I have a friend who is in real trouble re: health care / insurance

[Lorien]

My friend "Jane" (not her real name) is 60 years old and has worked in the motion picture industry since she was a teenager, leaving it for only a few years to work as a prominent fashion model in the early 70's. Throughout her career she has worked as an animator on many well known films including "The Empire strikes back" "E.T. " "Indiana Jones" and many others, including a list of well known animated features .The hand drawn animation was tough on her body. Over the years she developed severe carpel tunnel syndrome, but the studio she worked for would not let her slow down or take time away from work to recover. She developed spinal problems and arthritis, so the company rigged up a pulley system to the ceiling of her office to keep her drawing while she sat there in a back, neck and arm brace. Finally she was so crippled that she HAD to have surgery. The day after her surgery her boss, "Rita", called and insisted that she get back to work. Jane returned to the studio with a note from her surgeon telling her boss that she was not to draw for several weeks, and then she was to return to drawing slowly, only four hours a day. Rita gave Jane an enormous scene to do on day one, and only gave her one assistant to help her with it (she usually had four). Jane protested, but Rita said that if she didn't complete the scene on time she would be in jeopardy of losing her job. So Jane got to work; 12-18 hours a day for the next two weeks. The work cost her the use of her right arm AND her job.

Jane has been living on disability since then. Her retirement savings were stolen by an unscrupulous stockbroker who fled the country years ago. Jane has gone to court many times in an effort to keep her health insurance and disability. The studio she worked for for decades insists that her disability is from the polio she had as a child, not the absurd amount of work she was given after surgery. Today she called me, hysterical, because she had just returned from the hospital. Her doctor wanted her to have a CAT scan, but when he called her insurer they said she was no longer covered. She later discovered that her lawyer had had her sign a document that said that her coverage would end after the insurer had paid out a maximum of 35k in benefits. She had not read the document carefully enough herself (would not have mattered if she did; half the time she's totally zoned out on pain medications) before she signed it. Now she's completely panicked and is talking about suicide as her only option. Are there any CA DUers out there who know of any programs or organizations who might be able to help her?

[Warpy]

1. Yeah, call a LAWYER

An employer can't force an employee to do anything against medical advice.

Rita can get her ass sued and so can the studio.

[Lorien]

4. She's had loads of them. The corporation she worked for

has loads more-and is totally ruthless.

[damntexdem]

9. Then it's time for the name of the corporation to come out and be dragged through the gutter.

Let people know.

[Lorien]

10. I still work for them, as do many of my friends

I've barely gotten any work from them in months because of this economy, but still. The majority of the people who work FOR the company are good folks but the people at the top are completely ruthless-like most American companies. Do we root for GM and Ford to fail because their management is worthless? No, because GM and Ford workers need a place to work. At this point it's the insurer who is causing the problem.

[GentryDixon]

14. So how long before you come back and

tell us you are in the same boat? One accident or sudden illness is all it takes.

You can put this story out with compromising yourself. If this company wants to stay in business, they may be shamed into doing the honorable thing.

[Lorien]

17. I'm a contract worker and I pay for my own insurance

this company behaves as EVERY OTHER MAJOR CORPORATION IN AMERICA behaves. Attacking them does no good. Demanding universal, single payer is the way to go. "Rita" is a ruthless bitch but everyone in that company is not like her.

I'm 45k in debt because of a surgery my insurance-yes, I HAVE insurance-refused to cover. I know all too well that "one accident or illness is all it takes", but it's an insurance industry problem, not an entertainment industry problem.

[Warpy]

15. OK, so keep your wrists limp and your attitude hopeless.

Rabid lawyers don't always win, you know.

Sometimes the good guys do.

[Lorien]

18. Why are you attacking me personally Warpy?

I posted this in hope of finding an alternative source of health care for a dear friend who is talking to me about killing herself. I won't type out her entire saga, but she has spent the last TWELVE FUCKING YEARS in legal battles with CA disability, the corporation, her insurer, and Social fucking sercurity.

TWELVE FUCKING YEARS Warpy.

TWELVE FUCKING YEARS!!!!

WHAT THE FUCKING HELL SOUNDS FUCKING "LIMP WRISTED" ABOUT THAT?????!!!!!!!

If you don't have something fucking constructive to say, then move along. Please. Just. Move. Along.

[Warpy]

19. It takes as long as it takes

and don't forget for 8 of those years they had a government on their side.

They don't now.

She needs some support, not defeatism, which is what I read in your post.

[walkaway]

2. I can relate. Does Jane own her home?

It's time to divest herself of any assets and walk into the nearest hospital's ER. It's not as easy as it used to be but most states have some sort of health system if you have nothing. She can even live with a friend who supports her if she owns nothing and can't work. You can't own anything in this case. In this country you must give up everything you have to get help.

[Lorien]

5. She has no friends in town to turn to and her family members are all dead

except her brother, who is also in a wheelchair and on disability. He and his wife can barely survive, so they can't take her in. Her friends are mostly unemployed (like myself). She has a home, but I think becoming homeless would break her. I have no doubt that she would take her own life in that situation.

[walkaway]

6. once again...I can relate in many ways.

It breaks my heart to think she would lose her home. You would have to get legal advise b ut maybe she could sell it to her brother to get it out of her hands. If she doesn't have much equity in it it might work out. Suing the boss sounds great but could take years. I would try to contact a lawyer who does pro bono work and see if she can legally divest and get some help.

[Lorien]

8. Her brother will soon be institutionalized, so I don't think he'll qualify

to "take it off her hands". She has quite a bit of equity in it, and for now that's mostly what she's living off of. The choice should not be between being bankrupt and homeless and getting health care, or having a roof over your head but being unable to bear the pain.

[PM Martin]

3. First of all, let this evidence show that Hollywood et al

are a BUSINESS! So when we hear how "liberal" they are, just remember this story.
Also recall that Hollywood goes whoring around for tax breaks to film. In doing this they shut down town centers and public roads during rush hour to film, remember this.

[specimenfred1984]

7. "Hey, it's only been 60 days, stop crying you fascist"

That's what people are telling me. Ya see, anything I say is useless, any life experience I have is ignored, any knowledge I have is fake, any advice I give is worthless. I could tell you I needed a CAT scan 4 years ago and couldn't afford it so I just had to suffer but who the f cares? Everything if beautiful now, full of hope and wonder, all you have to do is wait, then wait some more, then continue to wait until nothing happens.

What did I eventually do? It doesn't matter, I'm a stupid non-taxpaying fascist repuke who doesn't know the answers to anything so I'll just respond with "UGH".

[newtothegame]

11. Everyone talks about the CEO wage/Average worker wage ratio; what about Hollywood??

What about actors that make $20m for a film while the set painters, animators, whomever makes minimum wage? Are they off limits from scrutiny just because they are 99% Democrat?

ed for sp

[Lorien]

13. The rest don't make minimum wage

they make between 35-350k a year, depending on what they do. But this isn't about the film industry. It's about health care and insurance. She needs health care and her insurance just drop kicked her.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

12. Is she a member of a union?

That would be the first call I made.

Second, she needs to look into Medi-Cal -- that should help with her medical needs. Also, the main public hospital in LA should offer low/no cost health services/clinics. I used the program here in SF at San Francisco General for several years when I went without insurance -- I got great care, better than I have gotten through my current insurance.

[Lorien]

16. THANK YOU!

She is a member of IATSE and I think one other Motion Picture workers association. She is going to talk to them this afternoon. I'll tell her about the main public hospital. That might offer her a little hope.