How I Have Fought My Health Insurance Provider for a (Prosthetic) Leg to Stand On

I would really like to quote the entire article - written by a young man who is a fine example to young (and older) people everywhere. Not many, certainly not myself, could have the determination, focus and drive this young man does.

I encourage you all to read the entire article.

As an introduction:

On the night of Aug. 10, 2005, my car careened off the road while I was trying to avoid a deer. After I collided with a telephone pole, rescue workers in my suburban town struggled to use the Jaws of Life to free me from my car. I was hospitalized for the next nine months while my mangled extremities were reconstructed. The accident resulted in the amputation of my left leg, damage to my right shin and the loss of the flexors in my once-dominant right hand. All four of my extremities sustained neuromuscular injuries, leaving me with temporary mobility comparable to a quadriplegic. My life was changed instantly.

... and his eventual conclusion:

Simply put, I was unable to keep up with the fast-paced curriculum while also dealing with the struggles in my personal life. I was in my mid-20s and six figures in debt. Insolvent, and fearful of being uninsured, I applied for state Medicaid.

This turned out to be the best decision of my life.

Medicaid paid for the entirety of my prosthetic care, including a new microprocessor knee, a new energy storing foot, a carbon fiber custom-made socket, and silicone liners with accessories. It covered the cost of everything at no out-of-pocket expense, and enabled me to live my life.

Medicaid truly saved my life when so many other “helping” resources continued to let me use failing technology.

I find it appalling that the only way I was able to become a complete human being was by becoming destitute.

I am a human being who has desires far beyond being a needy member of society.

I would like to have a fulfilling career and a family. I do not want to remain on medical assistance. Yet, a Department of Veterans Affairs study showed the average lifetime cost for prosthetics and medical care for loss of a single leg for a veteran of the Iraq or Afghanistan wars is more than $1.4 million. With private insurance unwilling to cover these costs, it’s highly unlikely I will be able to support myself, much less my future family.

www.alternet.org...


I'm not making any specific point here other than how sad it is that such a remarkable young person is held back by his economic situation. I wonder how many millions of productive people are being throw aside as this young man was by the US system of deathcare.

Very sad, but utterly unsurprising.
What is surprising is that he was able to be relatively calm through his whole ordeal. I'm afraid I would not have.

And in his place? Yes, if need be, I would be "destitute" again in another 10 years, if that was what was needed to get a new leg.

Because I highly doubt regular health care will be better by then.

I understand his nightmare. I had been shot and in a serious car accident. I had 23 major surgeries. Needless to say ended up in pain management for severe chronic pain management and have high blood pressure as a result of being in pain all the time regardless of the meds. So, according to the ACA (Obamacare) they are supposed to be covering preexisting conditions. The insurance companies don't seem to care about Federal Law. I got a policy last year from the exchange. Then when I wanted to use it, I was told by the company itself, "We do not cover any pain management." That is BS. I had to pay like $363/mo and had a subsidy that was close to that. The deductible was so high, that it would never cover my medication and GP Doc visits. So, I would have to pay $363 a month and still pay all my medical bills.

I couldn't afford to do both. So I cancelled my insurance the next month. I am glad I did. Florida never created an exchange. Florida citizens found out how that effected them trying to get their tax returns. For people that received subsidies they won't get their returns for 4 months (pending the SCOTUS case). And they may have to pay back the subsidies. Apparently, there is a case in the supreme court because if the 38 states didn't build exchanges in their state the people may have to pay back the subsidies. The law makes it so, but the US Supreme Court case is going to rule whether they do or don't qualify under the law. I think the decision is due in June or sometime this summer.

Regardless, preexisting conditions were not being covered, at least not all preexisting conditions. Well, this year the US Government (contractor?) called me. They wanted to get me insurance. I explained about everything above and the girl says, "Oh, we don't know anything about that". I'm quite sure they don't. It seems that insurance corporations are doing whatever they like, at least in Florida. I am pissed off about it and it just puts another nail in the coffin of an tyrannical government pushing total crap upon it's citizens. I could go on, but I will leave it at this.

a reply to: FyreByrd You can make a certain amount of money per month and still receive medicaid and food stamps. It is somewhere around 1k for a single person and 1600 for a person with one child.(more in bigger cities). If he has his leg, he should do under the table work. He sounds intelligent. He can save cash and eventually find a job in his field and at that point you just stop using the medicaid and food stamps. Some stat es say they will 'go after you' for repayment, but they are sooo far behind now, it is extremely unlikely. He should should find a good job that he can do and the law says he can't be turned down for insurance due to a pre condition. As little as 4 years ago, I saw someone had 'used up' his insurance in one year , someone I cleaned for, but he had a bone marrow transplant and his medications ran into the 10k range for a month. He did find other government programs to pick up that bill, after thinking he would be destitute.

a reply to: spirit_horse You could have sued, called more government agencies. But when you are in pain, you don;t feel like being Sally Field. I get that. The people you talked to were wrong and a lot went wrong at the beginning of the exchanges. But I am glad you have your medical care now Obamacare should have been national healthcare. Should have been like they have in the UK, but the republicans, he knew, would have none of that. So something like Romney's plan and a mix of another plan was made. It is sad.