Agent Orange victim loses health coverage over 2-cent shortfall

[Bones]

Agent Orange victim loses health coverage over 2-cent shortfall | Raw Story

A Vietnam veteran suffering from a bone cancer blamed on exposure to Agent Orange was dropped from his health insurance for a two-cent shortfall on a premium payment, only to have the insurance reinstated when the story became public.

Ronald Flanagan of Thornton, Colorado, said he never received a warning from Ceridian Cobra Services that his coverage was cut, and only found out when he showed up at a hospital for a biopsy.

"The nurses were just getting ready to do the biopsy when my wife popped into the office and told them, 'Stop. We don't have any insurance,'" Flanagan told ABC channel 7 in Denver.

His wife, Frances, had just been informed that due a typo on their November premium payment, their insurance had been canceled. She had swapped a 7 for a 9, sending Ceridian a check for $328.67, instead of $328.69.

The Flanagans said the insurer did little to notify them their coverage was about to be canceled. Their next statement listed the faulty November payment, but did not alert them that their insurance was canceled. Their December premium payment was accepted, they say.

"They never did a certified letter saying what could happen. They never made a phone call. As far as I'm concerned, they're looking for a way to drop you," Ronald Flanagan said.

Insurance companies have no souls.

 

[draper]

No, they are the scum of the earth and you have to wonder about the character of people who defend this system.

 

[Oddball]

Um....Where's the VA?

 

[California Girl]

So, for balance, do we have any explanation from the insurance company, or are we supposed to take the word of the 'victim'? Ordinarily, I would expect ALL the evidence before deciding the rights and wrongs of such situations. That's just the way I roll..... don't form an opinion until you have all the facts. I learned that as a kid. Pity the OP didn't.

Oh wait.... yea.... ummmm... (From the article).... Flanagan told the press that losing his insurance crippled him emotionally, and he was considering using the Veterans Administration hospital in Seattle -- 1,400 miles away -- before Ceridian reinstated his policy.

Not quite so soulless. A faux outrage thing.

 

[G.T.]

Well, the CEO is sorry and agrees that noone should have had to go through that.

(from ABC 7NEWS Denver):

(Their insurance benefits administrator, Ceridian Cobra Services, based in St. Petersburg, Fla., promptly dropped the Flanagans for the 2-cent shortage without a phone call, a certified letter or even a letter warning them they could be dropped, the Flanagans said.

But on Wednesday, under intense public pressure and a national outcry, Ceridian reinstated Ron's benefits. Ron said he even received a call from Ceridian's CEO, Stuart Harvey.

"He called and he said he wanted to talk man to man and apologize for what happened, and what this has put me and my family through. He said no one should have to go through that for that kind of amount. He said we don't mean to be that kind of company," said Ron.

 

[zzzz]

Buisness is buisness. I just wonder why they did not return the check. If they were not insured what was the insurance company doing keeping the check? $330 bucks a month for insurance. Won't be long till all companies get out of insuring their employees, cost too much, and $1000 a month insurance premiums will be the norm. What with the double digit inflation of medical costs.

 

[RDD_1210]

So, for balance, do we have any explanation from the insurance company, or are we supposed to take the word of the 'victim'? Ordinarily, I would expect ALL the evidence before deciding the rights and wrongs of such situations. That's just the way I roll..... don't form an opinion until you have all the facts. I learned that as a kid. Pity the OP didn't.

Oh wait.... yea.... ummmm... (From the article).... Flanagan told the press that losing his insurance crippled him emotionally, and he was considering using the Veterans Administration hospital in Seattle -- 1,400 miles away -- before Ceridian reinstated his policy.

Not quite so soulless. A faux outrage thing.

Oh, you get all the facts first before making an opinion? That's beyond laughable.

 

[Political Junky]

The man and his wife are being interviewed right now on MSNBC by Cenk Uygur.

 

[uscitizen]

Yeah the Agent Orange debacle with our govt not taking responsibility either.
Yeah they support the troops, till they are used up.

DU is the "Agent orange" for this generation of troops.

At least these are voluntary.

 

[Political Junky]

Ceridian would never have reinstated him but for the public outcry....bad publicity.

 

[Modbert]

 

[waltky]

VA May Expand List of Ailments for Agent Orange...

VA May Expand List of Ailments for Agent Orange Coverage: Shulkin
7 Nov 2017 | VA Secretary Dr.David Shulkin said Monday that he's decided to expand the list of ailments eligible for Agent Orange compensation.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Dr. David Shulkin said Monday he's decided to expand the list of "presumptive" ailments for Agent Orange compensation subject to approval by the Trump administration. Shulkin didn't disclose the expanded list -- "I'm protecting the sanctity of the process" -- but stressed, "I have made a decision. I have passed that on in the process that we follow in the federal government." A VA official later said Shulkin's recommendations on Agent Orange compensation expansion would go to the White House Office of Management and Budget and other agencies for approval and analysis of the costs. Shulkin said he expected approval "in a matter of a few months."

