Opinion editor’s note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.
•••
Walt Myers of Lakeville lost his wife, Sue, to breast cancer in 2019. Exhausted from planning a funeral and shepherding his family through this devastating loss, Myers soon found another challenge on his hands: the near-constant arrival of complex “explanation of benefits” mailings, and then, bills to cover his wife’s hospice care.
Myers was prepared to handle his insurance policy’s annual deductible, which would have amounted to $4,000. He wasn’t prepared for owing about $135,000, an amount he was held responsible for because his wife’s hospice was out of network despite assurances Myers had received.
When the envelope would arrive from the insurer, “I would be afraid to open it. I would get this thing in the pit of my stomach that just sat there. Eventually I figured out that it’s not gonna open itself. And, then there’s another five-figures added on to the total,” Myers told an editorial writer this week.
Myers was 66 at the time and faced with years of daunting payments. But with help from his employer and legal advocates, the debt was lifted. The emotion in Myers’ voice was clear as he described this as “life-changing.”