Wal-Martians: Wal-Mart Sues Accident Victims

Wow...that is wrong on so many levels!

I saw this too, and it implies that other companies that self-insure are doing the same thing. That's a bit scary. I think you may have something...about putting the would-be premiums in something that grows. Only thing is that if you're paying for your own doctor visits without insurance, you pay the highest price. Same thing for hospital and other services. Without the insurance people to negotiate a better price, the uninsured pay higher prices.

Good article -- and more good reasons to bolster why my brother and I don't shop there. This is as bad as the soldiers who are in danger of losing their government bonuses, because gee, they just happened to get injured! The level of insanity in this country is reaching a critical mass, so hopefully "Dr. Neutron" (Paul) can avert full disaster. We need to hold these buzzards accountable for what they do, and like you say, invest your money rather than put it in the quicksand of some insurance schemes. Thanks for posting this important article!

Our insurance is offered free through Nick's office. We pay a small office co-pay of $10, an Urgent Care co-pay of $25, and a non-admitting ER co-pay of $50.

But hey, consider what happens when you have no money, and no way to pay when your child falls and breaks her arm, or your son gets pnemonia. I suppose insurance can be a pain, but personally, it's a neccessary item.

Any parent who refuses to get insurance and isn't wealthy beyond the point of going broke is an irresponsible parent. There are programs that offer insurance to kids who can't obtain insurance through other means- even those of us who are middle class. It's just plain irresponsible parenting to deny your child a doctors visit if they are sick or hurt.

I realize there are people who for one reason or another can not qualify (though, in our state, the income guideline for "MiChild" is almost $40k for a family of 2, and goes up to around $65k for a family of 5 like I have, and should more than cover those who fall in between), and don't blame them for not being able to provide it.

But the parents who think it's not needed, or are too lazy to look into getting it, or just don't care- that's neglectful parenting, and should be just as reportable to CPS as not feeding a child.

dong my shopping else where for sure.... why do they do it? do they need it? No of course they dont need the money. They do it simply because they can.

Wal Mart is sick

wretched...

Doctors make insurance rates High.. Before insurance you could get a your teeth cleaned for $5, one pulled for $25. Last time I got a tooth pulled it cost me $80 co-pay insurance paid around $500.

Hey Aaron, did you read that article about how Walmart tried to do their best to cut their state taxes through different loopholes?

It is the insurance companies that increased the price of health care.

What happened to this woman is highway robbery. She was going to be taken care of for her injuries as was the correct thing to do. Wal-Mart saw to it that that did not happen. Despicable!

Did you say sodomization?
Ouch
Help me get a publishing deal with a 10 rating and comment. I comment back.

Larry, it isn't jus because the Dr's want it to be higher. They need to have malpractice insurance, which raises costs. The costs of equipment and supplies have gone up considerably. Then there's the cost of employing the staff- the people at the desk, the nurses, the lap technicians, the cleaning crew. Rising costs in utilities have raised costs, as well. They use a lot of energy to keep even a small office open, let alone something like a hospital. Then there's the cost of the building- if they rent, it's a monthly fee that's usually not that small, even if it's just in a tiny strip mall somewhere. If they own the building, the cost of having bought it goes into consideration. If they built it, those costs need to be distributed as well.

What year was it when you were last able to get a tooth pulled for $25 without insurance? I'm guessing before 1980. You can't blame 1 person when the entire world's economy directly effects the cost of running any type of business. If they have higher costs, they can't afford to do their job for what they did 30 years ago without going bankrupt in under 2 months, I can guarentee that.

That is a loophole that I had never heard of!

Where were her lawyers when they were busy settling for a paltry 700 thou?? Shouldn't they have known something like this could happen??

And bankruptcy is not a better option. It is a lot cheaper to pay for health insurance than it is to start over. You lose everything when you file bankruptcy. You can have zero assets at the end.

Austin,
I think Walmart is the evil empire and it must be brought down. to shop there in order to save a few bucks will destroy the economies of towns. In our town our Walmart is referred to as the town mall. They are a heartless enterprise that has the economic ruin of America at its door. Sorry, too. I am no fan of Walmart and try my hardest not to shop there but they've put nearly every other store out of business in my town. Thanks for another reminder of the how evil Walmart is.

