Everyone has something

My mom always says everyone has something. No one is perfect. She says of all things to have, diabetes isn’t so bad. It's controllable after all and a lot of people have to deal with a lot worse. I always think about those words when I need an extra boost. Of all things to have, diabetes is manageable.

A conversation I had at work today has left me feeling really down. While everyone has something, some people just really have it rough. This morning I was talking to a girl on the phone whose insurance company has denied thousands of dollars worth of claims to her registered dietitian. This girl told me she is an anorexic. She’s in a wheelchair. She has no steady income. She used to be a lawyer, but has gone through so many surgeries that she can’t move her hands fast enough to write down her thoughts. Can I help her, she wants to know?

I work at the American Dietetic Association where I advocate for coverage of nutrition services. We live in a society that pours money into procedures but won’t spend a dime on preventive medicine. The government will pay for CT scans, MRIs, and surgeries galore, but try to see a registered dietitian for nutrition counseling because you have cancer and throw up everything you try to swallow, and you're on your own.

This particular insurance company is denying an anorexic girl from receiving nutrition counseling. Can you fathom that? They want to her to see an “in-network” provider 15 miles away from her home. Did I mention she’s in a wheelchair? She can’t make it 2 miles down the road to get to her physical therapy appointment. She’s asked me to talk to her dietitian - to help build a case as to why her claims must be paid. Sure, everyone has something, but no one should have to face something like this.