HEARING - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
HEARING - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging HEARING - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
17 tempt by hospital personnel or anyone else to explain to you what Medicare would and would not pay for? How did you learn what Medicare or Medigap would not cover? Was it by getting the bills, or did someone explain this? Mrs. YELINECK. Exactly, exactly. Now, I have just been going the rounds with Clearview Care Center, and they said, "We have nothing to do with your supplemental insurance." They will not take "assignments" is the word that they use. They bill us, and it is up to us to see that that bill is paid. However, I have had four different people who are acquainted with legal matters examine the policy, and they all come up with a different interpretation. So, as I mentioned before to Senator Melcher, I put in a call to Michael Egelson, who is the agent, to come to Clearview Care Center and explain this policy and why we are not being protected the way we thought when we purchased the policy. It is very ambiguous. Senator PRFSSLER. Thank you very much. Mrs. YELINECK. You are very welcome. Chairman MELCHER. Mrs. Yelineck, I do not want to have you state right now in public the name of the company, but we will ask you privately the name of the company, and we will help you in determining what the legal coverage of that policy is. We will establish that. Mrs. YELINECK. Oh, you arc making my heart dance now. Chairman MELCHER. And might I say to everyone else who has insurance, we will likewise insist, no matter what the company is, in making sure that someone in your situation, has assistance from this committee staff establishing exactly what the coverage is. Mrs. YELINECK. I certainly would appreciate that. Chairman MELCHER. Well, we feel a grave responsibility on that. At the outset, I mentioned that the committee will want to establish exactly what Medicare covers and what it does not cover, and put it in an easily-understood form, pamphlet, booklet, what-haveyou, and make sure that it is available to each and every Medicare beneficiary and prospective Medicare beneficiary, too. That is all of us. Mrs. YELINECK. This is very necessary, Senator Melcher, very necessary. I happen to be a bit younger than my husband, but many of our friends, husbands and wives, are of the same age. And it is very difficult to understand what you are going to benefit, very difficult. It has to be simplified-especially if you have been a patient and you are coming out of the hospital, it takes an awful long while for these wheels to get going the right way. The last thing in the world you want to start worrying about right away is wheels; you just want to recover-right? Chairman MELCHER. Right, right. That is normal. That is part of our human system. Senator Wilson has just joined us, and we welcome Pete to the committee. Do you have a statement you would like to make? Senator WnLsoN. No thank you, Mr. Chairman. Chairman MELCHER. Thank you. Mrs. Yelineck, I take it you are a nurse?
18 Mrs. YEL.INECK. No. I started out in training, and I got kicked out for breaking the rules with my husband. It was a Catholic hospital, and the old nun was sitting there in the dark, and she caught me. And I did that three times, and three times I was caught. Chairman MELCHER. Three times and you were out? Mrs. YELINECX. Yes. [Laughter.] Chairman MELCHER. And did you say your daughter accompanied you? Mrs. YELINECK. Yes, she did, sir. Chairman MELCHER. Would you identify your daughter, please? Mrs. YELINECK. Loris, would you please stand up? This is Loris Ellis, and she is from Madison, WI. That is about an hour's drive from Beaver Dam. Chairman MELCHER. Yes, I know where Beaver Dam is. Mrs. YELINECK. Do you? Chairman MELCHER. Yes, I do. Mrs. YELINECK. Do you have some friends there? Chairman MELCHER. No; I was at Camp McCoy during World War II. I am very familiar with the part of the country you come from, and very beautiful country, too. Mrs. YELINECK. Oh, yes, it is, The deer are running all over like crazy now; we have got such a population of them. Chairman MELCHER. Mrs. Yelineck, you mentioned prayer. Mrs. YELINECK. Prayer, oh, yes. Chairman MELCHER. You said you prayed coming in, and you mentioned it otherwise, too, in terms of the illnesses that have afflicted you and your husband. Mrs. YELINECK. Yes. Chairman MELCHER. Might I just say that this committee and this Congress are here to do more than just pray. We will pray along with you, but we expect to do more. I think your experience is truly an example of how catastrophic illness expenses affect an entire family. It affects you and your husband, and I daresay it affects your daughter, and I think you said you had other daughters, too. Mrs. YELINECK. No. This is my only child I was blessed with. I have Rh-negative blood, and at that time, they did not know that it does not mix with positive. But I am so happy I have her. Chairman MELCHER. Well, thank you both so much for coming. Your story is one that needs to be told, so that people not just in Congress, but the American public understand, that these circumstances doexist, and they should be alleviated. Thank you very much. Mrs. YELINECK. And I thank all you gentlemen so very much for what you are doing. Chairman MELCHER. Our next witness is Mrs. Edith Rieger, from Alva, OK. STATEMENT OF EDITH RIEGER. ALVA, OK Chairman MELCHER. Mrs. Rieger, will you tell us in your own words what your circumstances are and the circumstances of your husband and your family?
