Letter to the Editor
Out of options
Published Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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To the editor:
In April, I stepped on a piece of security hardware, an electronic article surveillance “tack” while working.
The injury, though relatively minor, became the site of a bacterial infection that landed me in the emergency room at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital for IV antibiotic treatment costing thousands of dollars. Though I was insured at the time, my primary, employer-sponsored insurance company refused to cover the treatment for my injury.
I applied for Alaska Worker’s Compensation and my claim has been controverted (refused) because I couldn’t prove that my injury happened at work and that the resulting infection was directly related to it.
When I tried meet with my doctor today at my clinic to discuss the matter, I was greeted by the accounts payable manager who informed me unless I paid the amount due (which I don’t have), I would not be allowed to see the doctor. I need his expertise to make the link for my worker’s compensation. I can’t afford an attorney. I feel helpless, victimized and angry.
Community Discussion
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You aren't out of options, you have just begun! Joe is correct, medical records are yours and you need them. Contact an attorney who specializes in workers comp in Anchorage. If they take your case, they know how to cut through allot of bs you're going through.
"Though I was insured at the time, my primary, employer-sponsored insurance company refused to cover the treatment for my injury."
-APPEAL, APPEAL, APPEAL!!!
Until this country wises up and realizes that for profit medical insurance is the most expensive criminal scam ever pulled, that single payer universal healthcare, contrary to misininformed blowhard opinion, actually works, this is the type of BS we'll have to put up with..."Fairbanks monopolistic medical cartel" my a$$, its the INSURANCE COMPANIES!!!
next time, it would probably be alot cheaper to drive to Whitehorse and pay the entire bill out of pocket.
This is an example of why we a national health care system. It is criminal that anyone in this country should be denied health care. I have a brother who has been sick all of his life, and at age 50, he finally has a job that pays some of his health care costs. Up to that point, he was unable to get a job with medical benefits, because of his poor health. And the politicians who get the best health care coverage in the world, paid for by the U.S. taxpayers, are the ones who deny the people in this country the same benefit.
National health care system is the way to change these unnecessary headaches. Put those con-artists in the insurance industry out of business!
It sounds like you did not report the incident to your supervisor when it happened. There is a reason that you are told to report all injuries when they happen. Your employer has to assume that it happened off the job, or that you the employee did not report it because it did not happen at work, or that you did not think it was important to report it, therefore taking on all liability about it. Be honest and take responsibility for yourself. Quit blaming others and asking for hand outs. If you went to the doctor and asked to work out a payment plan, I am sure they would accept your PFD and energy checks as payment.
Appeal the controversion to the workers comp board. Even if a report of injury was not filed at the time, if you mentioned it to anyone at work should hold bearing. Many employers hold this as an incident only case and not report - the law says regardless of how minor an injury is, a report of injury needs to be filed. An individual has two years to file a claim, once you know it was work related. You have the right to obtain your medical reports to file your appeal. You should contact an attorney who specializes in work related injury for a consultation. An emergency room doctor does not constitute a treating physician, and you have the right to change your doctor one time. By all means, do not let it slip by.
talk to people who live in countries that have national health care systems and find out how good such a thing is. why would one in the usa be any better? in fact, i bet we would screw ours up even worse than theirs are. we have no experience in doing that kind of thing.
polarmark, if you believe that then please read this sometime
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story...
that is, unless you do not think that NPR is "fair and balanced" ;)
What exactly is an "electronic article surveillance “tack”"? Do you still have it? Was it noted on your medical forms? This sounds like a specialized piece of equipment and the key to an appeal.
If we allow citizens carte blanche access to free health care, don't you think they will go running to the doctor for every little cut and scrape? "Whoops! I cut my finger doing something stupid. I should go the emergency room because I don't have to pay for it, the government will." Spend some time with welfare/Medicaid recipients--see how often they are going to the doctor for things that could easily be taken care of at home or are entirely unnecessary. Nationalized (subsidized) health care is the surest way to further erode any personal responsibility for ourselves.
denaliguy - it is a device that is attached to articles in a store that a sales person must remove after you buy otherwise it goes 'beep' when you leave. You know, the clamp like things and if by chance you remove it yourself - you get 'inked' :)
FMH a non profit hospital...and we own it! BULL S--t.
What you own is the BILL.
All you need to do is try to fight. It does sound like you didn't take the proper steps to notify a supervisor when the accident occured. Did you tell anyone? A co-worker? If so, they can be a witness and your claim will get processed through workman's comp, it may just take a while.
I think it is crap the way our health care system works, but universal health care is not the way. Think of how the government works for everything else....it takes an "act of congress" to get anything done and then you may not follow the steps right and you have to start over. Can you imagine how this will be when the government has control over the health care? You will be waiting in line for ever, with ungodly amounts of paperwork, for a doctor that is probably not that good, because all the good docs moved out of country to make more money. Oh, BTW your pay check will probably be smaller, because the employer can't afford to pay you as much. Just remember there will be a price for having cheaper health care.