I really believe Wal-Mart is evil.....but I do think people need to have insurance without having to worry about paying it back.

Exactly, Gwen- if you file bankruptcy to avoid a medical bill, you can lose any asset you have, and with the new laws, you still have to pay back a LOT of the debt anyway, you just get longer to do it, without the high interest rates on it.

I have all kinds of insurance. Health insurance is a necessity. Insurance companies are the second evil empire next to Walmart, but I agree with Gwen, you must have it if you can afford it.

Wow that is terrible in so many ways. Just another example of how our money-hungry country has screwed over those truly in need!

The number one cause of bankruptcy is medical care costs. It is a fact.

Cybergwen,

Many people have to file bankruptcy due to the effects of catastrophic illnesses. Insurers are no longer interested in the business of those who suffer these things. What Wal-Mart did here was wrong. The insurance covered the expenses. It was not a liability for them. For Wal-Mart it had everything to do with greed and avarice.

This is absurd. The average person just can't win.

Joe, many people doing it doesn't mean they -have- to have gone without insurance in the first place. Those people cost the tax payers a LOT of money in covering the debt.

An adult going without insurance is one thing. A parent subjecting their child to not having insurance simply because they don't want it, or don't care to try and obtain or pay for it should be criminal.

As an aside, Austin has children, and suggests going bankrupt before insuring- is that -really- the lesson to teach your children? Forget your debt or health care, just let the tax payers deal with it when you can't?

I agree that everyone should be insured - which is why I like the notion of universal health care in this country. We are the only western nation not to do this. It isn't rocket science and can be done more cheaply than our current for profit system. Health care should all be not for profit and the insurance companies should be forced to insure all. Furthermore, it should be taken out of the employer's hands. They don't manage it well.

Because the various insurance companies here make so much money, and probably pay a good portion to the government, they'll never change it. Universal insurance isn't perfect, either, though.

In Canada, for instance, there are rules on how often you can see a doctor, or how long it takes to go for varying things. The doctors are over run and overwhelmed because anyone can go in, so there are often more paitents than staff to care for them.

That is so sad and really wrong of Walmart.

Walmart sucks! The country isn't money hungry, the irresponsible, greedy corporate entities will suck our last ounce of strength from our bodies while starving us!

That is just horrid!

Wow, that is really tragic.

More often than not, once you do win a suit for injury, the other side brings in the really big guns. They prey on your defense in the lower courts, you win, they appeal.

There was an incident where a little boy won millions in a suit against NYC about 20 years ago. That hit the papers. What did not was the fact that The City employed a firm that they only brought out for appeals. The firm was kept on retainer just for appeals. The little boy lost on appeal. The family was left penniless and having to care for this little guy alone for the rest of his life.

Wow...that is AWFUL!

I refuse to shop at Wal-Mart because of their unfair business practices. However, I feel more comfortabe with health insurance than without it.

Pretty sad. The scary thing is there are other companies looking to use this tactic too.

Hope no one else is hurt by these would be companies adapting it. :(

Unfortunately we'd probably be in the poor house if we did not shop at walmart. Not only are the prices in our budget, but we can save gas and WALK there.

I know that what happened here is wrong on many levels and shouldn't happen, Although when I had my hear-lung transplant 5 years ago, my insurance and Medicare payed most of a 2 million dollar bill. I ended up paying about $10,000 but, considering the total cost was pretty good. I did save for years, knowing I might have such a surgery one day and made out all right.

So your idea works, but how many are going to save like crazy and find a good money market or even have enough to save?

I can just imagine how she must be feeling right now. It makes me sad for her and because I really like Wal-Mart. I will have to read the article further. I hope it says why it has done this.

that is terrible

I am going to say this because it is TRUE...Wal- mart takes higher level employees, insures them, and whether they stay or go, when that employee checks out of this world, wal-mart, not family, gets the insurance!!!! Most families do not know of this, a lot of insured do not know this........

It wasn't a workmen's comp issue, so that doesn't apply here.

I would sue the lawyer for malpractice!

This is the second article on this topic I have posted to and I will repeat myself, Since Wally World was able to recoup thier expenses and I wont say it wasn't rightfuly so - why are they not responsible for half the attorneys fees that were paid to get this settlement?

This sort of thing just makes me sick!

