Many US Women Can't Afford To Do What Angelina Jolie Did

Many US Women Can't Afford To Do What Angelina Jolie Did

A TAKE ON THE TALK - I did a double take when I saw the headline announcing that Angelina Jolie has recently had a double mastectomy. The woman who has kept stealing headlines for years with her beautiful babies and her beautiful baby daddy, her charitable works and her constantly evolving career was brave enough to put her human vulnerability out there for public consumption in an op-ed in the New York Times titled My Medical Choice. Her goal was to encourage other women at high risk of developing cancer to explore their choices and to take whatever steps may be necessary to save their own lives. Unfortunately the reality for many women in America and elsewhere is that quite often when it comes to making decisions about their health, they often have no choice at all. In her op-ed, Angelina disclosed that she carries the BRCA1 gene that meant in her case that she had an 87% chance of getting breast cancer and a 50% chance of getting ovarian cancer. Having lost her mother prematurely to the disease at a vulnerable time when she had only recently become a mother herself, she was hyper aware of what it would mean for her children to undergo a similar loss. So she took the plunge and made the probably wise decision to have a preventable double mastectomy. As a person with breasts, I can only imagine what a difficult decision this was for her to make, (particularly as her pair have had more than their fair share of attention over the years). She acknowledged that the choice she made was not an easy one, but not one she regrets either, particularly as her chances of developing breast cancer since having the procedure have dropped from 87% to less than 5%. Many women in similar circumstances will no doubt be comforted and encouraged by her experience and her decision to share it. She does have one major advantage over a lot of women dealing with cancer or facing the prospect of developing cancer, however, and this is that for her money is not an object. She didn't mention how much the procedure or reconstruction surgery set her back, but it's safe to assume she got the best possible care and paid top dollar for it. She did allude to the $3,000 fee for the gene test that led her to make her potentially lifesaving decision and pointed out that this cost alone can be an obstacle for many women. It certainly is, particularly as the test is not commonly covered by insurance, but the costs of the mastectomy itself and the reconstructive surgery can also be prohibitively expensive, even for women who have decent health insurance. It's difficult to get an exact estimate of how much such a procedure typically costs because cases vary, insurance packages vary and surgeons' prices vary. Under the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA), which was signed into law in 1998, most insurance plans that cover mastectomies are required by the law to also cover the cost of breast reconstruction. There are many criteria to be met, however, and there are always exceptions. But even though most cases deemed medically necessary will be covered, women still report having to pay out between $10,000 and $25,000 on co-pays or fees the insurance company will not pick up. Still at least women who do have health coverage have some chance of getting the care they need. For the estimated 21 million women and girls in America who have no health insurance not only are the costs of such a procedure insurmountable, but they even face obstacles from a hostile congress to gaining access to the most basic cancer screening services. Every year, for example, millions of women avail of Planned Parenthood, an organization that offers cancer screening services on a sliding pay scale. In 2011, the organization, such as pap smears and breast exams, which accounts for 12% of their total services. Undoubtedly many cancers are detected early because of these screenings and many lives are saved. Yet two years ago, the House of Representatives approved an amendment (by a margin of 240 to 185) to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, all because of their objections to the fact that the organization also offers women the legal medical procedure of abortion. Fortunately the bill never made it past the house but the disregard for women's health was painful to observe. The same disregard for women's health and for poor people's health in general was evident in the viscous battle over the Affordable Care Act. Miraculously, it survived the various onslaughts, including a Supreme Court challenge, more or less intact and it should make a significant difference to women's health (pdf). Until now, insurance companies were able to charge women more than men (sometimes 150% more) for comparable coverage and were able to deny women coverage for pre-existing conditions, such as being pregnant. As of 2014, when the act goes into effect, that will no longer be possible. This should mean that in the near future more women will have access to health insurance and more women will be in a better position to avail of regular screenings and breast exams. This could not be more important since the National Cancer Institute estimates that around 12% of women in America will develop breast cancer in their lives. Angelina Jolie has done a great thing by sharing her decision to make a brave choice regarding her health. I'm sure she would be the first person to agree, however, that no woman should be denied that right because of a lack of income or insurance. (Sadhbh Walshe is a film-maker and former staff writer for the CBS drama series The District. Her opinion pieces have also been published in the Chicago Tribune and Irish Times. This piece was posted first at guardian.co.uk)


