Damaged Hearts

by Christina Hazelwood
Imagine this: You’re at work and you notice a female customer, waiting. You see a man walk up and start punching her. You graciously intervene to stop the guy from trouncing your customer. The guy whips out a gun and shoots you in the chest. You’re rushed to the hospital, and after several surgeries, survive the ordeal. You file a claim with your employer’s insurance company who turns you down because rescuing customers is not technically a part of your job description.

This is what happened to Nigel Haskett who worked at a McDonald’s Restaurant in Little Rock, Arkansas. Although the townspeople, the local police, and even his boss hailed Haskett as a hero, McDonald’s insurance carrier refused to cover Haskett’s medical bills stating in a letter that his injuries "did not arise out of, or within the course and scope of his employment." Haskett may have been the one shot in the chest, but it’s the insurance company that apparently has a damaged or non-existent heart.

Although Haskett filed a lawsuit in an attempt to get his medical bills covered, the insurance company is within the letter of the law in their denial of his claim. Perhaps there is something wrong with the letters of insurance law in this country.

Do you think that this might possibly be connected to the fact that congressmen at both the federal and state levels receive millions of dollars in campaign contributions from insurers? Do you think there might be a connection to the fact that there are more insurance lobbyists roaming the halls of congress than almost any other lobbying group? Do you think it could be that lawsuits against insurance companies are filed by lawyers who later become congressmen, reaping their cut of some of the largest judgments the court has ever seen? And those same lawsuits are defended by insurance lawyers who used to be congressman and who later become congressmen. But I’m probably just imagining connections where none exist.

That’s not the real problem with healthcare. It’s the evil doctors and nurses who have the nerve to charge us for saving our lives and patching us up after some crazy person shoots us in the chest. Those are the real healthcare culprits, right?

It’s those overcharging healthcare workers we should regulate, monitor and control by passing laws on how much they are allowed to charge and what kind of healthcare services they are allowed to provide. It’s not the lack of governmental oversight on insurance companies who we pay monthly fees to, to cover our healthcare bills in the event the unexpected occurs, like what happened to Haskett.

Associated Links

ABC's Coverage of Hero Haskett
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