This is painful to hear. But there are millions of people like John

[Uncle Joe]

Link to tweet

[democrank]

2. John needs help....like yesterday.

It’s a disgrace that after 20 years of service to his country, John has a medical bill of over $130,000. I hope Bernie can help him.

[cannabis_flower]

3. Huntington's is a horrible disease.

It's the disease Woody Guthrie died of.

Movement disorders
The movement disorders associated with Huntington's disease can include both involuntary movement problems and impairments in voluntary movements, such as:

Involuntary jerking or writhing movements (chorea)
Muscle problems, such as rigidity or muscle contracture (dystonia)
Slow or abnormal eye movements
Impaired gait, posture and balance
Difficulty with the physical production of speech or swallowing
Impairments in voluntary movements — rather than the involuntary movements — may have a greater impact on a person's ability to work, perform daily activities, communicate and remain independent.

Cognitive disorders
Cognitive impairments often associated with Huntington's disease include:

Difficulty organizing, prioritizing or focusing on tasks
Lack of flexibility or the tendency to get stuck on a thought, behavior or action (perseveration)
Lack of impulse control that can result in outbursts, acting without thinking and sexual promiscuity
Lack of awareness of one's own behaviors and abilities
Slowness in processing thoughts or ''finding'' words
Difficulty in learning new information
Psychiatric disorders
The most common psychiatric disorder associated with Huntington's disease is depression. This isn't simply a reaction to receiving a diagnosis of Huntington's disease. Instead, depression appears to occur because of injury to the brain and subsequent changes in brain function. Signs and symptoms may include:

Feelings of irritability, sadness or apathy
Social withdrawal
Insomnia
Fatigue and loss of energy
Frequent thoughts of death, dying or suicide
Other common psychiatric disorders include:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder — a condition marked by recurrent, intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors
Mania, which can cause elevated mood, overactivity, impulsive behavior and inflated self-esteem
Bipolar disorder — a condition with alternating episodes of depression and mania
In addition to the above symptoms, weight loss is common in people with Huntington's disease, especially as the disease progresses.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/huntingtons-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20356117


I've read stories about some people who had Huntington's. Sometimes before they are diagnosed people think that they have been drinking (sometimes they are also drinking because of the way they feel) and they are often divorced and abandoned by their families because the families don't know their psychiatric symptoms make the family think they are just being mean drunks.

[Uncle Joe]

4. Thanks for the addition

cannabis_flower.

[Hoyt]

5. That makes no sense. If he had 20 years of service, he's entitled to VA care.

The other side of that is that my father-in-law -- retired with 25+ years in Air Force -- made it clear when he became terminally ill that we were not to take him to the VA. He didn't want to have anything to do with them, or privately practicing physicians who took TRICARE.

This is one reason -- rightly or wrongly -- a lot of people are opposed to Sanders' Medicare-for-All.

[Uncle Joe]

6. I don't know enough about this man's situation to

make a determination as to why he wasn't covered.

I believe the VA health care system could use improvements but I believe that with almost everything.

Having said that, I'm happy to be covered by the VA, it gives me a sense of freedom and independence.

[Hoyt]

7. That's the way I'd look at it.

[Uncle Joe]

8. The other feeling that I have

whenever visiting the VA hospital for a physical, etc. there is this sense of fellowship among the patients and the staff, a leave no person behind mentality.

I would love to see that ethos strengthened and expanded to the entire nation.

[Baked Potato]

9. Tricare is top shelf insurance, a government program that works

When the rules of the ACA were being finalized the Armed Services Commitees did not touch Tricare or allow tinkering with it. It is a well run, popular plan that active duty troops use.

The gentleman above, John, has a heartbreaking story. I hope there is some kind of follow up to this story. Believe me, there are people looking into John’s claims. Mistakes happen, but Tricare is not in the business to screw over retired Vets.

Bernie is jumping on this to highlight perceived problems with healthcare, but Tricare is not even close to being the culprit. There are good people right now looking into John’s case right now, I’m sure.

[Nanjeanne]

10. I think John mentioned that there was no Tricare near where he lived which was part of the problem

but Sanders met with John immediately after the townhall to talk with him and try to get him help. There was a CNN story about this and while I'm not able to locate it right now - it is on Twitter.