At 85, Kay Swanson lives in Westley Chapel FL. Kay spends her days in bed or in her wheelchair. Westley Chapel is a suburb of Tampa with a population of nearly 65,000.
Her daughter, Kristen Swanson, told ABC Action News that her mother required 12 hours of home health care per day. Even transitioning from her bed to her wheelchair requires assistance.
Kristen, a veterinarian, needs home health workers to look after her mother. They abruptly stopped coming to her mother’s Wesley Chapel house on May 1.
Kristen was taken aback and assumed someone had simply resigned. However, she said that she was informed that health insurance would no longer cover it.
The aides were covered by her mother’s insurance. Kristen said she spent hours on hold with Humana. Kristen also texted her mother’s caseworker several times trying to figure out what was going on.
She was finally able to contact someone. They told her that her mother lost her insurance because she moved to Kentucky. Kentucky is where Humana is located, but the Swansons have no connection to that state.
Kristen juggled her veterinarian profession with the continual attention her mother required for a week. She was also trying to get Humana to fix the problem. By the time Kay’s health insurance was reinstated, it had been two weeks since she had received home health care, according to Kristen.
Unfortunately, the lapse in coverage resulted in a decline for Kay. As of June 29, Kay in a long-term rehabilitation center. The family is hopeful that she will regain her strength and return home soon.
For some people losing access to their health insurance coverage is a matter of life or death. Even a temporary loss of coverage can have devastating consequences. If issues are not addressed properly, people’s lives are at risk. Insurance companies should not value profits over people.
Sources:
Callaway, Jackie. “Florida Woman’s Address Switched to Kentucky, Causing Temporary Loss of Home Health Care Insurance.” ABC Action News Tampa Bay, 29 June 2023, http://www.abcactionnews.com/money/consumer/taking-action-for-you/florida-womans-address-switched-to-kentucky-causing-temporary-loss-of-home-health-care-insurance.
“U.S. Census Bureau Quickfacts: Wesley Chapel CDP, Florida.” The United States Census Bureau, 1 Apr. 2020, http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/wesleychapelcdpflorida.