THE CHOICE IS OURS . . .

Today’s news contained a piece about Lance Lewis. In November 1988, after a fall down the stairs, he became quadriplegic. Fortunately, as an employee of (then) Corestates Bank, he had chosen the top of the line medical plan, despite its additional cost, so that once out of the hospital, he could remain in his apartment with outpatient nursing care paid for by his insurance. That was then, this is now.

After the bank was absorbed several times, and has now become owned by Wells Fargo (possibly the single largest agent of home foreclosures in the country), they decided that after more than 20 years of covering his nursing care, they would no longer honor the agreement. In other words, they did what insurers and financial institutions have been doing all along – changing the rules whenever they feel like it, and “sticking it” to the helpless, disabled, uneducated and poor to improve their “bottom line.”

If Wells Fargo doesn’t change their mind, and if Mr. Lewis does not sue for his benefits and win, he will be forced into a nursing home where, because he will not get the individual attention he has been getting, he will likely develop a variety of related conditions and his life expectancy will be significantly shortened, not to mention the quality of his life.

If anyone doubts that we need health care reform in the United States; if you question why the insurance companies’ actions and motives are suspect; if you wonder why there is an attitude of wanting to send financial and insurance company executive to the guillotine, just ask Lance Lewis. We have two choices right now. The health care bill currently being advocated is certainly not the one I would write if I could, and there are multiple problems with it, but it will go a long way toward helping. We can call our legislators and demand that they pass health care reform NOW, or we can wait until we fall down the stairs, and wish we had. The choice is ours, but we may not be able to live with the wrong one!