Lyme patient sues Unum over denied disability benefits
From LawyersAndSettlements.com, February 14, 2018:
by Gordon Gibb
San Diego, CA–A medical professional who could no longer fulfill the functions of her occupation due to a diagnosis of Lyme disease, had her long term disability benefits claim denied by her LTD provider.
Plaintiff Laura Wakil holds that Unum unfairly denied her LTD benefits that were rightfully hers, according to the terms of her policy, and she is taking the insurer to court after filing a Unum lawsuit in an attempt to achieve benefits resulting from her disability.
Read more at LawyersandSettlements.com.
Why is there surprise? Medicare, Medicaid, AARP/Long term care. NO insurance pays for TBDs. Nothing is being done to change this situation.
How is this any different from when a lyme patient gets denied disability benefits? It happens all the time. Just because you pay into a policy, it doesn’t guaratee you’ll get approved for benefits. The medical doctors don’t see lyme as a disabling disease. They feel as long as you are able to feed and dress yourself, you don’t qualify for benefits. They never look at quality of life.
What’s different is that this woman is filing a lawsuit.
There is a class action law suit happening in Texas. A child just won a multi-million dollar law suit in Connecticut. I am impressed that this woman has enough money to finance a personal law suit and pay for treatment. If I had the opportunity to join in a class action suit, I would join in a heart beat! I don’t understand how 300,000 people haven’t started one in the past! Don’t understand why there isn’t a lobbying group in Washington, D.C. making “a fuss” for us. There were groups for HIV and Zika. I wish this woman well. Good for her!
This is what it is all about. While there is no one standing to make Big Pharma bucks with something to sell for Lyme if the truth about the extent of this pandemic were known, there is no shortage of those who stand to loose lots of money in disability claims and 3rd party payers would no longer be able to deny coverage for treatment the way they do today.
Between the Federal Government and private insurance companies… the financial hit from Lyme could disrupt the very fabric of our economy.. if it were acknowledged that 20% of the population were infected and the many, many who have been disabled who deserve benefits.
This is why there is so much obfuscation and negation surrounding this global pandemic.
I hope and pray she wins. Any way we can support her. I don’t have money as neither do most Lyme victims. But if we could write letters, be witnesses, etc. that would be great. I am really praying she wins. This disease has destroyed so many lives. In anticipation of having our lives ruined by this or any other life-destroying disease, we take out this kind of insurance. Bad enough to be treated so badly by the conventional medical community, but then having the backup we paid for destroyed, just makes no sense at all.
What is needed is less politics in medicine, policies are sold and purchased in good faith. Then when it’s time to collect, the corporation lawyers step in and rob you of the benefits you are entitled to, this is nothing new and as long as our governing bodies in Washington depend on corporate funds for elections, it will never change and that goes for both parties. The nation needs a third party to break up this little game played at our expense.
I originally received a diagnosis of Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia before I was diagnosed with Bartonella. I think the Fibo/CFS diagnosis by a Board Certified Rheumatologist helped me get LTD and Social Security. Also, NEVER agree to an Independent Medical exam unless you tell them you are bringing someone to tape the entire appointment as the “exam” is a joke and most of these IME providers always find for the insurance company. When you need to challenge the denial, having this tape will help your attorney.
So UNUM doesn’t believe in the existence of ticks? In the good company of too many doctors. Sincerely hope no one in their families develops the *non-existent* chronic Lyme condition.