Making new friends after 50 is tough, writes Lida Berliner, especially in a beautiful place like Santa Cruz County, socially rich. But loneliness is real, particularly, she says, for women who, like her, have divorced, raised kids, cared for an aging parent and started over more than once. Berliner has a life partner, but is missing strong connections with female friends. That is why she is launching a local chapter of the national group Finding Female Friends Over 50. If you’re craving a lunch buddy, a biking partner or simply someone to share life’s foibles with, she hopes you’ll join.
Lida Berliner
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Hey Santa Cruz County women – do you know your insurance may no longer pay for ultrasounds for dense breast tissue?
Lida Berliner recently learned that Dignity Health Advanced Imaging is not billing insurance for ultrasounds for women with dense breast tissue and she is “outraged.” She had an ultrasound last year, before Dignity bought Dominican Breast Center, and her insurance was billed. Now, she has to pay out of pocket for the ultrasound or wait for second and third mammograms, a process she describes as “painful” and “boob-smashing.” Approximately 50% of American women have dense breast tissue. Here, she questions who is making our health care decisions locally and urges women to find out what their coverage entails. “You can bet if men had breasts, this would not be happening,” she writes.