There is much wrong with our system. We need to start from the bottom up and give our laws some common sense.

wow

That is just obscene -- not only Wal-Mart's behavior, but that of the courts in giving big corporations more rights than individuals. We have a lot of things we need to change, in this country.

Wow, Heather - I'm happy for you if you live in such a perfect world that you have affordable healthcare that you can provide for your children with your good paying job.

There's a ton of us out in the real world who don't have that option.

Yes, Laura- a perfect world where I can pay my bills, rather than spending money on a new WII when I can't afford food.

Every single state in the US has a program that allows for middle income families to provide insurance to their children. People who make 40-80$ a year can still apply and qualify for that program.

Those who make less are covered by medicaid. If you make more than $80k a year, you make enough to pay for insurance. Enough said. If you decide insurance isn't worth it, like your husband seems to think, then you enjoy the bills, but sure as hell don't go around claiming bankruptcy so that the rest of us can pay your bills for you.

Regarding who's getting the money:
Wal-Mart Stores is getting the money, or more precisely, the division that manages their health care is. (Yes, they have an internal fund that handles this.) In fact, they're suing for more money than the family actually received after legal fees. (They're suing for about $470,000. The family trust fund is $411,000 after legal fees.) Considering the husband works as a maintenance employee at a university, I'd say that's sufficient to completely destroy their lives. At this point, the only people who are really going to win here are the lawyers.

Regarding bankruptcy, poverty, and insurance:
If you have to divorce your own wife (without telling her) just to make sure she has adequate health care coverage and end up being sued for $59,000 more than you can possibly pay -- for winning a settlement -- explain to me how bankruptcy is much worse.

Every day, people below the poverty line are gambling with their lives, being forced to choose between intangible things such as insurance, or things they actually need such as food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. At poverty level, insurance won't do you any good unless your medical expenses exceed about half of your income (which is the point at which it's finally more cost-effective to have insurance). Furthermore, in most cases, having insurance will raise your medical expenses (a doctor's office that charges $200 to an insurance company will charge an uninsured person $20). Barring catastrophic events or a very good medical plan - one that Wal-Mart doesn't have, it's not worth it.

Perhaps if you could prove to me that paying a $6,000 deductible -- up front -- isn't enough to destroy an average family, particularly one living on a Wal-Mart-level salaries, I'd be less inclined to shrug and sarcastically recommend bankruptcy as an equally self-violating method of survival.

Perhaps if you could prove to me that having health insurance will protect you from a lifetime of medical expenses as a result of an accident -- instead of covering the initial bills, then leaving you to die when your coverage lapses, then suing you for several hundred thousand dollars after you fought so hard to make sure that your family had a chance of surviving this catastrophe -- maybe then I wouldn't be so fatalistic about our system.

As it stands, if you live at the poverty level, your life is going to be destroyed by a catastrophic accident to any of your family members, period. In the end, it's a matter of choosing how slow your financial death is going to be. If you have 'good' insurance, your life will be destroyed by the aftercare and the deductibles. If you have insurance and file for a settlement, your life will be destroyed by the lawyers. If you have no insurance, your life will be destroyed by the debts.

(Oh, and if your insurance has a cap, such as Wal-Mart's for the first year of coverage, you'll still get screwed by the debts, AND the deductible, AND the aftercare.)

There are some programs I've seen - 'health saving accounts' - that promise some of the advantages of health insurance combined with savings plans. However, these generally have even worse deductibles than normal plans, require pre-participation in another plan to qualify (in Wal-Mart's case, anyhow), and I've yet to see any significant advantage to them.

As an aside, before you start saying we make a lot of money, I'm a stay at home mom, and my husband maked 35k a year in tech support. We just know how to handle our money, and realize that insurance IS needed. My children's health is worth more than buying a new WII to play.

Um.. .first of all, who said we couldn't afford food, or that we didn't go to a doctor?

Having to pay for something out of pocket because we don't have medical insurance is the issue here - not lack of care.

We saved up through the summer to get a wii, which is something the whole family enjoys. Putting a little bit of money aside to save up and get something - that sounds like a good thing to teach children, no?

Why don't you mind your own damn business and stay out of an article if you don't have anything to say other than attacking the posters of said article?

Also, Heather - checking out your recent articles - a friendly note for your future reference. You don't form plurals with an apostrophe s.

