In the Spring of 2001,I had an Aortic dissection at the age of 47
(same thing that the actor John Ritter died of) , It seemed like it
took me a long time to feel like my old self.... I went back to
teaching elementary school Physical Education after 6 months after my
dissection. At the time I was not sick enough to get Social Security,
but my doctor felt that teaching was too stressful for my heart. I
retired early from Warren Township but not the State of Indiana. I
have not reached the rule of 85 yet…. I have 28 years of teaching and
I am now 54 years old. September 20, 1954 is my birth date. The year I
turned 50 in September, I had to turn 50 by July to be eligible for
the Warren Township retiree insurance program …so I missed it by three
months to get the Warren health insurance for a dollar a year…. Warren
Township schools and the State of Indiana made the change in the
insurance policy to the VEBA account. My VEBA account ran out in two
years.
Warren personnel director Jim McLochlin, told me that I would
quality for the Disability Insurance with the Huddleston company..
needless to say, you have to be on your death bed to get that
coverage. My family doctor signed the papers, but I was turned down.
And at the time I was so stressed out that I just retired. Bitter
that I did not get my retirement health insurance...I can buy it
from Warren for around $600 a month....needless to say with my heart
I need insurance.
I had and have always followed the rules in life. I just feel like
someone could find a way to get my insurance paid for me... that
someone at MSD Warren would have stepped up to the plate and said
this is not fair.
I have written a number of letter and they are all going to some
black hole. I keep thinking that someone will look into this matter
for me and give me some support.
I am sure you think I am some kind of nut…. I should just be happy
to be alive.
I have read your web page....and I feel so lucky to have been at St.
Vincent's hospital here in my home town of Indianapolis.... I went
in on a Monday night and they ran tons of tests on me.......and
finally on Friday of that week they found my Aortic dissection after
a swallow test.
To be fair to St. V's.... I must have had a blood clot go up into my
brain when the dissection started....they thought I had sometime
going on in my brain, or that I was on drugs. I was a combative
patient in the Emergency room...spent the first day at St. V's in
the Psysco Ward. I can't tell you how many test I had run on me
that week.
I could have ended up like so many dissection patients do, get sent
home to die.
Thanks for all you do for all of us and for our friends and family.
I am one lucky person...but honked about the insurance. Keep up
your good work!
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Everett, WA.
