Community | October 15, 2009 | 46 comments

Father calls insurance company's decision to drop son's coverage "attempted murder"

source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/15/father-calls-insurance-co_n_322837.html

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asherp
Rather than continue to pay for Ian Pearl's million dollar medical treatments, one insurance company has decided to end certain lines of coverage altogether, reports William Ehart of the Washington Times. Pearl, 37, suffers from Type II spinal muscular dystrophy, and has been using a wheel chair and connected to a breathing tube for most of his life. Patients with his type of muscular dystrophy rarely live past infancy, but Peal credits his vitality to the care he has received all his life.

On December 1 his insurer, Guardian, is discontinuing a portion of its coverage, which will effectively kill him. Without his extensive coverage Pearl will be admitted to a state hospital under Medicaid, with less treatment. Pearl's mother said that in a state hospital her son would be lucky to live more than a few weeks. Pearl's plan, as of now, covers 24-hour home nursing, which Medicaid, and the vast majority of plans, do not.

"This is attempted murder" said his father, Warren, "the insurance companies are cheating in order to have obscene profits." Last year Guardian reported $437 million profits, up 50 percent from 2007.


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The Los Angeles schools superintendent is standing by a decision that allows recently laid-off teachers to have priority for substituting jobs over veteran subs with more seniority, reports the Los Angeles Times, which puts substitutes' health benefits at risk.

In July, in the midst of a budget crisis, the Los Angeles Unified School District laid off 2,000 teachers and registered almost all of them to be substitutes, bumping ahead of veteran subs, a move roundly rejected by the local teachers union.


Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/15/father-calls-insurance-co_n_322837.html
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46 comments // Father calls insurance company's decision to drop son's coverage "attempted murder"

  • irtehjoe
    • 0
      irtehjoe  

    • why is everyone still bitching about the reform costs.

      for the first time in my life i see something that i would have to pay taxes for that im ALL ABOUT. everyone needs to drop this MEMEME attitude and think about the bigger picture. we're all people and we all deserve the right to live.

    • 2 years ago
  • J_Jammer
  • sugarlilly
    • 0
      sugarlilly  

    • umm, i've been abroad and it definitely doesn't compare to the US's greed.

      i can only speak for South America, but no one there would endanger people, fellow HUMANS, for the sake of $$. At least in general, in my few months down there.

    • 2 years ago
  • PureEm
  • Elligirl
  • Chicanabeauty16
    • 0
      Chicanabeauty16  

    • Sad but true...... yet this country prides itself on being the greatest country in the world...... like really!?

      Greed is the ruler of this good ol' US of A.

    • 2 years ago
  • J_Jammer
  • carmalite
  • EmperorThan
    • 0
      EmperorThan  

    • Attempted? Uhhh... why would it be attempted? They murder people all the time.

      "Oh well, we'll just have to murder one of these other dogs..."

      -South Park Vet

    • 2 years ago
  • TheBrownKid
  • TheOuroborus
    • 0
      TheOuroborus  

    • Before the article talks about Medicare and it's coverage, they really needed to talk to someone from Medicare. Assumption and conjecture about the quality and extent of it's coverage is both reckless and unprofessional.

      This is what amounts for journalism on both sides of the aisle I guess.

    • 2 years ago
  • veronaaa
  • PhilistineTheArtLuvr
    • 0
      PhilistineTheArtLuvr  

    • But you see, folks?
      This is exactly why we need a public option in the US.
      In other words, every American citizen should be guaranteed LEGAL PROTECTION.
      Something that has absolutely nothing to do with "socialism".
      Only a pea brain wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

    • 2 years ago
  • hcice
    • 0
      hcice  

    • A private option that is better than a government option. Oh my, how is this possible? Well, at least originally better than the government option.

      However, this article does illustrate the big thing that needs to be changed. If you have been paying your premiums and then become sick, they should not have the legal right to then yank your coverage out from under you. At least not unless the policy specifically has a maximum payout type of clause to it.

    • 2 years ago
  • FishaHouse777
    • 0
      FishaHouse777  

    • Stephen Hawking has dystrophy and has survived off the British free health care system up to his old age (a medical marvel) so to say he "will" die in a few weeks is a guesstimate.
      Still though, I think the government should pass an amendment to prevent this unfair act from happening now or again. If you sign a contract with an insurance company and pay them your hard earned money than they are obligated to take care of you, no matter what as long as it's in the contract. For this insurance company to stop their benefits because they "don't want to pay any more" is out right fraudulent and criminal.

    • 2 years ago
  • zphoenixdownz
    • 0
      zphoenixdownz  

    • here's an idea... regardless of the coverage they offer in the future, force insurance companies to serve out their existing policies. the end.

    • 2 years ago
  • extracrazykiwi2008
  • ismaelo44
    • 0
      ismaelo44  

    • It won't stop because half of the country is so full of s**t.
      starting with the racist, religious, uneducated southern states.

    • 2 years ago
  • franksalot
  • J_Jammer
  • shanklinmike
  • read_noam_chomsky
    • 0
      read_noam_chomsky  

    • "Pearl's mother said that in a state hospital her son would be lucky to live more than a few weeks."

      I find this hard to believe. I work in a state run hospital/long-term care facility in Pennsylvania and we have numerous patients with traumatic brain injury, dementia, as well as other diseases/disorders that render them confined to wheel chairs and they receive very good care.

    • 2 years ago
  • shanklinmike
    • 0
      shanklinmike  
    • read_noam_chomsky:

      well then your place is a miracle.......

