Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, the workplace humor cartoon, is pictured at work in 2006. Adams has metastatic prostate most cancers and he appealed to President Trump to assist save his life by fixing a bureaucratic downside along with his medical health insurance. It labored: His appointment is Tuesday.
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
Like many, many Individuals, Scott Adams had medical health insurance issues.
However Adams — made well-known first by his long-running Dilbert cartoon, and later for a racist rant on YouTube — counts some highly effective individuals in his social media circle: President Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr. and Well being and Human Companies Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
So Adams posted his criticism on X, saying Kaiser of Northern California, his well being insurer and care supplier, had “dropped the ball” in scheduling a process wanted to deal with his metastatic prostate most cancers. Adams wrote he was going to ask Trump to assist save his life, and he added: “I’m declining quick. I’ll ask President Trump if he can get Kaiser of Northern California to reply and schedule it for Monday.”
Donald Trump Jr. responded to the publish on X first, saying: “Going to be sure that my dad sees this.”
Simply after 11 am on Sunday morning, Kennedy responded, saying, “Scott. How do I attain you? The President needs to assist.”
Later that day, President Trump posted a display shot of Adams’ unique publish and responded “On it!” on his favored social media platform, Reality Social.
And on Monday, Adams posted that he had an appointment to obtain the infusion he wanted of the most cancers drug, Pluvicto, on Tuesday.
“For context, I waited months for the drug, like everybody else,” Adams wrote. “However I feel my recordsdata received misplaced or one thing and that glitch simply received corrected. Undecided.”
The U.S. well being care system is notoriously complicated, complicated and costly, and plenty of Individuals have had equally irritating experiences as Adams did. Few, although, have the social media attain to enlist such highly effective serving to fingers.
“Our well being system should not be one the place we want the intervention of the president or the HHS secretary to weigh in on behalf of a high-profile political backer,” mentioned Anthony Wright, the manager director of Households USA, a well being care advocacy group.
Wright added that he’s gratified Adams received the assistance he wanted and mentioned it ought to be out there to all. “Glad the President is providing to do casework,” Wright mentioned, noting that federal staff who do comparable downside fixing have been fired and navigators who assist individuals join Inexpensive Care Act medical health insurance have been reduce by 90%. Wright additionally referred to as out the” “present shutdown over the difficulty of tax credit that assist tens of millions entry and afford well being care.”
NPR reached out to Kaiser for remark and so they e-mailed this assertion: “Mr. Adams’ oncology crew is working carefully with him on the following steps in his most cancers care, that are already underway. Because it was permitted by the FDA three years in the past, Kaiser Permanente’s nuclear drugs and medical oncology consultants have handled greater than 150 sufferers with Lu-177 PSMA (Pluvicto) in Northern California alone. We all know this drug and this illness.”
Adams’ expertise drummed up a refrain of well-wishes on-line, in addition to those that referred to as out the preferential remedy he apparently received.
“There are Individuals throughout America who’re at the moment going by comparable circumstances,” wrote one X poster, responding to Kennedy’s supply to assist Adams.
One other responded: “How about selling UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE, like the remainder of the Industrialized 1st World Nations, so EVERYONE may be handled, not simply Movie star & the Rich?”
Within the shutdown well being care combat that began Oct. 1, about 24 million Individuals who purchase their insurance coverage on the ACA marketplaces will see their premiums skyrocket — the typical plan will double in value — if Congress does not act. Democrats say they won’t reopen the federal government except the tax subsidies that carry down the associated fee are renewed. Republicans say they won’t talk about renewing the subsidies till the federal government is reopened.