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Veronica De La Cruz talks about her late brother, Eric De La Cruz, during the Nevada State Democratic Party health care rally Monday in the UNLV student union. Eric De La Cruz died July 4 at age 31.
By J. Patrick Coolican (contact) 
Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009 | 2 a.m.
This isn’t how Veronica De La Cruz would have chosen to grieve for her dead brother.
Eric De La Cruz, who lived in Las Vegas, died July 4 because he could not get a lifesaving heart transplant after a nightmarish trek through health care bureaucracy — both private and public.
“I would rather be at home in bed with the covers pulled over my head,” she said in a Sun interview.
“But I can’t do that because I realize the debate is critical, and stories like Eric’s are going to resonate. And people need to realize what happened to Eric can happen to them,” she said.
Veronica De La Cruz now tours the country, advocating for health care reform. Monday, she appeared at a town-hall event with Sen. Harry Reid, the Democratic majority leader shepherding the reform effort through the Senate.
“I’m going to keep fighting until I do see change, and I’m going to keep working until we get the lies straightened out. It makes me so frustrated, so angry,” she said, referring to the myths about health care reform proposals, like the now-infamous “death panels.”
(For health care information, De La Cruz suggests going to factcheck.org.)
De La Cruz said she favors the principles put forward by President Barack Obama, who has said reform efforts should improve access and lower costs. But she has focused her advocacy on proposals to prevent health insurance companies from denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions — this happened to her brother — or dropping sick people from coverage. These proposals are the least controversial among the various health care bills.
De La Cruz, a former CNN anchor who is now with the TV Guide Network, said she views her public advocacy as a responsibility, a way of honoring her brother.
“It’s very uncomfortable for me, but every time I squirm or want to cry or run away, I think about my brother and look at the faces of people who need a voice,” she said.
got get 'em veronica...
our retarded republican friends are weasels...
children really...
they will do or say anything to get their way...
so...
just remember that they need to be treated like children...
and you will do just fine...
best of luck to you!!!
So this is supposedly the great system that Republicans say we shouldn't change? Where only the rich survive and all the rest of us die off as we can't afford the ever increasing medical costs? If our political system really worked, we'd be talking about providing Medicare for All. Hopefully, we can at least get health care reform with a strong public option so that we the people, NOT UnitedHealth & the drug companies, can decide on the coverage we need.
The LV SUN has reached a new low...
LarryVegas You have reached a new low. Just because the Sun reports a news story that does not fit your right wing neo con hate and fear mongering agenda means nothing to someone with a brain. Whether you right wing nazi's like it or not news papers report all of the news just not lies and hate. To further prove your stupidity the Sun has a Pulitzer Prize, what have accomplioshed in your hateful life?
If anything your ridiculous statement proves you know nothing about the real issues in the health care debate except the lies fed to you by Fox News,Rush and the other right wing nut job talking heads. Before you make an ass of yourself again understand the facts. Possibly in the furture you or a loved one can suffer at the hands of the lying insurance industry.
Homer,
Please take a break and regroup... Then reread you post. I am sure you did not mean all of your hateful comments...
Bless you my son...
I cannot afford health insurance myself and so am uninsured. The debate makes me sick. Somebody finally wants to do something about affordable healthcare and now others speak out against it. The people that are speaking out against it are obviously ones that can afford healthcare...they don't care about those that can't afford it. It is time for a change, we voted for a change and we want a change. Let's try something different...the old ways weren't working very well!
Hey Mike,
I have not heard anyone say that they are against health reform. They just don't want the entire existing health care system thrown out and risk a government take over of health care.
I bet you could come up with some good changes to our health system without a complete redo.
hdmike
I hear ya'. I think most Americans would be willing to help those withouth insurance to get insurance by higher taxes or whatever but draw the line when people who are here illegaly are goin to be jumping on that gov't sponsored bandwagon at the invite of the Obama administratoin. Insurance premiumms are out of whack, it is hard to find insurance with a premium you can afford. Emplooyer healthcare is just as bad. Try paying for your premium on Cobra. Let's not even talk about prescriptions. I can't believe that one of the most popular drugs in the world, lipitor, does not have a generic version! my guess is the drug manufacturer won't allow it becuase of $$$$$. or chemo drugs that ins companies won't approve even though the drugs work and help. it's a sad state of affairs.
yes, we do need healthcare reform and soon.
Uh oh, Is bobble head Oblame-all changing plans? Axelrod, now running the White house, tells Oblame what to do. If they can only get the Pelosi permission, then she can tell Reid what to vote for. fascinating politics
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/090...
This article is ridicules. Lots of transplant patients lose the battle while waiting on transplant lists. Taxpayer funded healthcare reform would have done nothing to change the outcome of the patient in this article. Unless Obama death squads really are gonna be roaming our streets looking for body parts.
