Health insurance a life changer for Danville women - WSLS
A Danville mother and daughter, who both have Type II diabetes, are shedding the pounds thanks to their health insurance covering an exercise program and visits with a dietitian.
Rosetta Jones, 62, lost 47 pounds and no longer has to walk with a cane, as exercise improved her knees over the past two years. Now, she dances and never misses her work-out times with daughter Kim Berly, 41, at Curves on Trade Street.
"I'm happy with myself now," Jones said. "My insides are happy and I just feel good."
Berly's high blood sugar put her on the brink of a diabetic coma, doctors said when they diagnosed her and removed her thyroid. Now, she's lost more than 30 pounds and wants to drop weight so she can stop taking so many pills and to be around to see her kids and grandkids grow up.
"Diabetes is nothing to play with," Jones added. "And you know what makes it real bad? Your weight."
Jones, who lives on disability benefits, and her daughter, who is a mother back in college, wouldn't have had the money to see Danville dietitian and diabetes educator Jennifer Dietz or to visit Curves without the help of the Virginia Premier Health Plan, Inc., which contracts with the state to operate a Medicaid health plan. Virginia Premier also picks Jones up and takes her to Curves.
While some health insurance plans in the region cover visits to a dietitian, not all do, Dietz said. Dietitians provide guidance on healthy heating and how to manage chronic conditions. Many people in Danville need the help and accountability, but can't afford it, she said.
Dietz, nationally registered dietitian, hopes a push next legislative session by the Virginia Dietetic Association to license dietitians would encourage insurance companies to cover their visits.
Diet matters to Jones and Berly, who need to manage their blood sugar. They said they've cut out the soda, sweets and fried foods and replaced them with healthier alternatives like whole grains and veggies.
Jones just wants people to know she loves her health insurance benefits and hopes other carriers will follow suit, especially as she knows one in three adults in Danville is obese and that the lack of jobs is taking not just a financial, but also a health toll.
"My life has made a great big change," Jones said. "I enjoy life."
14 May, 2012
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