University of Virginia Health System

FORMER U.VA. PATIENTS INSPIRE HELP FOR UNINSURED VIA TAX FORM OPTION

As breast cancer patient Sarah Terry received chemotherapy at the University of Virginia Cancer Center three years ago, she noticed the woman receiving treatment next to her seemed nervous.

I realized it was her first time in chemotherapy, so I started talking with her, Terry said. She told me she had delayed her breast cancer treatment for a year because she had no health insurance, although she was working.

Terry, then executive director of the Farmville Chamber of Commerce, knew the astronomical costs of health care from her own experience with breast cancer. It made me wonder how many other hundreds of Virginians are out there literally dying because they can't afford health care insurance, she said.

Terry shared her concerns with Ken Woodley, editor of the Farmville Herald, whose wife had learned she had breast cancer the same month as Terry, and eventually had a mastectomy.

Because of the desolation and darkness my wife and I went through -- even with insurance -- I could not imagine a someone going for a year without treatment, knowing this cancer was eating away at her from inside, Woodley said.

Between 12 and 15 percent of Virginians are uninsured, although more than 50 percent of them are employed, according to Virginia Department of Health statistics. Uninsured patients comprise approximately 10 percent of the health care costs, or more than $60 million per year, that are covered by the U.Va. Health System.

Thinking of the election contribution box on tax forms, Woodley proposed that a similar option be legislated to allow contributions to a catastrophic health care fund for Virginians who are medically uninsured. The fund would not buy health insurance, but would pay for the life-saving medical treatment for those in need.

Terry and Woodley received support for the idea from state lawmakers Sen. Richard J. Holland (D-Isle of Wight) and Del. Frank M. Ruff (R-Mecklenburg), then a delegate, who obtained the governor's agreement to incorporate the fund into a bill that passed at the end of that legislative session. It first appeared as an option on Virginia tax forms in 2000. Unlike other charitable deduction options, the Uninsured Medical Catastrophe Fund allows Virginians to contribute any amount at any time during the year.

To encourage contributions to the fund, which currently only has $49,000, Sunday, April 7 of this year is expected to be proclaimed as the day of recognition for the Uninsured Medical Catastrophe Fund by Governor Mark Warner. Also the start of Daylight Savings Time, the day's theme is Turning Darkness into Light.

The theme recalls the evening walk my wife and I were taking when she told me she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer, and the dark time of trouble it was, Woodley said. Now it's a story that can be an opportunity for everyone. Most of us will simply be losing one hour in one day while others face losing all their hours and all their days.

Terry, is now manager of the Farmville office of U.S. Congressman Virgil H. Goode, Jr. (Fifth District), who has introduced legislation to create a similar fund on the national level. Terry and Woodley hope more Virginias receiving tax refunds will contribute, so the fund can help save lives this year -- and encourage lawmakers in Washington to use it as a model for a nationwide effort.

Checks should be made payable to the state's Department of Medical Assistance (DMAS), which administers the fund, and sent to: Uninsured Medical Catastrophe Fund, DMAS Fiscal Unit, 600 E. Broad St. Suite 1300, Richmond, VA 23219.

April 2, 2002