On July 4 — as the U.S. celebrated its 233rd birthday — Eric De La Cruz died and became a symbol of the "broken" health care insurance system in America.
So says his sister, Veronica, who adds that her brother's death served as a reminder of the flaws in a system that leaves the hundreds of uninsured Americans no reason to celebrate.
The former news anchor for CNN has become a crusader for healthcare reform, and she's telling her brother's story in a campaign to rally support among public officials and the general public for changes to the system. That's the cause that recently took her to Las Vegas, where she again told her brother's story and discussed what it means to the challenge of healthcare reform.
"I am here to tell Eric's story again and help change the (healthcare) system that failed him", she told Asian Journal in a telephone interview.
De La Cruz spent a week in Las Vegas, meeting with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and U.S. Representative Dina Titus, both of whom serve Nevada in Congress. She also witnessed great support for the cause during a vigil for healthcare reform at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas.
She cheered the progress but also continued to carry sadness of her brother's death, reminded that his ordeal began in Las Vegas, where he was first diagnosed with severe dilated cardiomyopathy in 2004.
At the time, the young Filipino American was in school and had a part-time entry-level job in a company that did not offer health insurance. His illness — a condition that makes heart muscles enlarged and weak — could be treated with a heart transplant. But since his was a pre-existing condition, there were no private insurers that would cover the costly procedure.
De La Cruz' only hope was Medicaid, the state-controlled health program for low-income individuals. But Nevada's Medicaid rules did not allow the coverage to be extended to hospitals outside the state. Since Nevada does not have a heart transplant center, his sister began sending out messages on Twitter to exert public pressure and raise money for her brother's treatment. She gained a Twitter following of more than 6,000 people, a group she called Eric's Twitter Army.
As a result, Eric's federal Medicaid application — his best hope of coverage outside of Nevada — was granted and he won the long-awaited coverage. His Twitter Army stayed busy all the while, raising close to $1 million that would be needed in addition to the Medicaid coverage.
The development made his sister ecstatic, and she contacted a medical center in California. But the hospital insisted that her brother get a secondary insurance policy. Eventually, Veronica arranged for her brother to be seen by doctors at the University of Southern California Medical Center, where he spent a week on the "high-priority transplant" list.
But his condition had deteriorated so much that he soon became too sick for the procedure.
On July 4, 2009 Eric De La Cruz died.
"He remained excluded from the basic right to life-saving treatment that all people deserve," said his sister during an August 31 speech at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, given during her recent stay. "Although a heart transplant would save him, without coverage, Eric's condition needlessly and slowly deteriorated."
Her brother is gone — but she intends to remain in plain sight as she continues to fight for healthcare reform.
"In fighting for Eric's life, thousands of people joined forces to get him on Medicaid, get him into a transplant facility, and raise enough money to pay for his treatment," she said. "He just ran out of time — but the clock has not stopped for you. Though Eric has passed away, he has not been silenced. Your voice can make the difference," she also said.
Veronica has also taken her story to New York and other parts of the country, hoping to reach people with a message of healthcare reform as the U.S. Congress debates the matter.
Veronica told Asian Journal the aim of her Las Vegas visit was to get a simple message to the public. That is "to join with the majority of Americans to support an affordable public option to lower costs, keep insurance companies honest and include everyone, regardless of pre-existing conditions or income."
"What happened to Eric, my mother, and I should not happen again to anyone," she said.
Dymphna Calica-La Putt is a contributor to Asian Journal.
Photo from Asian Journal
Read more stories from Asian Journal »
Ms. DeLaCruz-My heart reaches out to you in hearing about your brother's ordeal--I send my condolences at this late date. If you are in the Los Angeles area on October 29, 2009, we would be honored if you could attend our one-day symposium about disparity in health care of African-American women and girls--people of all backgrounds are invited! Please come and share your story and brainstorm with us to find solutions. The RESPECT symposium will be held at the California Science Center near the University of Southern California. Please call us at (323)290-5955 or send me an e-mail at dcneal@live.com.