Bull roar articles like this are why 67 percent of the people are confused about healthcare reform which is another way of saying they aren't gonna buy into the hype.
Please, Just the facts as they relate to healthcare reform, ma'am.
How about the reporter asking some questions?
Why did the guy not have insurance before he got sick?
Was he spending money on cars, tv's, partying instead of health insurance?
One can buy a medical plan that covers major bills that are over $10,000.
Too bad, we do not have all the facts of this sad story.
Of course, it is clear that government healthcare let him down bigtime.
I think it's really important to distinguish whether he was denied the transplant because of 1) insurance reasons alone/no other option or 2) because no suitable donor was available. I don't know of any hospital that is going to deny a patient. Sure you might accrue debt. Massive debt. But healthcare costs a lot - for operations and personnel.
It's sad to lose someone to disease (my mother died from cancer 6 years ago - she still recieved proper treatment although for some of her insurance it was considered a pre-existing condition..) but sometimes there is nothing to blame for that than the disease itself. We're lucky that medical science has advanced this far, and we take it for granted. It's not an entitlement.
Any life lost so young is tragic, but before the violins & tears drown out all rationale thought, the article seems to omit a number of important considerations: What exactly were the issues that kept him from recieving a transplant? Donor availability, cost, recipient suitability? Did he have insurance before he was diagnosed? If yes, what happened there? And if not, why not? And what precipitated the disease (i.e. was it genetically or environmentally caused, could it have been prevented to begin with?)
Like most "spin" pieces, both for and against, its anecdotal basis makes for an interesting read but does very little in substantively contributing to a discussion on genuine reform.
Now you insurance company schills want to dance on this guy's grave? The problem with neo-cons is they hate their fellow Americans.
how cheap do you think healthcare is going to be ? $50 a month? you really think that healthcare is going to drop from 10k a year to something more affordable?
people can't afford their house, nevertheless pay for healthcare. unless it drastically drops to be near free, it will be a joke no matter what they pass or don't pass
A lot of hate from mrtmtrvr, just when this discussion was getting civil.
I think jaesun is on to something. It appears that there are a lot of people out there who think they will be getting free health care under health reform. If these people are really in need there is currently a system in place to provide them with health coverage. Last fall there was a lady that made a comment on TV that if Obama got elected, she would have free housing and free gasoline.
I hope that when health care is reformed they will not be let down so much.
Since we are talking about cost, let's compare to auto insurance. I assume most here have auto insurance. Our family currently does not have health insurance and we both work. We do have auto ins. If health ins. could be made affordable like auto we would buy it. Somehow, somewhere, somebody can figure how to make it affordable. To heck with those special interest groups.
Det.Munch--yes, COBRA is a joke--once you quit or lose your job there's no way you can afford it. I believe Lipitor is going to have a generic version in 2011 or somewhere in the near future. I was on lipitor, and I skipped my medication for two months because I didn't have the money. I'm on pravochol now, which has a generic and is a $4.00 a month drug at Target. It's a milder drug, so I hope my cholesterol numbers stay low enough so that I can continue with it. Falling into the sarlacc pit of debt is worse than getting sick, so I'm willing to gamble with putting off medical care if I think I can risk it. As I get older, I know I'm not going to be able to afford all the medical care I'll need, and I will live a shorter life because of that--but I've accepted it. lol
How'ed he end up with heart failure at this age?
Nothing personnel...
Never went to the doctor for a check up????
Smoking????
Diagnosed with a condition such as high blood pressure but didn't address it (very common)???
Drugs (again, this has nothing to do with this particular case)????
Cocaine can cause premature heart dsease.
See folks, there is more to health care reform than meets the eye.
I know, I know....
Give evrything to everybody, all the time no matter what...
Nice plan.
This puff piece meant to pull at our heart strings has so many holes that you could mistake it for our border.
Pre-existing condition clauses in health insurance are an easy target but they make sense. Insurance is meant to be bought before you have a problem. What would keep me from not having insurance until I have a problem... then buying a policy when I get sick. It would bankrupt the insurance companys. It would be like buying an auto insurance policy and being mad that it won't pay to fix your car from an accident last week or last month... or two years ago.
Do people actually think that the government is going to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for someone's heart transplant... that could end up costing literally a million dollars... for one person? They will simply make it so hard to get through the process... and the wait so long to go to the one government surgeon... that you die waiting. End result is the same... but you had coverage.
If the Republicans wanted Health Care reform, then why don't they give out a nice plan instead of placing fear in everyones' heads. The could teabag all they want, but I'd rather hear a counterpoint to "no health care for all"
she has focused her advocacy on proposals to prevent health insurance companies from denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions
This has agreement by all and it does not require a public option
Vegasvampire,
I am not fond of the Republicans, but the Democrats control everything in Congress including all the Committees where a bill has to clear before reaching the House floor for a vote.
By the way, what does the word "teabag" mean? And why do you use it???