SEEING ALL THOSE PEOPLE HAPPY THAT ARE HAPPY, MAKES IT ALL WORTHWHILE. If I can be of any assistance please contact me. Thank you again for you love and compassion for all those people.