"I'm just looking for answers," said nurse
Kristi Whisenhunt. "I'm not looking for people to pay my way through anything.
I just want to save my life. I mean I have a ten year old and a 20 year old,
and it's the hardest thing."
Whisenhunt was diagnosed with a tumor in her
eye less than a month ago. Her insurance company is calling her tumor a
"pre-existing" condition and refusing to cover her expenses.
The Lion's Club of Lake Charles and New
Orleans stepped up to get Whisenhunt help, and thanks to former Governor
Kathleen Blanco, who also had an eye condition, Whisenhunt is currently in
Memphis receiving treatment
Whisenhunt says her condition
would be covered under the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare reform that both
area US representatives, Charles Boustany and Jeff Landry, voted against.
"What she's caught up in is what all
of America is caught up in," said Rep. Landry.
Rep. Landry says Whisenhunt represents
thousands of people across the country falling through the cracks of health
insurance coverage
"At the end of the day, one of the big
things we need in this country is health insurance reform," said Rep. Landry.
But Rep. Landry says not just any type
of insurance reform will work.
"What we need is a patient-centered
reform," said Rep. Landry. "We need to make sure that insurance companies
clearly spell out what is and is not covered instead of using all these legalese."
He also challenges the justice system
to step up when the coverage promised to a patient is not given.
"The legal system needs to hold those
insurance companies responsible when they don't," said Rep. Landry.
But what about the Affordable Care Act?
Whisenhunt says her condition would be covered under the new healthcare reform,
but Rep. Landry warns people like her to think again.
"She's probably half right, in that
yes, in a legal sense, her preexisting condition would give her the opportunity
to participate in the government's program, but there's going to be a bureaucrat
between her and her doctor," said Rep. Landry. "Suppose that bureaucrat
determines, you know what, she's at an age where the treatment they want to
give her is too expensive. That's the problem."
Representative Landry says the same
scenario could be happening to him, as he rejected the insurance coverage
offered to him by Congress.
"I could easily right now be as
susceptible as Kristi is," said Rep. Landry. "But I'm up here trying to make sure
neither I nor her have to go through these types of things again,"
KPLC's Holly carter made
several attempts to contact Representative Charles Boustany's office for his
response, but calls, messages and emails were not returned.
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