Testimonials

Plan Welcomed Transplant Patient, Now Pays Most Drug Bills

“I love digging clams. I love working outdoors. There’s something about this life that gets in your blood and you don’t think of making a living some other way. Maybe it’s the ocean. Maybe it’s the independence.

“I’m going on 64 and I’ve worked on the ocean -- first on fishing boats and later as a lobsterman, and then as a clamdigger -- for almost 50 years. I can’t keep up with the young guys anymore, but I can usually stay on the flats as long as they can. Overall, I do pretty good working for myself.

“There was a time when I couldn’t work at all. Seven years ago, I was very sick: my liver was failing. The only chance I had was a transplant. This was before they had the Fishing Partnership Health Plan. I had my insurance through the state – Medicaid. I qualified for Medicaid because I was so sick I could not work and support myself. It was the only insurance I could get.

“Fortunately, they were able to find an organ for me. This was at the beginning of 1997. My surgery and recovery went well, and by the end of May, I was ready to start digging clams again. I was a medical success story.

“Right around the same time, the Fishing Partnership Health Plan was starting up. There was an informational meeting on it at the hospital in Gloucester, so I went. When it was over, I told the person running the meeting that I wanted to join but that I had a serious pre-existing condition. ‘That won’t be a problem,’ he said. ‘It’s a very expensive condition,’ I said, explaining about the transplant. ‘It doesn’t make any difference,’ he said. ‘People aren’t disqualified for pre-existing conditions.’

“It’s hard for me to describe how good that conversation made me feel. And when I actually joined the Plan, I was like my old self again. A huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I had health coverage and I could make a living. What a turn-around that was for me.

“Because of the drugs I take to prevent my body from rejecting the transplant, my monthly expenses for drugs are very high. Just the anti-rejection medicines cost over $500 a month. There are medicines I take now for other conditions, too. My monthly drug tab ranges from $600 to $700.

“But you know what? I don’t have to worry about that because the Fishing Partnership Health Plan covers most of my prescription costs.

“About a year and a half ago, I had a heart attack. I had to be hospitalized. Then I went through some cardiac rehab. Again, I made a good comeback: I was back digging clams in a month. A month!

“I’m still feeling good, thank God, and I love that I’m able to keep working. It means a lot to me, to my pride and sense of worth. Life is good.

“But I honestly don’t believe I’d still be enjoying life if I didn’t have the Fishing Partnership Health Plan. The Plan has been a Godsend.”

DENNIS HENDERSON, Essex, MA