#DisabilityTwitter & #NativeTwitter healthcare thread: Almost 2 months of fighting & I still don’t have my diabetic testing supplies. The latest nonsense I was told is that Medicare will only pay for Type 2 diabetics to test 1x per day.

If you’re a Type 2 on Medicare & you need to test more than 1x a day, & most of us do, our docs have to file a prior authorization. Now why on Earth is there a difference for Type 2 diabetics you may ask? Well let’s look at who is typically Type 2.

According to the American Diabetes Association 12.5% of Hispanics,
11.7% of non-Hispanic blacks,
14.7% of American Indians/Alaskan Natives have diagnosed diabetes compared to 7.5% of non-Hispanic whites. Diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death in the US in 2017.

Frankly, these numbers are significantly lower than what many other agencies report. For example, the CDC says that 1 in 2 American Indian/Alaska Native children born in 2000 will have type 2 diabetes in their lifetime if current trends continue.

CDC also says better diabetes care can significantly lower the risk of kidney failure. Due to poverty & discrimination in healthcare my diabetes has gone unmanaged & I’m now in the very early stages of kidney failure. There’s still hope of stopping this, but ONLY with good care.

When you look at the numbers & causes that lead to type 2 diabetes, both diagnosed & undiagnosed, the severity of the health issues, & death rates its very clear why I’m still fighting for the basic of diabetes care. The government wants people like me dead.

This is eugenics & genocide plain & simple. Just as we’re seeing the disproportionately higher COVID-19 infection & death rates for Native, Black, Brown, & Disabled/Ill people & the govt is doing nothing for us we can see it across the board for healthcare access in this country.

Having insurance isn’t enough. #Medicareforall isn’t enough. Discrimination in healthcare is systematic, takes many forms, & is meant to kill us off. Next time you wonder why someone like me gets sick & dies from preventable shit remember this thread #ameriKKKa #CrushColonialism