Lack of insurance contributes to death of Bill Koehler

Lack of health insurance contributes to the deaths of two Pennsylvanians each day.

This compelling statistic, based on the analysis of the highly credible Institute of Medicine, is made real by a May 27 article published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  It features the sad story of Bill Koehler, a 57-year-old man from Garfield.

Koehler died March 7 of a heart attack while driving home from his shift as a pizza delivery driver.  He had a history of cardiac disease, including a heart attack at age 39.  In 2002, while working as a technician for a firm that provided health coverage, Koehler had a defibrillator implanted to treat his heart rhythm irregularity.  The defibrillator saved his life in December 2007 when it shocked his heart back into rhythm.

During the follow-up treatment to that near-death experience, doctors told Koehler he needed to replace the defibrillator because the battery was running out.  Koehler applied for Medicaid to provide coverage but was denied eligibility because his income exceeded the limits. 

That left Koehler with no choice but to hope for the best.  He didn't drink, didn't smoke, and took care of his health the best he could.  But he had no resources to pay for a replacement of the defibrillator in his chest.  According to his sister, he said:  "I don't have insurance, and that's a very expensive thing to replace."

By March 2009, when Koehler's heart needed the help, the defibrillator was well past its recommended replacement date. 

With health insurance, Bill Koehler would be alive today.  His sister, Ann Stanton, is convinced of that.  That's why she is putting her energy into passage by Congress of comprehensive health reform.