- Page 1 and 2: S. HRG. 100-69 CATASTROPHIC HEALTH
- Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS Opening statement by Senat
- Page 5 and 6: 2 Second, I think the private insur
- Page 7 and 8: 4 So the question before us is how
- Page 9 and 10: 6 the elderly, long-term health car
- Page 11 and 12: 8 ments for our retirement. I might
- Page 13 and 14: 10 Mrs. YELINECK. Well, it would be
- Page 15 and 16: 12 As I understand it, you have not
- Page 17 and 18: 14 Mrs. YELINECK. One does not expe
- Page 19: 16 Senator BURDICK. Well, thank you
- Page 23 and 24: 20 Therefore-I am supposed to take
- Page 25 and 26: 22 Chairman MELCHER. Well, I am ple
- Page 27 and 28: 24 month. Let us assume it costs $1
- Page 29 and 30: 26 STATEMENT BY SENATOR PETE WILSON
- Page 31 and 32: 28 Mrs. RIEGER. We have; we have wo
- Page 33 and 34: 30 Four years ago this August was w
- Page 35 and 36: 32 she has only 50 percent vision i
- Page 37 and 38: 34 Senator HEINZ. So it is both a p
- Page 39 and 40: 36 rich. Indeed, in the academic co
- Page 41 and 42: 38 pointedly in the comment from Mr
- Page 43 and 44: 40 finding out is that it is very l
- Page 45 and 46: 42 industry's role in providing cat
- Page 47 and 48: 44 Senator HEINZ. So things are wor
- Page 49 and 50: 46 Chairman MELCHER. In exactly the
- Page 51 and 52: 48 plement policy, what should that
- Page 53 and 54: 50 - 2 - I am Robert Shapland, Vice
- Page 55 and 56: 52 - 4 - CATASTRIPC PROTECTION IiDE
- Page 57 and 58: 54 -6- MiCIGAP INSJRANCE: A RPL1C/P
- Page 59 and 60: 56 To ensure that all of these cont
- Page 61 and 62: 58 - 10 - The HJAA also endorses Me
- Page 63 and 64: 60 - 12 - Finally, given that Congr
- Page 65 and 66: 62 - 14 - A recent HLAA survey of o
- Page 67 and 68: 64 Chairman MELCHER. Senator Heinz.
- Page 69 and 70: 66 Mr. SHAPLAND. I think we are in
18<br />
Mrs. YEL.INECK. No. I started out in training, and I got kicked out<br />
for breaking the rules with my husband. It was a Catholic hospital,<br />
and the old nun was sitting there in the dark, and she caught me.<br />
And I did that three times, and three times I was caught.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. Three times and you were out?<br />
Mrs. YELINECX. Yes. [Laughter.]<br />
Chairman MELCHER. And did you say your daughter accompanied<br />
you?<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Yes, she did, sir.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. Would you identify your daughter, please?<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Loris, would you please stand up? This is Loris<br />
Ellis, and she is from Madis<strong>on</strong>, WI. That is about an hour's drive<br />
from Beaver Dam.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. Yes, I know where Beaver Dam is.<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Do you?<br />
Chairman MELCHER. Yes, I do.<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Do you have some friends there?<br />
Chairman MELCHER. No; I was at Camp McCoy during World<br />
War II. I am very familiar with the part of the country you come<br />
from, and very beautiful country, too.<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Oh, yes, it is, The deer are running all over like<br />
crazy now; we have got such a populati<strong>on</strong> of them.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. Mrs. Yelineck, you menti<strong>on</strong>ed prayer.<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Prayer, oh, yes.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. You said you prayed coming in, and you<br />
menti<strong>on</strong>ed it otherwise, too, in terms of the illnesses that have afflicted<br />
you and your husband.<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. Yes.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. Might I just say that this committee and<br />
this C<strong>on</strong>gress are here to do more than just pray. We will pray<br />
al<strong>on</strong>g with you, but we expect to do more. I think your experience<br />
is truly an example of how catastrophic illness expenses affect an<br />
entire family. It affects you and your husband, and I daresay it affects<br />
your daughter, and I think you said you had other daughters,<br />
too.<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. No. This is my <strong>on</strong>ly child I was blessed with. I<br />
have Rh-negative blood, and at that time, they did not know that it<br />
does not mix with positive. But I am so happy I have her.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. Well, thank you both so much for coming.<br />
Your story is <strong>on</strong>e that needs to be told, so that people not just in<br />
C<strong>on</strong>gress, but the American public understand, that these circumstances<br />
doexist, and they should be alleviated.<br />
Thank you very much.<br />
Mrs. YELINECK. And I thank all you gentlemen so very much for<br />
what you are doing.<br />
Chairman MELCHER. Our next witness is Mrs. Edith Rieger, from<br />
Alva, OK.<br />
STATEMENT OF EDITH RIEGER. ALVA, OK<br />
Chairman MELCHER. Mrs. Rieger, will you tell us in your own<br />
words what your circumstances are and the circumstances of your<br />
husband and your family?
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