Urgent Care by Minda Wilson: Jordyn 21 Year Old Boy Killed by His Insurance Company

This is a true story.

Due to the fact that their son's death is so recent and raw, I have changed some of the details so protect the family.

"The story you are about to read is true, the names were changed to protect the innocent."

On the morning of Sunday, March 5th, at 4 am, Jordyn Smith died. Jordyn was 21 years old. While he didn't know exactly what he wanted to do with his life, he was working on it. He was handsome, over 6 feet tall, strapping, and athletic. He had a close group of friends that he had known since kindergarten. Each one spoke at his funeral and told a story about how special he was to them and how much they meant to each other.

Jordyn liked to go to parties and, admittedly, had a drink or two with his friends before he turned 21. The thing is, he never smoked. He was passionate about music, loved rap. He loved his sports teams and rooted passionately for the Rams. You could never say a bad thing about them. He was a typical boy from a relatively small suburb growing up and finding his way.

Eighteen months ago, he was diagnosed with lung cancer. For over a year, he was in and out of the hospital. First chemotherapy, then surgery. They removed a good section of his lung. This made him so sad because he was worried about whether he would have the wind to keep up with his friends when he was well. Everyone told him that, once he got done with his treatments, and started exercising, his lungs would expand and he would be able to play soccer and basketball, two things he loved.

After the surgery, he had a lot of pain, which never really got better. Worse, more treatments followed. He had more radiation, more chemo. His skin hurt from the radiation. Through it all he was stoic and silent; complaining little and keeping up a strong front for his family.

After New Year, it looked like we were out of the woods. Several months had passed since his last treatment. There was talk of another round of chemo, but his tests were clear and he was recovering. He felt so good that there was a big celebration party at his house and he started going to football games to see his beloved team. And then it happened . . . .

Jordyn got a cold; a cold! Because of the vulnerability of his lungs, it turned into pneumonia. He couldn't breathe. Within a week of getting sick, he was back in the hospital, hooked up to a breathing machine. It took several weeks to get him off the machine and to stabilize him. This last Friday, it looked liked he was finally going to be transferred out of the hospital to a rehabilitation facility. The hospital required to test for infection prior to transfer. When the blood tests came back, he had tested positive for infection. Thirty-six hours later he was dead.

How could Jordyn have gone from able to be discharged to full blown pneumonia,

without it being detected?

Jordyn was another victim of the Affordable Care Act, and the power it imbued our insurance companies. Insurance companies, not doctors, now dictate how often blood can be "routinely" tested or chest x-rays taken for a patient like Jordyn in order for a hospital to be reimbursed.

If more frequent testing is recommended by the doctor, to get paid approval is required. If no approval is forthcoming, who gets stuck with the bill? The delay, deny, die mantra of insurance companies let you know right away how long it will take to get and answer and the law gives them up to 90 days to respond. For Jordyn, it led to his death.

Minda Wilson

Author of Urgent Care