Wal-Mart Wants to Be Paid Back for Healthcare Expenses

On NBC Nightly News:

Deborah Shank, a former Wal-Mart employee, suffered significant physical and mental disabilities after her car was hit by a truck. Her husband sued the trucking company of the truck that hit her and was awarded damages to pay for Deborah's care. Wal-Mart now says that its health plan is entitled to all the money that Shank won so that it can recover what it paid for Deborah's medical expenses. The courts agreed with Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart's health plan states that if a worker receives a financial settlement related to an accident, the company can recover all medical benefits paid. Experts say that most companies' health care plans have these provisions. Deborah's husband hoped that Wal-Mart would show some compassion, and Wal-Mart says that it is being compassionate by settling for less money than it is actually owed.

This story was reported by a senior investigative correspondent. It mentioned both the Shanks' and Wal-Mart's positions on the issue of whether it can recover healthcare related expenses. The framing of the story was of the giant corporation versus an injured individual and her husband (which is obviously the situation), but Wal-Mart was legally well within its rights to collect the money, which Shank's husband acknowledged, so it seems to me that this story was over-dramatized. The fact that it was reported by a "senior investigative correspondent" in my opinion gave it that overly dramatic air. And it's unclear what exactly the report was trying to accomplish. It made people aware that many health plans have a provision like Wal-Mart's, but other than that, it just told a sad story.

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