Shulkin's remarks on Agent Orange on Monday at the National Press Club were in contrast to the statement put out last week by the VA suggesting that decisions on expanding the list had been delayed yet again. The VA faced its own deadline of Nov. 1 for deciding on whether to include bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, Parkinson-like tremors and other ailments to the list for Agent Orange compensation based on a report from the National Academy of Medicine that had been sitting at the VA for 18 months.

A UC-123B Provider aircraft sprays the defoliant Agent Orange over South Vietnam in 1962. A new report says the planes remained contaminated for years after the war, while Air Force Reserve units used them for medical, transport and training missions.​

After reviewing the academy report, Shulkin said in his statement last week, "I have made a decision to further explore new presumptive conditions for service connection that may ultimately qualify for disability compensation." Shulkin readily acknowledged the confusion on what transpired last week in regards to expanding the list. "I'm glad to clarify this situation, since I think that it may be a little bit murky," he said. The VA had received the NAM's report in early 2016 and had been required to approve or disapprove of its recommendations within 60 days. The VA failed to meet the initial deadline in another "example of the VA not performing at an acceptable level," Shulkin said.

Rather than committing last week to "further explore" an expansion, he had actually decided to expand the list, Shulkin said. "I made made a decision," he said. "I'm not announcing it," he said, but "my intention is to do what's right for veterans." Any ailments Shulkin might add to the VA's current list of 14 "presumptive diseases" linked to herbicide exposure, including diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and prostate and respiratory cancers, would make many more thousands of Vietnam War veterans eligible for VA disability compensation and health care.

VA May Expand List of Ailments for Agent Orange Coverage: Shulkin | Military.com

See also:

Army Offers Medical Help for Veterans Injured in Chem-Bio Agent Tests
6 Nov 2017 | The U.S. Army is notifying vets that they may be eligible to receive care if they participated in testing from 1942 to 1975.

The U.S. Army is notifying veterans that they may be eligible to receive medical care if they participated in chemical or biological substance testing from 1942 to 1975. Following a recent class-action lawsuit filed by the Vietnam Veterans of America, the service must provide medical care to veterans who volunteered to contribute to the advancement of the U.S. biological and chemical programs, according to a Nov. 6 Army Medical Command press release. The Government Accountability Office found that the U.S. military conducted three secret military research projects between 1942 and 1975, according to a March 9, 1993, GAO report.

Close-up of a soldier in gas mask and protective cloth permeable helmet at Chemical Warfare decontamination demonstration at Fort Bliss, Tx.​

Neither the Army nor the Navy maintained records for all personnel involved in mustard agent testing during World War II, according to the GAO. Prior to July 1992, a veteran had to prove that his disability was service-connected or a result of injuries or disease incurred during a period of military service, and the Department of Veterans Affairs disallowed many claims because veterans could not provide evidence of having been injured by mustard gas exposure, according to the GAO. To be eligible for medical care, according to the Army Medical Command, veterans who may fall within this identified class must have:

• A Department of Defense Form 214 or War Department discharge/separation form(s) or the functional equivalent.

• Served as a volunteer medical research subject in a U.S. Army chemical or biological substance testing program from 1942 to 1975, including the receipt of medications or vaccines under the Army investigational drug review.

• A diagnosed medical condition they believe to be a direct result of their participation in an Army chemical or biological substance testing program.

Medical care, to include medications, will be provided at the closest military medical treatment facility that has the capability and capacity. Care will be provided on a space-available basis for a specific period of time as described in the authorization letter, and is supplemental to the comprehensive medical care a plaintiff is entitled to receive through the VA based on their status as a veteran, according to the release. Eligible veterans are encouraged to visit this website, or call 1-800-984-8523 if they have any questions or need assistance, according to the release.

Army Offers Medical Help for Veterans Injured in Chem-Bio Agent Tests | Military.com

 

[MadChemist]

Agent Orange victim loses health coverage over 2-cent shortfall | Raw Story

A Vietnam veteran suffering from a bone cancer blamed on exposure to Agent Orange was dropped from his health insurance for a two-cent shortfall on a premium payment, only to have the insurance reinstated when the story became public.

Ronald Flanagan of Thornton, Colorado, said he never received a warning from Ceridian Cobra Services that his coverage was cut, and only found out when he showed up at a hospital for a biopsy.

"The nurses were just getting ready to do the biopsy when my wife popped into the office and told them, 'Stop. We don't have any insurance,'" Flanagan told ABC channel 7 in Denver.

His wife, Frances, had just been informed that due a typo on their November premium payment, their insurance had been canceled. She had swapped a 7 for a 9, sending Ceridian a check for $328.67, instead of $328.69.

The Flanagans said the insurer did little to notify them their coverage was about to be canceled. Their next statement listed the faulty November payment, but did not alert them that their insurance was canceled. Their December premium payment was accepted, they say.

"They never did a certified letter saying what could happen. They never made a phone call. As far as I'm concerned, they're looking for a way to drop you," Ronald Flanagan said.

Insurance companies have no souls.

While the story is awful, I don't agree with your conclusions.

Insurance companies are run by people who do have souls.

My experiences has been great.

Insurance companies don't need this kind of bad press. This was an automated response. I can't believe anyone would be that stupid.