STARKVILLE – Bill Poe was diagnosed with diabetes when he was just 13 years old.
It”s been a long, tough road since then, the now-72-year-old Poe said. He”s fallen into a coma, experienced hallucinations, crawled from his home in search of help and collapsed in a restaurant, only to be taken to the emergency room.
And it”s all because of his low blood sugar.
If not for a healthy lifestyle and a steady treatment schedule, Poe says he wouldn”t be alive today. His doctor initially told him the average life expectancy was 25 years after diagnosis.
These days, Poe is trying to make sure others who suffer from diabetes can receive treatment as easily as possible.
Poe traveled to Washington D.C. last week to lobby Congress to stop insurance companies from charging higher copayments for certain expensive medications.
On a mission
Poe has developed rheumatoid arthritis as a result of his diabetes and is treated with an infusion of Remicade every eight weeks. Remicade is considered a Tier 4 drug, which tend to be more expensive than other medications.
In Mississippi, insurance companies only require copayments in set dollar amounts, such as $10, $20 or $30 per Tier 4 treatment, Poe said. But in other states, insurance companies have switched copayments from set dollar amounts to percentages of the total cost of Tier 4 drugs, he said, such as 20 and 30 percent.
According to Poe, Remicade costs between $3000 and $5000 every eight weeks.
“If I had to pay 20 or 30 percent of that (Remicade cost), I”d be paying over $5000 a year just on this one drug,” Poe said. “The insurance companies are wanting to do that so they can reduce their premiums for the people who aren”t sick and they can have the profit for themselves. That kind of violates the principle of insurance.”
“We could tolerate it if we had to pay $10, $20, $30 and even $100 for a Tier 4 drug; it wouldn”t break you,” he added. “But paying a percentage rather than a set dollar amount is really going to affect a lot of people.”
Poe traveled to Washington with Dr. Charles King, of Tupelo, and Dr. Madelaine Feldman, of New Orleans. While there, the group spoke with Rep. Travis Childers and Rep. Gregg Harper about the issue, among others, plus they visited the offices of Sen. Thad Cochrane and Sen. Roger Wicker.
Poe believes the meetings might have done some good.
“My pitch to the congressmen and the senators was that a majority of the people in Mississippi who are on these Tier 4 drugs would not be able to pay for them (under a percentage copayment plan), and their quality of life would drop considerably,” Poe said. “They seemed really receptive.”
Although Poe, King and Feldman urged the lawmakers to cosponsor a bill that would restrict insurance companies, it is unclear if any action will be taken.
World traveler
Poe”s trip marked the first time he had been to the nation”s capital in more than two decades, but he is no stranger to travel. He has been to Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Alaska, among other places. He”s also traveled extensively around the U.S.
Poe credits the medications he has taken over the years and his healthy lifestyle. He watches what he eats, limits himself to one alcoholic beverage a day, and maintains an active lifestyle.
He has helped organize the Johnny Cash Flower Pickin” Festival in Starkville over the past two years; he spends countless hours volunteering at the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum; he has worked with organizers of the Starkville Community Market; and these days, he”s helping Jeremiah Dumas campaign for a seat on the city”s Board of Aldermen.
“I decided a long time ago that diabetes is not going to keep me from doing what I want to do in life,” Poe said.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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