When life gives you an insurance denial for an incredibly vital piece of medical equipment, you make lemonade. At least that’s what 9-year-old Rusty Thomkins and his classmates did last week.
When Thomkins received a letter of denial from Red Diamond Health Care (RDHC), he learned he was enrolled in the “pewter plan,” which would cover a maximum of $184 of the $12,000 cost of a wheelchair. The notice claimed the motorized chair with custom seating was a “luxury” expense and said Thomkins could do just as well with the “Professor X Wheelchair Cosplay Prop” they found on Etsy.
“We regret to inform you that, under the coverage policy we write for ourselves, the wheelchair you requested is not covered,” read the notice. “We realized it would cost us money, and we would rather spend less money, so that’s what we decided to do.”
Thomkins’s parents attempted to appeal the denial, but when they heard back from the company, it was simply a copy of the same letter in a larger, bolder font.
Upon hearing the bad news, the lovable kiddo’s schoolmates opened up a lemonade stand near his home, hoping to raise the additional $11,816 needed. The local news stations were thirsty for inspiration, and after their broadcasts, the heartwarming story was being told by every mom in every Target in the entire suburb. A line of them wrapped around the block, and suddenly the lofty monetary goal seemed within reach.
That is, until Red Diamond Health Care heard about the lucrative lemony operation. Thinking those dollars could be theirs and fearing they were missing out, they hastily opened their own stand on the same block, barring access to their youthful competitors and undercutting their prices. They dipped into their deep pockets and lobbied for the FDA to quickly shut down the unauthorized food service operation that the children were running. In just days the kids’ stand was seized, and RDHC started selling their lemonade as “citrus hydration treatments” to scurvy patients for $75 a cup.
“In the end, the system prevailed,” claimed RDHC spokesperson Brian S. Speaker as he furiously tried to close his suitcase overflowing with cash. “Supply and demand was in our favor, and nature took its course. Sometimes lemonade can leave a sour taste in your mouth, but that’s not our problem because you already paid us for it.”