DID YOU WATCH THE NIGHTLY NEWS TONIGHT?

The story might still be on the front page at www.aol.com, more info there.  I'll shop at target now.

Endenfin, if you are out of sorts with Wal Mart now, listen to this. While training (and I did) for a Wal Mart position, management told us that should a customer have a heart attack and collapse to the floor, Wal Mart associates are NOT allowed to render any kind of aid. This is Wal Mart policy across the nation. Fear of lawsuits you see.

When it was pointed out to that manager (this is the store on Brannon Field Rd. and Blanding Blvd.) this state has a Good Samaritan Law protecting anyone who does in good faith try to save a life, he was unaware of it. As typical of management he said he would look into it but we were never given a follow up and since I did not stay there for long I have no idea of the outcome. I was shocked at the managment position and have been soured on that company since. For my money, I would rather shop Publix and K Mart.

I don't know who to contact for a follow up on this comment of mine but I seriously doubt Wal Mart's position has changed as we can see by the story you just wrote. By the way, I saw that story last week. Were you watching TiVo? :>)

Lily's Lore "I don't ever want to be rescued And I don't ever want to be saved I got a feelin' that I'm gonna be alive forever Dancin' on the edge of a grave..." Jim Steinman

Such a tragic story.  Wal Mart is a publicly traded company with the Walton family owning 51% of the shares (last I heard).  Hopefully, with all the publicity, the case will be resolved for that family who is in need of all the help they can get.  This goes to show that everyone needs to read the fine print before going to work for a big corporation.  I never would have thought there would be a clause that would allow pay back as in this case.  So sad.

Must have been a slow news day. This story has been in, on and around the news for months.

There is a lot more to this than what is being presented here.

This is not a 'Wal Mart' issue per se. There are any number of insurers doing the same thing. This is one story of one family that a reporter put in the paper.

Here is the real issue: 

The insurance company pays medical bills because you have insurance with them. You sue someone for the $500K medical bills that were incurred etc. The company you sue pays off.

Now the insurance company paid $500K in medical bills that you just got paid for. Why should you get $500K for medical bills that you did not pay? If your lawyers were smart they would have sued for 'future' medical bills. The one's in the past were already paid and not by you.

My feeling is that money rightfully belongs to the insurance company. They are the ones that paid the bills. You should not be able to profit from the money they spent.

Before you start talking about how they should let this go because they 'move' millions of dollars, remember, they are a 'for profit' company, not a social services organization.

Harsh, perhaps but the reality is the family did NOT pay those bills. Yes they need some help but the fact is they sued for the wrong thing. Be careful what you ask for, you might get it.

Mike Heemer

If it is true that insurance companies can do whatever they want shield by the laws, this does not make it right either. Did you know that BCBS is trying to talk doctors around America to brake Confidentiality and report patients with pre-existent conditions so they can cancel their policies? If cases like these are just "let go", you and me could pay the consequences later on or even worst! our families will. You are right when you saythat: "you should be careful what you ask for" but we are talking about good old american people here, the same that trust our system and relays on their rights as a consumer when they pay an insurance policy all their lives only to find out at the very end that when they really  need it ... there is always a law that protects the Insurance Company so they won't have to cover the patient.

I like Wally World, it’s one stop shopping adds to my “quality of life” It allows me more time with my family and friends, I can buy most all I need in one trip.

The prices seems fair, the products are good, the stores are clean, the employees are friendly.

As far as law suits go, I won’t get involved. That is something the legal system will have to work out. We will just have to wait and see how it all plays out.

That’s just my opinion I could be wrong

 TRUTHHURTS

ENDENFIN;

I can agree with you about insurance companies that spend a lot of money putting loop holes in their policies so that they don't have to pay.

I love the car insurance ad about the tree that falls on the guy's car and he is only covered if it is a Fichus. This happens a lot more often than it should and I don't like it when it does.

My point in my response was not that these types of things didn't happen or that insurance companies are blameless. The thing is that in this case the story seems to want to paint Wal Mart with a color that I don't think they deserve.

The insurance company did not refuse to pay the bills. In fact they paid nearly $500K in bills.

Is it Wal Mart or the insurance company that Wal Mart offers coverage through that is going after the money? Will a 'boycott' of Wal Mart do anything to solve this issue?

I don't think so. Wal Mart has no control over the insurance company. Could they change insurance companies? Yes, but this is not the only insurance company that is doing this.

I'm not wild about insurance companies in general but I think that this is the wrong issue to attack them on. As harsh as many may think this is I think that in cases like this they are justified in recouping what they paid. These people want someone to pay them $500K for medical bills that someone else paid. I just don't see that as fair. They are billing two different people and getting paid by both. 

As to 'pre-existing conditions' don't you think it is just a tad dishonest on the part of the insured to lie about issues they know they already have? If I buy insurance based on a lie is the insurance company the 'bad guy' when they find out about it and cancel my policy?

Mike Heemer

This type of story makes we want to boycott Wally World.  Not as much as their diversion from all made in the USA though.

 I did boycott the Target on Wells when they refused to pay their subcontractors after the building was finished.

If we boycott each company that does evil, then where we shop?  That is oversimplistic, but in the end, most will shop where they save money and meet their budget.

 P.S.  Now the Federal government wants to get into more regulation of insurance.  How much more will that cost us?  Why not worry about the debt and making the dollar stronger?