CORPORATE CRIMEFIGHTERS OF AMERICA -- Nov 7, 2007 --
Addendum
Exposing the Crimes of UnumProvident and other insurance companies
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Webmaster's Comments: It seems every time I send out a newsletter something
comes in immediately after. This is worth sending out - not only did
UnumProvident screw the poor guy, they made sure he lost his job, too.
VERY GOOD ANTI-UNUM BLOG ARTICLE
http://unuminsurance.blogspot.com/2007/11/unumprovident-tells-customer-to-work.html
UnumProvident
Tells Customer to Work Despite Internal Bleeding
From http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/00614/unum-worker.html
Thomas
Villani paid his UnumProvident premiums for years while he worked at Verizon.
According to the terms of his policy, in case of illness lasting for more than a
year he would receive 65 percent of his income and Verizon would hold his job
for another year. Unfortunately, UnumProvident refused to hold up their end of
the contract.
In September, 2005, Thomas required valve replacement
surgery for his aortic valve. In October, 2005, he required further surgery
because his pericardial sac (a sac around the heart) was filling with fluid
which could have resulted in his heart stopping. Surgery was performed to drain
fluids from the sac.
Thomas says that he had the option of using a
mechanical valve or a pig valve to replace his aortic valve. "I chose a
mechanical valve because of my age. I'm still young and a pig valve will only
last seven years or so but a mechanical valve lasts for a long time. But, when
you choose a mechanical valve you have to take blood thinners."
Thomas's
body did not respond well to the blood thinners. When he tried to return to
work, around six months following the second surgery, he suffered from internal
bleeding. "I live on Long Island, but I worked in Manhattan," Thomas says. "To
get to Manhattan you have to take the Long Island Railroad which goes through
Penn Station. Penn Station is extremely busy and all it took was someone bumping
me the wrong way to cause severe bruising and internal bleeding. In Penn Station
I was constantly being bumped and pushed around. I never knew when someone
hitting me with a briefcase would result in internal bleeding that would not
stop."
After one-and-a-half weeks of this, Thomas had to stop work
because he was bleeding internally. According to his doctor, Thomas would need
three months of stable blood levels before he could safely return to work. That
was when UnumProvident got involved.
UnumProvident phoned Verizon to find
out what type of work Thomas did. Verizon informed UnumProvident that Thomas had
a desk job. UnumProvident then denied Thomas' claim, saying he could work
because he could wear sneakers to work which would prevent the internal
bleeding.
"They did not even send me for an independent medical opinion,"
Thomas says. "I would have even gone to see one of their doctors to show them
how bad the problem was. I sent them pictures from the week that I returned to
work, to show how black and blue I was just from that short time. But they
denied my claim because I can wear sneakers to work. Wearing sneakers will not
prevent internal bleeding from my head to my feet."
Making things worse,
UnumProvident contacted Verizon again and told them that Thomas was able to
return to work. "Verizon took UnumProvident's word for it, which I do not blame
them for, but Verizon then told me that if I did not return to work by June 28
then I was voluntarily resigning my position," Thomas says. "There was no way I
could return to work. That was only a month or so after I had tried working and
my doctor said I needed at least three months before I could work again. So I
lost my job."
Thomas has since managed to get his blood levels relatively
stable and has found new work but he says he used to make more than twice as
much as he does now. "UnumProvident took my premiums for years and years, but
when I needed my policy they came up with some lame excuse in order to deny my
claim," Thomas says. "They did it without even sending me to a different doctor
for a second opinion. UnumProvident deserves to lose their
license."
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Jim Mooney, webmaster: www.corporatecrimefighters.com
Email me at cybervigilante@gmail.com
