Julia Louis-Dreyfus Used Her Breast Cancer Announcement to Advocate for Universal Health Care
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is a treasure. She has eleven Emmy Awards, which means she’s currently tied with Cloris Leachman for winning more Emmy Awards than any other performer. won more Emmy Awards for playing one role (Selina Meyers on Veep) than any other performer in history. Last year, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Now she’s using her breast cancer diagnosis to advocate for universal health care.
Louis-Dreyfus told the world she’d been diagnosed with breast cancer.
She posted the note on social media.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZl72nDjhU0/
“1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I’m the one,” she wrote. “The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring family and friends, and fantastic insurance through my union. The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let’s fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality.”
Louis-Dreyfus smart, assertive, and a complete class act. If there’s any time a person can make something completely about themselves, it’s a cancer diagnosis. (Not like when a hurricane ruins your fancy vacation.) But she took the moment, and the increased publicity it would surely create, to advocate for others.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus used her cancer diagnosis to advocate for people less fortunate than she is
Louis-Dreyfus is rich and famous and has good health insurance. Tragedy and illness can strike anybody, even the rich and famous. But like Jimmy Kimmel–whose newborn son had to undergo heart surgery at just a few hours old–Louis-Dreyfus knows that her success gives her access to medical care that a lot of other people don’t have. Approximately 253,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Even with insurance, cancer treatments can cost thousands of dollars. Without insurance, patients can be stuck with bills of more than $150,000. According to the American Cancer Society, patients can even be required to pay those bills up front, before receiving treatment.
Breast cancer is a terrible diagnosis. Louis-Dreyfus must be devastated and scared. But it says a lot about her that her reaction was to argue for good, affordable health care for everybody. She’s a great woman, and everyone is rooting for her to get through this as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Also read:
- Wellness Blogger Hit With Huge Fine After Pretending She Cured Cancer With Clean Living
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- What It Really Costs When You Have a Miscarriage in America
(Image: Instagram / @officialjld)
