Letters to the editor is a periodical article. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We edit for length and clarity and require full names.
A tragic and deadly denial
I read your article in The Washington Post about the woman whose Humana policy required prior authorization for a medication she had been taking (invoice of the month: “She fought to get life-saving medication even after insurers promised to help her.”, June 29).
My husband, Kenney, had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. On June 7, he shot himself to death after a COPD exacerbation episode.
His pulmonologist had prescribed two new nebulizers on June 2. One was a specialty drug that would come directly from the pharmaceutical company. A couple days later, we called Walgreens to see why the other one wasn't filled. Turns out it required prior authorization.
Why did the prescribing doctor need to inform his health insurer that In fact I thought your patient needed it, I'll never understand. The pharmacist said she would send the request to the doctor. And I repeat, I don't understand why I hadn't done it already. By June 7, of course, it was still not full.
That day, Sunday, Kenney experienced the attack while I was mowing the lawn. How terrifying it must have been for him not being able to breathe and me not being there to at least hold his hand. That night he committed suicide, leaving a note saying that he hated leaving me but that he couldn't continue living like this, with the constant anxiety of not knowing when he wouldn't be able to breathe.
Not long ago, a “welcome” package about the other nebulizer treatment arrived in the mail, 25 days after it was prescribed.
It is true that my husband's health was not very good. I had COPD, but we still went out to eat occasionally and I didn't need to take oxygen on those trips. I rarely used it just to walk around the house.
He made a serious suicide attempt six years ago (our daughter and granddaughter had died), but after seeing what he did to me and our son, he vowed he would never do it again. It was only when these flare/flare events began this year that it indicated life was getting bad.
Maybe, just maybe, if I had received both medications on time, I would be here today and we would have spent many more years together. We met when we were 16 and have been together ever since. He was 78 years old when he died.
—Cindy Clements Blewett; Kyle (Texas)
Navigating GLP-1 coverage
Sydney Lupkin's thoughtful article on obstacles to getting weight-loss medications was interesting (Healthcare Helpline: “Trouble Getting Weight-Loss Medications Covered by Insurance? Here's What You Need to Know,” June 26). It would have been more helpful if it had included a discussion of Medicare's decision to cover these drugs starting July 1, 2026, and how to navigate the rocky shores of getting a prescription that won't be denied.
—Sharie Hartman; Manteca, California
Beyond the veil of pregnancy centers
I would like to address the article about a pregnancy resource center providing prenatal care in Sandpoint, Idaho (“Religious anti-abortion center finds opportunities in a city without OB-GYNs,” May 20). It is unfortunate that many still do not understand what pregnancy resource centers do or the high-quality care they provide. While there are some “crisis pregnancy centers” that offer limited offerings, most centers are aligned with a national organization such as the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, Heartbeat Pregnancy Center, or Care Net. All of these organizations require that centers have a medical director (a licensed healthcare professional) and require that the nurses who perform ultrasounds have appropriate training. While I am not affiliated with 7B Care Clinic, I am concerned that the article does not accurately reflect what is offered at those clinics. I offer my experiences to provide greater clarity.
I work at a life-affirming women's clinic. I am a certified family physician. I have delivered approximately 1000 babies in my career. I have been performing ultrasounds on my patients for over a decade and strived for this ability under the scrutiny of maternal-fetal medicine specialists, spending time alongside their registered diagnostic medical sonographers and having maternal-fetal medicine doctors review my scans. I have practiced medicine in three states for three decades.
Second, although I am life-affirming, I am not “anti-abortion.” I happen to believe there are better options and I know that some women will still choose abortion even after hearing all their options. I will gladly see those women to follow up, answer questions, and evaluate for complications, something abortion clinics in my area apparently do not do. I say this because that's what the women I see tell me. The clinic that performed the procedure or gave you the pills will not see any patients after the abortion for any follow-up. I have always willingly seen patients for any reason, whether I was working in a private clinic or a hospital-owned clinic. That's no different now that I work at a life-affirming women's clinic.
We offer a variety of services, free of charge. We are also stepping up prenatal care up to 20 weeks because there is a shortage of OB doctors in our county. We encourage women to visit a clinic where they can be followed throughout their pregnancy, if possible, and we in no way promote ourselves as competition. We are intervening to fill the great void that exists.
Just because the Sandpoint clinic chooses to respect life does not make it a fake clinic. This clinic seeks to attract doctors to provide prenatal care. They are bringing in obstetricians and gynecologists from Washington state, which has no restrictions on abortion. Given this information, I ask that you reconsider any concerns about a clinic bringing board-certified OB-GYNs to an area where there is a shortage.
—James Heid, Vancouver, Washington
The root of all good
The article Claudia Boyd-Barrett wrote about how arrests of immigrant parents are creating a mental health crisis for children was moving and raised awareness about the mental health challenges they face (Growing Up Scared: “Arrests of Immigrant Parents Create Mental Health Crisis for Children,” June 18). It was important to note that each story was different, but focused on how much the children missed and longed for their parents to come home. You also wrote about how not having a father figure in the home affected them. That really touched me. Specifically, Jacob's story and when he listed all the things he missed about his mother, but especially his closeness to her.
I am currently a master's student in social work and working to become a better ally for the Hispanic immigrant community. I have seen how fear and sadness over immigration policies have affected my friends in this community. Losing a close parent and not being able to have that security with them is difficult to overcome, and trauma affects children as they grow.
In this article, you have recognized the value of a person, which is a fundamental principle in social work. These children are worthy and have the right to feel cared for and safe.
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 make sense of a new world.
— Stacy Xiong, Athens, Georgia
Bag a bargain
Author Susan Jaffe mentioned GoodRx in the article “Thousands of Medicare Beneficiaries Thought Their Drug Plan Was Free. Then They Lost It” (July 7), but she didn't mention a much better discount drug site, Mark Cuban's costplusdrugs.com, where a 90-day supply of 2.5 milligrams of rivaroxaban, a generic for Xarelto, is available for less than $50. This could help thousands of people who lost coverage due to unpaid Wellcare Value Script premiums get their medications. The issue of annually increasing penalties for losing Part D coverage is something the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services must address.
Thanks to KFF Health News for relevant coverage.
— Jackie Button; Miami
Developing the details
Their report identifying alpha-gal syndrome as an allergy to red meat is accurate in that sense, but inadequate in its breadth (“Would Hunters Take a Lyme Disease Vaccine? We Asked,” June 30). Alpha-gal is an allergic reaction to virtually all mammalian products. If you explore that, you will find an interesting story, as mammal products are everywhere, even in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and other non-meat products. Alpha-gal is growing rapidly and many people, including doctors, don't realize that AGS is much worse than a simple red meat allergy.
I suggest you help understand the threat by describing the allergy in the future as an allergy to mammalian products. If you think your audience won't understand that term, perhaps you can explain that it includes pork and anything derived from hoofed animals. As a former reporter and now retired, I encourage you to cover this allergy because its implications are surprising and frightening.
—John Varner, Surry, Va.
