I was thinking about a conversation I had with a friend a few weeks ago. We were talking about wheelchairs. Her insurance company denied her claim for an ultralight wheelchair so she bought one on ebay. When it arrived, the tires went flat repeatedly. Turned out she had to take the tires off the rims, scrape them down (with the help of her father) and then they worked fine. There were a few other adjustments she made - on weekends and on week nights after her full time job. The job that provides the insurance that denied the wheelchair. The wheelchair she needs so she can go to the job.
Something in all of this just doesn't sound right to me. Her schedule sounded like: work, wheelchair repair, work, wheelchair adjustment, work - well you get the idea. This went on for a few weeks. And she said to me "No wonder people with disabilities don't work. This is discouraging."
The reality of insurance denials is harsh. Tiring, exhausting, expensive.
Sometimes the folks who perform public death-defying feats - trying to beat the odds -get the most attention. Like this guy. But every day there are lots of folks doing things - quietly - that defy the odds. Like my friend.
But of course there's no video of her soooo...
4 comments:
The thing is that there's all the everyday stuff of life to do and the disability stuff on top of it. Those of us who work don't talk about this because people would tell us oh everyone has stuff to do but not everyone has a wheelchair to repair. It wouldn't be so bad except that many services for disabled people are set up as if you're not working which makes it time consuming and inefficient.
Goldchair: It's frustrating to deal with inefficient services like that even if you're not working. Many times people write me about those kinds of problems where they give up trying to get services because their health is poor and they don't have the energy to follow through. Plus sometimes there are limited options for places to go to get service which can add to it.
I am always astounded that we pay so much attention to folks who make up challenges that have little meaning and then find a way to beat them.
More than half of the sisters in my community are over the age of 78. I am very aware that I'll pass one as I leave for Evening Prayers - then I'll stop to check the mail & information board, drop by the transportation office to return car keys, do another errand and scurry to chapel. I get there about the same time as the sister with a cane who has just been walking that whole time. It gives me pause to think about the difference in the ways we can plan our days, and what things we can even think of doing.
The people I am most upset with are the various Medicare-fraud artists - the very small number who figure out how to bill and scam the system and make it so hard for the vast majority of honest companies to get funding for real needs. Beyond their illegitimate financial reward, they generate a mindset of skepticism and doubt that works to the detriment of those the program is designed to help.
I wish there WAS a video of this person doing her wheelchair repair - and it went to the insurance company that denied her.
Wouldn't it be great if corporations included feedback on client satisfaction as part of their decision on which insurer to use?
Sr. Edith-
I too get upset when I hear about Medicare fraud. The negative perceptions engendered by scams do so much damage and harm.
Sadly the tire is once again leaking despite all her work so back to the drawing board. Maybe she will make a video this time!
Post a Comment