Have a nice day!

Actually, $35,000 is roughly twice the average Wal-Mart salary. ::wry grin:: Now settle down, you two.

Sorry, but it annoys the crap out of me when people have to interject their self-righteous bullshit into an article instead of sticking to the original topic.

Gather Drama is irritating - will leave this be now, as long as she doesn't return.

M point, Laura, is the articles you have posted in the past referring to needing state money because you were broke- not able to afford much for groceries, couldn't go to weddings, etc. Just the other day, Austin posted about having to dip into his IRA in order to get groceries if the new job doesn't work out.

My thing is that I don't like hearing people gripe about a lack of money, but then spend it irresponsibly. I'm sure you did save up a lot for the wii. I'm not saying you didn't, but most families who do have the same type of problems would rather go out and get groceries or keep in in case of an emergency that comes up.

As for our income, with a family of 5, if I wanted (and we don't), we qualify for food stamps, medicaid, and help with utilities, along with low income housing. The only thing we take is the kids get free lunches at school- and we only applied because we were hoping to get reduced again. When we moved, the income barriers are different here, and our income went from qualifying us for reduced, to getting free.

This article is about a woman that unfairly has her settlement taken away by her employer, which has more money than it could ever need.

My husband at the end gives his opinion of how unfair this is, and makes a somewhat sarcastic (I'm sure as an intelligent being you know the definition of sarcasm) suggestion for a solution IN THIS SITUATION.

Then you go trying to equate this to our personal lives - which, I may add, you have no business involving yourself in - nor is this article about our personal lives which if you had read it properly you would realize.


My husband is worried about the future - aren't we all? Because he had a moment of doubt that he shared with his Gather friends ... that gives you the right to attack him on this unrelated post.... how?

Oh, and Penni -- Wal-Mart has (supposedly) stopped the Dead Peasants' Insurance thing (having life insurance policies payable to the company if an employee dies), or at least I do recall them making a big to-do about how they weren't doing that (anymore) in meetings over the past couple of years.

I have insurance until the 30th, then I am screwed.

I'm moving, so I don't have time to have another job, and I have a post partum doctors visit AFTER my insurance runs out. I don't qualify for medicaid, because my child died( and I can work. I want to work), because he was born too early. I owe about $1,000 in medical expenses, which I can't pay. I don't have the money to buy cobra coverage... all because I didn't qualify for FMLA and had an unexpected medical crisis. Before people say I should have gone for prenatal care- I did. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I made an appointment with a dr. I did everything that I was supposed to, and it still happened.

Unexpected things happen all the time, and my life kind of sucks right now. I'm going to be in debt for quite a while, and I don't qualify for any of those handy government programs.

Oh, I found out that I have a genetic disease too, so private insurance is out.

Thanks for sharing...one more reason for me to dislike Walmart.

My brother worked with a guy, who, foryears, had money taken out of his check, for his health insurance. He was always scraping by, and never made a claim on his insurance. One day, he dropped his insurance. Instead, he put that same amount of money into his own savings (not sure what kind that was. Anyway, after 8 years of doing this, he had accumulated $68,000.00, in that account. That was about 20 years ago. I don't know how much he has now, but I'll bet it a huge amount, and he's still working, and saving. I'm for his idea!

Wow, that is crazy... I hadn't heard that.

My husband works for the wm distribution center right now. Till he gets his degree (in May) anyways. He was working as a pool plumber but got laid off due to cut backs, from lack of business, and the only place he could find for a job was wm, or he wouldn't be working there. he has been there for almost 3months, and he hates it.

Thanks for just another reason to hate Wal Mart! I know it's not an isolated case and that it isn't just their insurance, but the bottom line is that those catastrophic medical bills could be taken care of with pocket change from any member of the Walton family.

Unbelieveable and crazy!

I worked for a self insured union once, this is standard practice. All they want is the money they put out for your injury, what you are should/supposed to do is sue for your medical(to pay back) plus for future expenses & the other stuff.

That's how it was done where I worked

I haven't been in a Walmart in over 12 years, but they seem to be doing just fine without my money- I guess this is how the rich get richer!
I agree- as far as health insurance goes- the Kucinich single payer health plan makes sense!

This is horrible!

thank our lovely politicians for passing the damn law in the first place!

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