KGW News at 11PM from 23:20 to -01:25 in US/Pacific

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A LIFELONG FIRST RESPONDER AND INCIDENT COMMANDER FROM OREGON ANSWERED THE CALL IN 2001 SERVING HIS COUNTRY AT GROUND ZERO. NOW TWO DECADES LATER HE'S FIGHTING FOR MEDICAL BENEFITS AND A NEW SET OF LUNGS ON THE MCCARTY HAS HIS STORY.

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I'VE BEEN IN A COMMAND POSITION SINCE 1989. IN THE FOUR SERVICE SLACKS AND PICTURES DISPLAYED INSIDE MIKE LARRY'S FAIRVIEW HOME MARK A STORIED CAREER AS AN INCIDENT COMMANDER.

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NATIONAL TEAMS WERE IMMEDIATELY DISPATCHED FOR MAJOR DISASTERS AND DECLARED AS PRESIDENTIALLY DECLARED DISASTERS.

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HIS MISSIONS TOOK HIM FAR AND WIDE. RESPONDING TO HURRICANES IN THE EAST, TWO BATTLING WILDFIRE YEARS IN THE WEST. ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISSIONS TOOK HIM AND A TEAM OF 40 TO MANHATTAN, NEW YORK TO A TERRORIST ATTACK OBVIOUSLY IN THE WAKE OF 911. TEN DAYS LATER WE WERE THERE FOR 30 DAYS.

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THEY WORKED ALONGSIDE SID NEW YORK'S FINEST SETTING UP WAREHOUSES AND STOCKING UP SUPPLIES.

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AND IT WAS A PRIVILEGE BECAUSE JUST HELPING OUT THE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE FIREFIGHTERS THAT ARE BRETHREN YOU KNOW, HELPING ALL THOSE FOLKS OUT BEST WE COULD.

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MIKE RECALLS GROUND ZERO FOR THE PILE THAT CONTINUED TO BURN FOR DAYS AND DAYS.

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IF YOU WENT DOWN AT NIGHT YOU COULD SEE PARTICLES OF THE US ALL OVER THE PLACE.

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THE IMAGES OF THAT TIME STAYED ETCHED IN HIS MIND IN THE YEARS THAT FOLLOWED AS HEALTH IMPACTS BEGAN TO SHOW.

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I WASN'T DIAGNOSED WITH IT UNTIL FAIRLY LATER AND THEN IT WENT BOOM.

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FOR MIKE IT WAS FIBROSIS LUNG DISEASE. FINDING OUT MORE ABOUT THE HEALTH ISSUES AND 25% OF THE PEOPLE THAT WENT TO WITH ME TO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ARE EITHER HAVE PASSED OR HAVE A DISEASE SIMILAR TO MINE OR HAVE CANCER OR ETC. ON OXYGEN 24 SEVEN AND WITH HIS CONDITION QUICKLY DETERIORATING, MIKE NEEDS A DOUBLE LUNG TRANSPLANT ONE HE HOPES TO GET AFTER UNDERGOING A SERIES OF TESTS AT SAINT JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL IN PHENIX. BUT JUST GETTING TO THIS POINT, GETTING PRE-AUTHORIZATION FOR THOSE TESTS WAS INFURIATING AND FRUSTRATING.

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THEY MOVE LIKE MOLASSES SLOW.

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IT TOOK MONTHS FOR THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO SIGN OFF. WELL, IF YOU DIE BETWEEN IF YOU'RE ALONE, TIME IS LIMITED. NOT MY PROBLEM.

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THEY JUST DON'T CARE. THOSE FEELINGS DIRECTED AT MCI SEDGWICK, THE CONTRACTOR IN CHARGE OF ADMINISTERING NATIONWIDE PROVIDER NETWORK SERVICES FOR THE WORLD TRADE CENTER HEALTH PROGRAM FOCUSING ON THE TENS OF THOUSANDS LIVING OUTSIDE NEW YORK.

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THE PROBLEM IS NOT HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM ONLY PROVIDES LIMITED BENEFITS FOR CERTAIN CONDITIONS THAT THE PROGRAM WILL COVER.

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BENJAMIN CHEVAT, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF 911 HEALTH WATCH, A NONPROFIT ADVOCACY WATCHDOG GROUP, SAYS IN THE SHORT TIME THAT MCI CEDRIC'S HAD THE GOVERNMENT CONTRACT SINCE LATE SUMMER 2022 MEMBERS HAVE ENCOUNTERED A SERIES OF PROBLEMS THEY COULDN'T ANSWER THE PHONE. THEY HAD WAIT TIMES OF HOURS. THERE WERE REAL PROBLEMS WITH THEIR NETWORK. AGAIN IN THE TITLE IT'S CALLED THE NATIONAL PROVIDER NETWORK. AND THEIR NETWORK WAS NOT AS GOOD AS THE PREVIOUS NETWORK. LOTS OF DIFFERENT ISSUES IN TERMS OF SERVICE DELIVERY.

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MIKE AND HIS WIFE TERESA RAN THEIR COMPLAINTS TO THE TOP. WE HAD TO GO THROUGH THEIR BOSSES. WE HAD TO GO TO CDC, HOLD THEIR FEET TO THE FIRE TO GET SOMETHING DONE.

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IF MIKE DID NOT HAVE ME TO ADVOCATE FOR HIM, HE PROBABLY WOULD NOT BE GETTING EVEN THE EVALUATION FOR THE LUNG TRANSPLANT. HE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FIGHT THE BATTLES WITH SEDGWICK AND ALTHOUGH THEIR ISSUES WERE EVENTUALLY RESOLVED THEY WORRY FOR OTHERS WHO RELY ON THIS CONTRACTOR FOR LIFE SAVING BENEFITS LIKE PUSHING A ROPE UP A HILL.

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IN A STATEMENT THE CDC TOLD KGW THEY ARE AWARE THAT SOME MEMBERS IN THE NATIONWIDE PROVIDER NETWORK HAVE EXPERIENCED ISSUES IN ACCESSING CARE IN THE WTC HEALTH PROGRAM . THE WTC HEALTH PROGRAM CONTINUES TO ACTIVELY WORK WITH MANAGED CARE ADVISORS TO OPTIMIZE THE SERVICE THEY ARE PROVIDING RESOLVE ANY MEMBER