Posted on 09/04/2026 9:46:55 AM PDT by DFG
A mother has said she feels 'helpless' and called UnitedHealthcare money-hungry after the insurance company allegedly denied covering her son's rehab for a brain injury.
Peyton Alvarez, a 25-year-old airline mechanic at PSA Airlines, crashed into a tree while riding his motorcycle in Greenville, South Carolina, on April 28.
Although he was wearing a helmet and other protective gear, the collision caused a serious brain injury that left him unconscious for a month and a half. Doctors told his mother, Trina Alvarez, that Peyton may never wake up.
But the young man eventually opened his right eye in early June, and he can move his left arm and wiggle his toes when prompted, Trina told the Daily Mail.
Peyton's mom submitted a claim with her son's insurance plan, managed by UnitedHealthcare through his employer, and she made the arrangements to have him transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, a top brain injury rehabilitation facility.
But on July 7, Trina was crushed when she received a denial letter from UnitedHealthcare, which stated that Peyton's treatment at the facility was 'medically unnecessary.'
'It is so frustrating. It makes me so angry that they can control what happens with my son because the longer he stays at the hospital he's at, the less chance he has to wake up,' Trina told the Daily Mail.
'When you push a parent to the point of feeling like they are helpless, and may contribute to whether their son may ever be able to talk or move his arms and legs or sit up on his own, that should not be allowed,' she added.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.com ...
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UMR is UHC ultimately. If the kid is living with the parents, they can still have him on their policy until 26 I believe. My employer’s offering is UMR - a UHC company.
So far, Medicare Advantage plans of Blue Cross/Blue Shield has worked well for us. My wife got good cancer treatment & saw many doctors without much problem, & I got an MRI for my knee injury this year……arthritis, bursitis, tendinitides, cyst, torn meniscus, bruised femur bone, sprained ACL….plus routine bloodwork for a chronic vitamin D deficiency & inactive thyroid. Obamacare followed by Medicare-for-All will probably be affordable only by killing old white people. ..but healthcare is a huge issue. An acquaintance told me how lucky I am to get Medicare for under $300/ mo because he is 62 years old and has to pay $1:500/ month for health insurance ,with a $10,000 deductible. That is shameful, owing $28,000 out of pocket each year before insurance pays anything. What is the point?
I can see how Medicare for all might be a real temptation for a lot of people.
He is an airline mechanic. His employer medical insurance company is United Healthcare.
My wife’s medical insurance from her employer is also United Healthcare.
actually, that is a determination that can be appealed, so this is not the end for this kid or Mom. They should have a provider appealing on their behalf and writing up a strong medically backed reason why the initial determination of medically unnecessary should be reversed or at least reconsidered by actually reviewing the facts.
Where does United Healthcare get the money to pay for this man’s treatment? Oh I see, they get the money from other people who don’t crash their motorcycles. From people who decide riding a motorcycle is dangerous. From people who are careful and responsible.
Make sure you do it before your 65-year old deadline.
https://x.com/i/grok/share/d7e985dc99dd49eebe9283e55a4cbcaf
Yes, I know you have to do it first or else you’ll never get approved for it.
“Blame Obamacare.”
There was plenty of denial of service long before Obamacare came along.
The purpose of ObamaCare is to wreck the system to the point that people will demand Single-Payer.
But then the media wouldn’t have a sob story ...
But then the media wouldn’t have a sob story ...
I have united Medicare advantage. They don’t cover anything.
Deny, Delay Defend!
The United Healthcare policy that was so profitable.
The usual reason is going too fast. He may have been on a bike that goes 0-100 in 7 seconds. Or 50-100 in 4 seconds. Or it could have been he lost control of his Harley, which is easy to do on those junkers.
This is what GoFundMe is for - this is NOT for an excuse to socialize medicine or to kill innocent insurance employees.
Sorry it happened - sorry life is unfair but all of us don’t have to suffer with commie health care over this sad situation.
And yeah we can reform how health care is handled - NOT how it’ paid for. How it’s paid for is a scammer’s wet dream. Reform it with AI options - and let each citizen control the first thousand paid in medical bills. What’s left at the end of the year of that thousand belongs to the citizen. Half for him - half to roll over into his account. That make each citizen responsible for watching for fraud. And it makes each citizen find the ‘best medical deal’. Incentives, incentives incentives.
Well, they still have the sob story about how the mother had to go to “herculean effort” just to get the corporate medical insurance provider to budge.
Mr. Oak Tree was supposedly expected to yield the right of way.
“”””actually, that is a determination that can be appealed, so this is not the end for this kid or Mom. They should have a provider appealing on their behalf and writing up a strong medically backed reason why the initial determination of medically unnecessary should be reversed or at least reconsidered by actually reviewing the facts.”””””
My son has spent the last nine years in hospitals and clinics due to brain cancer and other problems. The doctors and staff put a fight for him many times.
On many procedures they are programmed to deny you and see what kind of fight you put up.
> So far, Medicare Advantage plans of Blue Cross/Blue Shield has worked well for us. <
Before I hit 65, I did a bit of research. Reviews of Advantage plans were all over the place. Much depends on the company, I’m sure.
I finally decided to go with a Medicare supplement plan. It was more expensive than an Advantage plan. And didn’t include all the extra Advantage plan goodies.
But I’m not in the best of health. So I decided to play it safe.
This is why voters listen to the democrats. They vote for them too.
We need to get off our dead asses and find the solution. Accept that it won’t be perfect and the left won’t work with us. They didn’t have to in ‘09(60 senate seats) and what they came up with doesn’t work now. Time to copy a country where their system works. Our lifestyles will get in the way of a solution.
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