“If it is anything like my experience, it’s going to be tectonic when it hits.”
“I can imagine. I guess I should be thankful for Juliette.”
“That’s my point exactly,” Jeanne said. “But beware, it might be paralyzing.”
In the living room they sat on opposing couches beneath the large, multipaned window looking out onto West 217th Street. Brian related the calls he’d had, first with Roger Dalton at MMH Inwood and then with Ebony Wilson.
“I can’t believe Peerless,” Jeanne exclaimed when he finished his rant. “They certainly have perfected the art of disclaiming responsibility, but they can’t have just singled us out. They must do it to all their policy holders.”
“I’m sure they do,” Brian said. “It’s no wonder they have the money to pay their CEO millions. It’s a type of legalized fraud. Like last time, I was told I could request a review, which is guaranteed to be an exercise in futility, or I can sue. Proceeding with a lawsuit is probably equally as pointless as asking for a review. With their in-house attorneys, they have undoubtedly prepared for any and every eventuality. On top of that, suing is expensive, with no guarantees.”
“Having grown up in France where this type of tolerated robbery involving healthcare would never happen, I have to wonder how has it come to be here in the United States that hospitals and health insurance companies operate with such impunity?”
“I think it has been a kind of accident of history,” Brian said. “It certainly wasn’t planned that healthcare got associated with employment here in the USA way back during World War II. And from my own experience, having relatively good health insurance from being a member of the NYPD made me indifferent to cost. I never cared or questioned. I guess it’s a kind of moral hazard, and the consequences have been dramatic over the years. Can you ever imagine that a few hours in the emergency room for my wife would cost almost twenty-seven thousand dollars, only for her to end up dead? Beyond the emotional costs, that’s akin to being forced to buy something like a car without knowing the price and being given a nonfunctioning wreck with no recourse.”
“In France the government has tried to hold down costs, but it’s not easy with what’s going on here in the USA.”
“France and the entire rest of the industrialized world as far as I know have tried to rein in healthcare costs,” Brian said. “It’s a uniquely American disaster, although what’s happening here is putting pressure on prices elsewhere I’m afraid.”
“I agree with you. It’s American capitalism run amok with no moral balance in an industry that’s supposed to be altruistic. Private equity shouldn’t be allowed to interfere in healthcare.”
“You’re so right,” he agreed with a shake of his head. “Talk about irony: It’s a tragedy of personal greed trumping altruism.”
“Exactly, and the final result is to cause suffering for people like us,” Jeanne said. “It’s infuriating, and Charles Kelley and Heather Williams are poster children for the whole damn situation.”
“It’s a wonder they can sleep at night.”
“They must make it a point to avoid thinking about the lives they turn upside down. Unfortunately, I’m a prime example. Not only did I lose my husband, but in the course of my lawsuit and bankruptcy, I lost my business, most of my savings until Patrick and Megan put a stop to it, and then even my house.”
“Don’t tell me that,” he pleaded. “You lost your house?”
“I’m afraid so,” Jeanne confirmed. “It was partially my fault. While trying to pay off the hospital, I got behind on the mortgage, which exposed it to Kelley’s pit bull lawyers.”
“Yikes,” Brian said. “At the moment that’s my biggest worry, especially if it aggravates Juliette’s sense of security. I’m behind on my mortgage payments as well.”
“From my experience, I’d advise you to change that if you can.”
“I know. Patrick McCarthy recommended the same thing. The trouble is, I need some income. As I said when we were in the hospital waiting for Juliette to be seen, I’ve been thinking of trying to get my old NYPD job back. I even called my commanding officer a little while ago and made plans to go out to the ESU Headquarters tomorrow after the funeral to talk to him about it.”
“That sounds like a prudent plan to me, as this pandemic is not going away tomorrow.”
“I have to do something,” Brian said. “He suggested for me to join in on some of the training opportunities they’ve set up in lieu of having a new class of cadets. I’d like nothing better than to immerse myself in some simulation exercises, whether I end up back on the force or not. The mere physicality of it would be therapeutic. I haven’t gotten any real exercise since I came back from Cape Cod, and I need to find a way to take my mind off of things.”
“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” Jeanne said. “And to encourage it, I’d be happy to come over tomorrow and help with Juliette, provided you wouldn’t mind.”
“Mind?” Brian questioned with an exaggerated expression of surprise. “I’d love it. It would be a great relief. Leaving Camila to carry the burden of Juliette, especially if the funeral upsets her as much as the wake, was the only reservation I had. One thing I can say without exaggeration is that my daughter seems to truly adore you.”
“Likewise,” she said. “It will be a pleasure to spend time with her. But to get back to what we were talking about earlier, I find myself wondering if you and I are outliers, or if there are other people in this community who have suffered like we have at the hands of Charles Kelley and Heather Williams.”
“That’s a good question. If I had to guess, I’d say we’re not alone by a long shot. Grady Quillen, the retired cop who served me, said he’s been a busy bee for Premier Collections, especially of late. And Megan Doyle seems pretty booked, too.”
“The more I think about it, the more curious I am,” Jeanne pondered. “If there is a huge number, why hasn’t it been the subject of some kind of exposé in the media so that Kelley and Williams could get the comeuppance they deserve?”
“That’s maybe even a better question. Personally, I’d hate that kind of notoriety myself with my sad story in the tabloids, but you are right: It seems like perfect fodder for the likes of the Post or Daily News. Tearjerker stories about powerful elite ogres who are being paid millions to exploit the masses have a strong appeal for obvious reasons. Maybe it has something to do with patient — client privilege that makes the media hesitant.”
“But they wouldn’t have to use real names,” Jeanne said. “I think it’s curious. At least I’m curious. I’d like to find out how many people right here in Inwood have suffered like we have and learn their individual horror stories. The local hospital is supposed to help people and the community, not bankrupt everybody.”
“It wouldn’t be difficult to get a good idea of the numbers regarding MMH and Charles Kelley in terms of lawsuits,” Brian said. “It would be more difficult to dig up much of anything about Peerless Health and Heather Williams.”
“How so?”
“That kind of general information about lawsuits is available on the New York Civil Court’s and the New York Supreme Court’s websites. All you’d have to do is run a search using Premier Collections as the plaintiff.”
“I didn’t know such information was available. How about giving it a try?”
“Come on into the office! We’ll use my computer.”
A few minutes later, with Jeanne looking over his shoulder, he brought up the New York City Supreme Court website and typed in his search parameters. A millisecond later they were taken aback. Just since 2014 there had been many hundreds if not thousands of cases in Manhattan involving MMH Inwood and the significantly larger MMH Midtown. Scrolling forward, they also could see that there had been a significant uptick in activity since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.