Helping the Shanks: Wal-Mart's Health Care Leaves One Family Desperate

When Missouri Wal-Mart employee Deborah Shank was left brain damaged after a tragic collision with a semi-trailer truck seven years ago, her Wal-Mart health care plan paid her initial medical bills. As it became evident that Deborah would need a lifetime of professional care for her debilitating condition, her family resorted to drastic measures to cover expenses. The Shanks successfully sued the trucking company responsible for the accident, and created a special trust to pay for Deborah's future, ongoing medical expenses.

Any hope of financial security for Deborah's care was crushed, however, when Wal-Mart sued the Shank family for $470,000 - the amount it paid in medical expenses, plus the company's legal expenses and attorney's fees. The retailer's demands will completely drain the settlement money from Deborah's trust and force her to rely on public assistance for her medical and living expenses.

As Wal-Mart publicly touts its new health care plan and pays big dollars for holiday public relations campaigns in attempts to bolster its bad reputation, this story once again exposes the company's poor business practices and total disregard for the health and welfare of its employees.

Wal-Mart Watch launched a fundraising drive to help support Mrs. Shank, and pledged to match all donated funds dollar-for-dollar. Click here to donate now. For more information on the story of Deborah Shank and Wal-Mart, read the Wall Street Journal article that brought the story to national attention last week and watch Jim and Chris Shank on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet.

The Shanks' story is a reminder this holiday season that Wal-Mart's low costs come with a very high price paid by American families like the Shanks every day.

Comments

[mOropeza]

Just how evil is Wallmart? Where is John Edwards this issue was made for him.

[kasa5400]

Save the self-righteous articles for a case where there is some merit.

Sorry but that is how it works.

You have health insurance and are injured by some one else being careless - like another driver in this case.


Your health insuance pays the bills.

You either sue or the case is settled but the other dirver's insurance antes up the money for your damages - WHICH INCLUDE YOUR MEDICAL BILLS!!

Doesn't matter if you bought your health insurance on your own, or it is from your employer or whether it is Medicaid or Medicare. Your health insurer is entitled to be reimbursed for the bills which it paid out on the injuries caused by someone else who has had to cough up the money.

You do not get to double dip by getting the bills paid by your insurer AND getting money from the other guy for the medical bills as well.

Sorry but (and I hate to admit it) but Walmart is in the right in this one.

If the woman had not had coverage and ended up on Medicaid so the state was paying the bills for her care because of the accident, Medicaid would also have taken the settlement money to reimburse it for the bills it paid.

Ditto Blue Cross, ditto Medicare, ditto any health insurer in the US.

Before you get all worked up - LEARN THE LAW!!

[RagingJerseyBoy]

Among greedy corporations that have no social conscience and would do anything to make money, Wal Mart is one of the most egregious offenders. Even so, I am amazed that Wal Mart would go to such lengths. This is not about financial considerations; it's to make a point about how powerful they are. Wal Mart appears to revel in its ability to crush the little guy out of pure spite.

I can't imagine that this is good publicity and that this multi billion dollar corporation would be so calloused as to sue a disabled woman for almost half a million dollars. Then again, most people probably aren't paying attention. Others have been so brainwashed by Fox News and the Republican Party that they believe that business should be allowed to run roughshod, without restraint, lest they have pay a few cents more for a pair of sneakers.

[ChezMJ]

Walmart disgusts me! You can slap lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig. BOYCOTT WALMART!

[maddogbitesback]

Well I think you don't have to vote for the Republicans and you don't have to shop at WalMart.
WalMart destroys communities and the Republicans destroy countries. They both appeal to greed. The difference is that rich Republicans wouldn't be caught dead in a WalMart but poor Democrats are there all the time.

[fpie]

So the lady had health care insurance. And she put in a claim for health care. And the claim was paid. And then she sued a third party to cover further costs not covered by her policy. And now the insurance company (Wall Mart?) wants the money that they payed (because they owed it because the lady paid for the insurance) back because...?
I don't get this. What if say these folks had sold their house to pay for the care? Would they then owe Wall Mart that money? Does Wall Mart have a deed on this family so that every thing they own belongs to Wall Mart?

[JudyGee]

If we don't prevail, corporations like Wal-Mart will proliferate and their ethos of unrestrained and unrepentant management and impoverished and weak workers will become even more entrenched. The way to get rid of them is to legislate these corporate entities out of existence, and replace them with something that works for us, which means they physically still have a presence and make profits for shareholders, but comply with and adhere to rules set by government regulators, and are legislated into compliance. There is nothing new about this, it's only since reagan that the dark side of capitalist enterprise has emerged in America. It's been the case, though, around the world, wherever the so-called free market has made slaves of the indigenous workers. We have known it, and denied it. People who were able, fled here to escape just such a fate. Now we are living in its shadow. This time, we have to hand a mandate to each of our candidates and force them to speak their mind on this issue, and then decide our choice as if our lives depended on it.

[sparkandy]

Don't think for a minute Wal Mart is the only greed driven corporate entity that would do that sort of thing. One of my jobs is with a REALLY big airline. I can guarantee if I were in the same situation, the airline would do the same thing. The only difference is that they wouldn't bother to try to raise money by sleazy appeals to the kind hearted the way Wal Mart is. They'd hang out any employee in that situation and not think twice. If there is a large blood sucking corporation out that would be any different, I'd sure like to know about it.

[texanna]

Yeah, these people are the salt of the earth, aren't they? Or it the people salting the earth? Oh well. This callous act does not surprise me at all. Many years ago in Dallas a woman who had hot dog carts that she staffed with mentally and/or physically challenged adults had a contract with some of the Sam's Clubs stores to operate her carts in front of their stores. The carts were very successful, so much so that Sam's just couldn't let all that money go into someone else's pocket. They cancelled the contracts and set up their own carts. I never renewed my membership in Sam's Club after that.