Happy Leap Year! Celebrate the special day with these newsworthy finds:
Pick up your copy on newsstands
Click here for instant access to the Digital Magazine
Advertisement
PEOPLE.com reserves the right to remove comments at their discretion.
Showing 8 comments
Steph on
The ‘system’ is SEVERELY BROKEN when a 9 month old’s cancer treatment is NOT covered by insurance! Every person who opposes accessible health care for all should go and hug their loved ones and pray that this never happens to them!
Steph on
I thought children werent allowed to attend public school without proof of being vaccinated?
Rachel on
The story about the baby with stage 4 melanoma absolutely breaks my heart. I was diagnosed with melanoma almost a year ago (will be a year March 14th) and I cannot even begin to explain how lucky, blessed, fortunate I am that I caught mine early – at Stage I and only needed surgery. I live in constant fear though that every mole on my body could be another melanoma… that somewhere it’s lurking and someday it will strike again. There are rules and regulations for melanoma survivors (you can never be a blood, organ or tissue donor) because metastacized melanoma cells can be carried through the blood. I cannot imagine the pain that mother went through – knowing first that she was dying herself and leaving all of her beautiful children behind, and second that her daughter was going to end up dying from the same cancer. Such a tragic story. My heart and prayers are with her family that they can find peace and comfort somehow.
Kristina on
Reading these stories together makes the contemporary US sound like a giant mess: insurance companies denying healthcare to cancer-stricken infants? finding the silver lining while talking to your kids about murderous gun rampages in their schools? Seriously, folks? It’s time for a cultural revolution. …
Kat on
Steph, they can if they provide paperwork on why they refuse the vaccine. The government cannot force a vaccination if you claim a religious objection, which is often a default reason used by those refusing.
JM on
have to agree with you kristina, especially with the healthcare stuff. one of the main regions i would never want to raise my kids in america is the healthcare system. it is shocking to me that there hasn’t already been a major revolt against it, i can’t believe people just put up with it, much less defend it. that would never be possible in my country (at least i can’t imagine it).
another thing that makes hold my head in my hands is the vaccine thing. the fact that parents can deny their children potentially life-saving preventative medicine on the grounds of religion (of all things), is sickening and sad. those poor children who have parents to whom their superstitions are more important than their children’s welfare. what is this world coming to?
Jillian on
I live in the US and our healthcare system makes me sick and angry. I won’t elaborate. I will say that if youknow a child without healthcare have their parents look into it. Every state provides free healthcare to childre based on the parents income. The article about the girl is sad. She, thankfully has insurance.
So many things are not covered under plans, especially employer plans bc they write them. Birth control is a big one.
Mary
Rachel on
I can say from experience how awful our healthcare system is! I went back to school this semester to work on my Master’s degree and had to drop down to working part time. I lost my insurance and had to go on COBRA. It’s expensive, but I will pay that and be thankful for it because if it weren’t for cobra I’d be completely out of luck. As I mentioned in my previous post, I had Stage I melanoma — because of this I was denied coverage for any insurance policy. There is something wrong with this. It’s ridiculous to say that because a person has had a health problem they should not be allowed the same coverage as everyone else for typical exams. Because of melanoma I can’t even get my yearly pap smear now without having to pay full price for it? Yeah… that makes sense.
Advertisement
Free Weekly Newsletter
"I had to make a decision that I could sleep with every night. I did feel responsible for the young girls who I probably confused and let down. I apologize for that. But I wasn't trying to glamorize teen pregnancy."