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ABC brass met with Barbara Walters to ensure a smooth retirement announcement Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/abc-curry-walters-exit-article-

ABC brass met with Barbara Walters to ensure a smooth retirement announcement  Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/abc-curry-walters-exit-article-

Before officially announcing her retirement on “The View” Monday, Barbara Walters was met in her dressing room by top ABC brass — who were perhaps worried about an Ann Curry type of reaction that would make it look like Babs was pushed out. A friend of Walters’ tells Confidenti@l that Disney CEO Bob Iger, ABC chairwoman Ann Sweeney and ABC News head Ben Sherwood paid “The View” creator an early visit backstage to soothe her nerves before she stepped on set, to assure Walters that this was her choice — on her time. “She was holding court in her dressing room and the bosses came to say good luck. Barbara was terrific,” says the pal. “She was very moved by all the attention. And she’ll be happier when everyone gets back to doing things normally.” The source adds that even though Walters controlled the announcement down to the last detail, she was well aware it was time to pick a retirement date. “She will be keeping an office at ABC News, and if something happens in the world and she wants to report it, she will be reporting and anchoring,” says the insider. “The timing was done her way and that’s the only way something like this would ever happen.” Walters, who got snippy with Confidenti@l on April 23 when we asked her about her impending retirement, had finally publicly fessed up to media’s worst-kept secret — that she’ll retire in the summer of 2014 after nearly 40 years at ABC. We had chatted up the veteran newswoman at the Time 100 Gala at Time Warner Center, where she denied packing it in, saying: “Why? I’m fine! I’ve answered [the retirement] question so many times that if I’m not retiring I’m tired of answering it. I’m here, ‘The View’ is on, it’s our 17th year, and when I retire I will make an announcement, but it’s not tonight.” In fact, Walters had such control over the announcement that when ABC brass innocently asked her if she’d like to leave this summer, along with Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, in order to revamp the show, Walters balked. She insisted the show needed her “to transition” out slowly and that the network owed her that. “Barbara will continue to be the creator of the show and earn a lot of money from the show. She just will no longer be a host of the show,” says one ABC insider. “But letting go will be hard for her. When she was sick she was emailing notes to the ladies, saying goodbye. This will almost be impossible for her.” Producers on “The View,” meanwhile, are making changes to the set, at Barbara’s prompting, to freshen up the show. “Starting this summer the show will open with all the women sitting rather than making a grand entrance,” says another source. Who will sit in Behar and Hasselbeck’s chairs remains to be seen. KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES Christina Hendricks’ breakthrough role in ‘Mad Men’ derailed a potentially stunning hair-salon career. SNIPPY SIDE OF HENDRICKS “Mad Men’s” gain is Supercuts’ loss. In the upcoming June/July issue of Lucky, cover girl Christina Hendricks says she had a plan B if acting didn’t work out. “I just thought I would work in a hair salon and do community theater,” she says. “There were so many actors, why do we need one more?” That’s not to say she didn’t want the gig. “I was crying before I went in [to the ‘Mad Men’ audition],” she admits. “I was just so desperate. I was like, ‘I’m not going to get this,’ and my friend said, ‘It’s your role.’ ” Her friend was right. Hendricks has since taped 78 episodes for the popular AMC show, but admits fame at times has been awkward for her. She tells the mag, “Just walk down the hall and try to imagine that you know everyone is looking at you.” The buxom actress says she’s also disturbed when salespeople in clothing stores fail to take her womanly build into consideration when recommending outfits. She tells Lucky, “I want to say, ‘Excuse me, but are we standing in the same store?’ ” The mag hits shelves May 21. FREDERICK M. BROWN/GETTY IMAGES Get ready for Matt Damon to butt in during ‘Behind the Candelabra.’ DAMON ROLE HITS BOTTOM Yep, there’s a candelabra. And there’s a behind — Matt Damon’s, and it gets several closeups in HBO’s “Behind the Candelabra,” airing May 26. Damon stars as Liberace’s younger lover Scott Thorson, and it “turns out that a beefed-up Matt’s rear gets four separate closeups as Thorson emerges from a hot tub,” says one early viewer. Each time Damon’s booty is seen, it sports a different tan line. Time to rename the Liberace flick “The Behind and the Candelabra.” ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ/GETTY IMAGES Mike Shouhed of ‘Shahs of Sunset’ gave a fan photo request low priority at an appearance in California. ‘SHAHS’ FAN DOESN’T RULE While Wilmer Valderrama and Kendall and Kylie Jenner were happy to pose with fans at KIIS FM’s Wango Tango event in California, “Shahs of Sunset” star Mike Shouhed couldn’t be bothered when a young fan asked to be photographed with him. “The [girl’s] mother asked and at first he was down, but then when it required him stepping out of VIP to do so, and possibly getting something on his white suit, he ignored the mom’s waving hands and little girl’s face,” according to an insider. NEEDED: AMANDA-TORY CENSORS Amanda Bynes seems to have an alter ego tweeting from her account. On Monday, Bynes sent out a tweet saying: “I f—ed @Drakebell so many times on the Amanda show set oh god.” The raunchy tweet was quickly deleted, with Bynes explaining in a follow-up tweet: “I didn’t tweet this, that’s what happened when I called @drake ugly, I didn’t write that!” Oh, Mandy. DEBRA L. ROTHENBERG Lisa Rinna turns out for an NBC ‘All-Star Apprentice’ event at Buca Di Beppo. RINNA HITS THE TOWN Fresh off her firing from “Celebrity Apprentice,” Lisa Rinna looks hot and unbothered about being canned at Buca di Beppo in Times Square Monday. ASHTON & MILA’S BRITISH INVASION Ashton Kutcher and his lady love Mila Kunis were seen together in London, where Kunis is now working. The duo went on an unusual double date this past weekend with Princess Beatrice and her boyfriend Dave Clark. The Hollywood duo were invited by the princess to participate in a charity walk she is involved in. They hit Duck & Waffle, Scott’s in Mayfair, and Cambio De Tercio in Kensington on their bar crawl. THE KARDASHIANS: BRACE YOURSELF Khloe Kardashian wants perfection. Kim’s younger sister has gotten Invisalign to straighten out her already-perfect teeth. The Kardashian family dentist, Dr. Kevin Sands, fitted her with the clear tooth straightener. We’re sure the family, including Kim’s baby daddy, Kanye West, keep Dr. Sands busy. COHEN’S ‘LATE’ MOVE FAILS One person at NBC wasn’t completely thrilled to see Seth Meyers appointed to the “Late Night” job succeeding Jimmy Fallon. Andy Cohen had lobbied for the job, an insider tells Confidenti@l, even though he’s got a show of his own, “Watch What Happens Live,” on Bravo. “Andy had hinted that he wanted it, then outright put himself up for the job more than a few times,” the source tells us. But with Lorne Michaels having the final say, the job went to Meyers, the head writer on “SNL” and a favorite of Michaels. “It was the natural choice,” adds our source. That leaves the chatty Cohen doing what he does best — dishing on reality stars and being campy. CHARLES SYKES/INVISION Beth Stern is wild about helping the North Shore Animal League. GIVE BETH A PAT ON THE BACK Beth Stern — angel to animals everywhere — is helping our furry friends once again. Shock Jock Howard’s wife is working with North Shore Animal League America on an expansion called Bianca’s Furry Friends, named after the couple’s beloved deceased bulldog Bianca. Beth will help raise $7 million for a 14,000-square-foot second-floor addition to ALA’s headquarters, which will house 200 cats in a cage-free environment. The downstairs operation will handle doggie rescues. The center also will include a 24-hour cat nursery. Meow. IN STEP WITH ABT The A-list turned out for the American Ballet Theatre’s Spring Gala at Lincoln Center Monday night. Uma Thurman, Sigourney Weaver, Solange Knowles, Coco Rocha, Chanel Iman and Blaine Trump were witnesses to an incredible one-off performance showcasing the stars of the renowned ballet company. The gala marks the opening of ABT’s new season, which will feature eight performances of “Onegin” and Frederick Ashton’s “A Month in the Country,” based on the play of the same name. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/abc-curry-walters-exit-article-1.1343017#ixzz2TFNiQeja



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