Do you have Ohio Medicaid? The state will get its money
He wants to do that by changing state law.
At issue is Medicaid coverage pitched by state government representatives as free for his brother, who needed health insurance while in a losing fight with cancer.
"The more I read and dig in on this, the more disturbed I get," said Weldon, who owns an insurance agency,
Weldon's brother, Philip, was diagnosed with cancer in
Three years later, as the disease progressed, he had to quit work. He went on
At the same time the policy was being renewed, the
The pitch: The program was free. Beyond offering health care coverage, the program provided extra services such as house cleaning.
"Yes
On
Weldon canceled his brother's policy on the health care exchange and signed up for the new coverage for his brother, who by this point was in the final stages of his illness. He passed away on
Following his death, the
Weldon's brother would have been better off to stick with the policy he had bought on the federal exchange for
Since his brother's death, Weldon has been on a campaign to understand why, in the process of signing up for the policy, he was never told the state could seek to recover those costs from his brother's estate.
"I am absolutely stunned that somebody can get signed up on this and not require a signature of understanding," he said. "I just don't understand that."
Weldon has complained to the
Ultimately, the estate settled the bill from the
Weldon has been persistent in his efforts to see the state do something to better inform consumers of the possibility that the state could take money from an estate of someone who was covered under the Specialized Recovery Services program.
He has called on legislators to pass a bill requiring that consumers sign a simple form before receiving benefits that acknowledges that money spent under the program is subject to being recovered from their estate.
Political Scene: RI legislature reopens Tuesday with votes on spending, veto overrides [The Providence Journal]
AMERICAN EQUITY INVESTMENT LIFE HOLDING CO FILES (8-K) Disclosing Other Events
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News