The Poss family.
Mark Poss’s legs were severed in 2017 when he was struck by a drunk driver on a highway in Sacramento, where he lives. He had initially pulled over to help a couple whose car had broken down when the other vehicle hit him. The crash severed his legs immediately and he was rushed to the ICU.
In the months following the incident, he made a slow but sure recovery. But his encounters with his insurance company have made things especially challenging.
On Wednesday, after he said UnitedHealthcare denied him a wheelchair for the second time, Poss wrote about his experience on Facebook, criticizing the company over what he called “the last straw.”
“I just don’t understand how anyone could possibly contest that I need a wheelchair,” he wrote. “Yet, here we are. Apparently the fact that I have prosthetic legs means I have no need for a wheelchair.”
Poss, a 30-year-old training specialist at a biotech firm, told BuzzFeed News he was informed by UnitedHealthcare that his insurance plan — which he said was otherwise “stellar” — “doesn’t cover this type of equipment for somebody with my needs.”
“It doesn’t make any sense,” he said. “I don’t have legs. I need a wheelchair to function.”
Poss said he’s not submitting a claim to the company for an expensive electric wheelchair or anything similar. All he wants is a manual “everyday wheelchair,” he said, estimating its cost to be about $2,000, which is about the standard price.
A copy of the Oct. 20, 2019, rejection letter seen by BuzzFeed News says Poss’s “doctor has requested a special wheelchair…[which] appears to exceed your needs and therefore, your coverage.” Elsewhere in the letter, the device is referred to only as an “ultralightweight wheelchair.”
UnitedHealthcare did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter and weekend editor at BuzzFeed News.
Contact Clarissa-Jan Lim at [email protected].
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