The Importance of Advocacy

 The health care system is “rigged” against our elderly population.  Seniors often can’t get the care they need, can’t find the right care or afford it, are stonewalled by their medical insurance, and are routinely given wrong information by hospitals and care facilities. Family members cannot possibly know all the Medicare regulations and California laws, and therefore they blindly accept what the facility states – often to the senior’s detriment.
Our Law Firm routinely challenges the actions of care facilities and insurance companies, finding they ignore regulations and violate the laws.  It is up to the trusted Power of Attorney and Agent under the senior’s Advance Healthcare Directive to fight for the proper healthcare and rights of the senior, with the guidance and advocacy of the Law Firm.   Some of the frequent problems we encounter are:
Skilled Nursing Facilities unlawfully evicting Medi-Cal patients, telling the patients that there are no “long term care beds” available.
Medicare abruptly and improperly stopping rehabilitation, resulting in the loss of recovery for seniors after falls, strokes and medical issues.
Supplemental Medicare Insurance policies refusing to pay the $161 per day co-pay for skilled nursing charges for days 21 to 100, resulting in bills of thousands of dollars.
Hospitals labeling patients as “observation status” so Medicare does not pay for the necessary rehabilitation – costing the patient thousands of dollars.
Discharging hospital patients too soon, only to have them “bounce back” to the hospital shortly after discharge.
The list goes on and on.  How do you protect your elderly loved one?  First, the senior must have the proper legal documents in place, so that trusted Agent can be an effective and strong advocate.  Second, the designated Agent must not simply accept the information as “true”.  If it doesn’t sound right, it probably isn’t.  There are regulations, appeals processes, and laws to follow.  The advocate can’t be shy – their voice for the elderly patient may mean the difference between life and death.
For an appointment, please call the McNamara Law Firm, PC at 661-287-3260.  Please visit our website at www.theMcNamaraLawFirm.com.