If you didn't report the stepping of the tack to anybody at work and waited till it became infected to see a doc there may not be any medical proof that, that is how your foot got infected aside from what you told the doctors. Not to mention the fact that if your employer has certian requirements for the types of shoes you wear you may be in a deaper hole, especially if you are going to try the workers comp route.
You can fight the uphill battle, and you may just win but it deffinately doesn't look very positive for you. It is very unfortunate that your medical insurance refused to cover the incident... did they state why? Were you not eligible yet?
As somebody else stated you may just have to try and work out a payment plan with them or use your PFD to help you out on this one.
Sorry!
"talk to people who live in countries that have national health care systems and find out how good such a thing is."
I have. I know a guy in Canada who had a motorcycle accident and crushed a vertebrae. He was treated and sent home after a week in the hospital, and all he had to do was sign a few forms. He said that at that point, he was very thankful to live in a country with socialized medicine. And in a previous life, I dated a woman from Canada. She injured a knee while a student at UAF. Rather than deal with the health care system of the university, she went home for Christmas break, had kneee surgery, and was back on campus when spring semester classes started. No fuss, no muss.
If socialized health care is really such a fool's errand, then tell me why our country ranks 30th in the world in terms of life expectancy? If it works in Sweden, Canada, Britain, and others, it can work here.
because henry Amerikans are TOO stupid to understand, folks who are sick enough, (chornically ILL) to get medicare medicaid, usuallly HATE to have to go to the Doctor AGAIN.
in this example of the guy steeping onthe tack, if he had felt he could see a doctor earlier the infection could have been prevented with a much cheaper outcome.
I don't normally point out misspellings, but I can't help this one....Americans not Amerikans! When you are calling Americans stupid it looses its fizz when you yourself look even more stupid.
as one who is chronically ill, I make it a point to see my doctors regularly... even though the insurance hassles are a major pain in the arse and the missed work hours hurt. If I dont, chances are I wont catch something early, then I die. I see a doctor on average once every six weeks, and no its not stuff I can take care of at home. I am on medicaid as a supplement to my insurance and, all I can say is that without both private insurance and medicaid I would be dead right now.
God Bless America, where the weak die and healthcare is an industry not a service.
Can you imagine if fire or police in this country were run the same way?
lagirl "I don't normally point out misspellings, but I can't help this one....Americans not Amerikans! When you are calling Americans stupid it looses its fizz when you yourself look even more stupid."
well, well I also mispelt chronically...you must have missed that one...
but I meant to type Amerikan!
well, well, well....what was the point? Is mispelt a word?
Justasking, I'm not sure of your point. You're saying that Amrickans have shorter life expectancies because Ayemaricuns avoid going to see the doctor?
Why is that, do you suppose? Could it be possible because Unitedstatesians often cannot afford to go see the doctor? Could it be because 'Merry-cans are unable to provide for their own healthcare because of the skyrocketing costs of insurance and medical care?
The problem here has nothing to do with the health care system. If he had reported his injury when it occured there would be no problem getting medical care through his employers work comp carrier. He says the injury occured in April, and didn't seek medical care for 3 or 4 months. If the injury was not reported I can see why his comp was declined. The root of the problem here is that HE didn't follow the proper procedures. We might have this illusion that doctors are supposed to care for us, even if we can't pay them. Most doctors are in that line of work to make a living. Grocery stores don't sell you stuff if you can't pay for it.....why should doctors. If you need medical care and can't afford to pay for it....go to FMH and deal with the bill collectors when it gets that far.
NPR fair and balanced?!?!?! Please! The National Peoples Radio network?
There are already two forms of federal government health care systems in this country, the Indian health Care system and the Military Health Care system. Go out to Bassett Hospital and compare that facility with Fairbanks Memorial. The medical records system has to be one of the finest in the nation.
There are already two forms of federal government health care systems in this country, the Indian Health Care system and the Military Health Care system. Go out to Bassett Hospital and compare that facility with Fairbanks Memorial. The medical records system has to be one of the finest in the nation.
Let's face it...the high cost of medicine and insurance is because we are a litigious society. Lawyers and huge punitive awards from juries trying to stick it to the rich doctor or corporations are the reason. This drives up the cost of everything involved in medicine, doctors, malpractice insurance, health insurance and medicines. Insurance companies just figure out the odds and add a couple of percentage points to cover their profits. The same as the casinos in Vegas.
stepovich,beconovich, and another name...law office...go to talk to them and set up consignment indiginent off settlement..
Stepovich and Vacura. Also, I think Jim Hackett handles worker comp cases.
DNM staff you posted this letter, what do you suggest to give this person the assistance they so desperately need. I'm sure there is someone there that has a few connections and can pull a few strings to help this person out! Right???
Jake,
Here is my suggestion. Bring your delema to all of those politicians running for Congress and the Senate. Whoever gets you the help you need first gets your vote! Case closed.