      Government run facilities will never answer to the consumers, it will never have to fight to improve quality, it will never have to even fight to stay alive....in fact, they get rewarded for failure.....if they don't do good one year, they just say they need more money to "fix" the problem and bam,...more funds. The problem is that we are enslaved to this government/corporatist state versus competitive markets that would lower prices, raise quality, and decrease shortages. The whole problem we are facing comes from slavery, the government and the corporatist state....free markets are the answer, and we haven't seen free markets for deeeeeeeeecades....

    • 2 years ago
  • bamboobanga007
    • 0
      bamboobanga007  

    • Fuck the Healthcare system. I have been through so much bullshit with them myself. I went to the hospital for trauma and was charged $1076.50 when I was told the "state" would assist me.

      Then I walk outside and there's a 15 ft. water fountain.

      I guess the water fountain has to be there, but not me. I'm a human, after all.

    • 2 years ago
  • conservativelyliberal
  • J_Jammer
    • 0
      J_Jammer [removed]  
    • Image

    • That is murder that they are doing.....allowing him to die when they have the chance to correct it or at least help.

      The Baucus plan surely can solve this problem to help expand the use of Medicaid...isn't that awesome?

      — The plan would force states to increase Medicaid eligibility to individuals at 133 percent of the poverty level, and to enroll single, childless adults. While the federal government would pick up some of the increased cost, states would be responsible for at least some of the increase, a provision that will undoubtedly strain already tight state budgets.

      Fiscally awesome.

    • 2 years ago
  • Darevalo
  • asherp
  • akamaial
  • Mark701
  • stupidy
    • 0
      stupidy  

    • Get behind Obama's health plans, this would not happen in the UK. Americans claim to be clever, I can't understand why you let insurance and drug companies tell you when to die.

    • 2 years ago
  • bamboobanga007
  • kei13
    • 0
      kei13  

    • Yeah, WTF is up with that millionaire revenue crap? It is the most ridiculous sh!+ ever.

      It's embarassing!!!!
      $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    • 2 years ago
  • shanklinmike
    • 0
      shanklinmike  
    • kei13:

      It is not about the level of profits, it is about HOW the profits are gained! Today's government has propped up these big corporations and oligopolized government insurers around us, this has NOTHING to do with free market, fair competition....it is about corporatism!

    • 2 years ago
  • artemis6
  • Reaper26
    • 0
      Reaper26  

    • hey there is the republitards death panels for you. they have just been here the whole time. IMO they need to change their names from guardian to greedy whore.

    • 2 years ago
  • shanklinmike
  • hcice
  • sugarlilly
    • 0
      sugarlilly  

    • i do wonder what's wrong with a country that legally requires my vehicle to have insurance but me? a human being? nothing. fuck capitalism if this is where its taking us. there is absolutely no excuse for any "country" to put anything but its people first.

      time & time again America proves that $$$ is her only priority.

    • 2 years ago
  • kei13
  • asherp
  • shanklinmike
    • 0
      shanklinmike  
    • sugarlilly:

      Don't force me into their slave system! Why FORCE me to purchase health insurance if I don't want to buy that rip off?!? Forcing people to purchase car insurance is NOT capitalism! Holy crap, we are in trouble....people don't even understand Liberty concepts, it is completely muddled at this point....I see why our country is on the decline. No one is realistic with government slave power and no one understands individual rights!

    • 2 years ago
  • Humdrum
  • dragon1984
  • akamaial
    • 0
      akamaial [removed]  
    • sugarlilly:

      THINGS THAT PROBABLY WILL BE IN THE HEALTH CARE BILL (BUT SHOULDN'T)

      Instead of reintroducing concepts like competition and personal responsibility as a way to bring down health costs and make coverage more affordable, ObamaCare relies on coercion and taxation to pursue these same goals less efficiently. Here are several reasons why no proposal built on this foundation deserves to pass, says Stephen Spruiell of National Review Online.

      A stronger Internal Revenue Service:

      * Over 30 new federal programs, agencies, and commissions would be required to administer the massive new health care entitlement.
      * ObamaCare would establish a "Health Choices Administration" to dictate what your insurance plan can and cannot cover and a "Health Benefits Advisory Committee" to guide these "choices."
      * If the government decides your choices are not acceptable, ObamaCare gives the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) the power to levy substantial fines against you.
      * The IRS would have to coordinate with the Health Choices Commissioner and whatever other officials are deemed necessary to decide whether your coverage meets the government's minimum standard; that means the IRS will be sharing your tax records with Obama's health czars, who could use them in new and intrusive ways.

      "Managed Competition" (a.k.a. "Government Control"):

      * In the early 1990s, the buzzword was "managed competition," which in the context of HillaryCare meant "government control"; today, the buzzword is back and it still means the same thing.
      * Whether this public option takes the form of a federal-government-run insurance plan or state-sponsored, public-private co-ops, its true purpose would be to serve as a stalking horse for a fully nationalized single-payer system.
      * We are watching this happen right now with student loans and to a lesser extent with Medicare Advantage: The government cooks the books to make it look as if cutting out the private sector would yield tremendous savings; in fact, real savings would come only from cutting out the government.

      Government Rationing:

      * This is where Obama care ends -- we know this because we've seen what happened to health-care systems in Canada and Britain.
      * Wherever government fiat replaces private contracting as a method for setting prices, basic problems of supply and demand crop up, and with health care, the problem is almost always too little supply; when third parties pay the bill, consumers lose the incentive to consume rationally and providers lose the incentive to provide efficiently.
      * Supporters of ObamaCare have identified the problem as one of greed and stupidity, but their solution would entrench the third-party-payer system that rewards greed and stupidity; to swim against this tide of incentives will require coercion on a massive scale and rationing.

      Source: http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_ID=18553

    • 2 years ago
  • J_Jammer
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