Did Wilco's Jay Bennett Die Because He Lacked Health Insurance?

[NashVegas]

You may or may not have heard over the weekend, but Jay Bennett, who contributed so very much to Wilco before an acrimonious split, died in his sleep.

He recently found out he needed hip replacement surgery, but health insurance provider crapped out:

The doctor sized me up at 5'9" (well actually, now a bit shorter than that on one side) and concluded that most likely I was not a basketball player, yet recognized the damage as that typically caused by repetitive high impact sports activity. Well, I knew in a heartbeat that could mean only one thing…. and, yes, you guessed it—-a decade plus of multiple nightly stage jumps and various other rock and roll theatrics had finally taken a toll that I could no longer merely "deal with," or ignore, even if I were to change my evil ways (baby). As I dizzily drove home (a drive I can barely remember), I alternately rode waves of the power derived from finally having the knowledge I had both craved and avoided, and of the fear of an uncertain future.

Well, it turns out that these types of injuries don't really heal themselves, as I naively told myself might just magically happen, if I rested that leg, used a cane for a while, and lost a bit of weight. So, major surgery it was to be…the only glitch, I am among our nations under-insured (my previous injury to that leg was listed as a pre-existing condition, and any injury that could be linked to the same root cause, I was told would not be covered).

Some time passed as I contemplated my next "move,"—-how to come up with the money to pay for the surgery "out of pocket," and as I brainstormed, my hip finally decided to lock up, and the pain got worse. So I began the arduous, or more accurately, extremely time consuming and endlessly frustrating, process of finding a surgeon and hospital that would perhaps "cut me a deal," be willing to bargain/barter a bit, or at least allow me to make installment payments. As it turns out, this is possible, but also difficult to arrange, if you can not come up with a sizable down payment as a show good faith, etc. I have been saving as much money as possible ever since I made this new commitment to my health, my future, and my quality of life, and have sold off some vintage recording gear, whose monetary collectors value now far outweighs it's functional value.

Autopsy reports have not yet been announced, but there's speculation that depression over the situation took its toll.

The question of the Gawker article title isn't quite right: Jay had health insurance - but you've got to wonder what the hell was on the insurers' mind that they would agree to insure a stage performer and refuse to make it clear up from they would not cover an injury that came as a direct result.

If Jay was Canadian, British, or almost any other nationality in the world, he might have been on his way to surgery long before it could have gotten this bad.

http://gawker.com/5269465/did-wilcos-jay-bennett-die-because-he-lacked-health-insurance

http://www.myspace.com/jaybennett

[taterguy]

1. Something's very wrong about a society where creative people have to make these choices

Who enriches my life more?

Jay Bennett who was a part of some of my all-time favorite records, who performed on songs that brought me immense joy

Or some drone working for an anonymous corporation?

But what's a "rational" person to do?

Pursue their artistic dreams and risk financial and physical ruin?

It's a tough call and I don't know the answer but I think it's something we should be thinking about.

It's also a cliche but RIP Jay, and thanks for the memories.

[cali]

2. they both are equally deserving of health care. period.

[dysfunctional press]

3. without all of the various 'drones' working for 'anonymous corporations'...

you probably never would have heard or heard of wilco.
somebody had to do the business work of putting out those favorite records that brought you such immense joy.
why should 'creative people' have any more right to accessible/affordable/quality healthcare than any other worker bees?

[taterguy]

6. As a music snob I disagree

Wilco happened to be signed to a major label, but if they hadn't I probably would have discovered them anyway.

SST, Twin Tone, Coyote, Mammoth, Merge etc, etc.

Tons of my favorite bands toiled for tiny labels that offered shitty or no health insurance to their employees.

My point isn't that creative types deserve more rights than 'worker' bees, but that no one should have to make these choices.

[dysfunctional press]

8. um...okay...

:eyes:

[NashVegas]

4. Creative People Make "Safety Net" Choices All the Time

But health care shouldn't have to be one of them - not for anyone, let alone musicians who put their integrity above American Idol-style gilded cages.

[sipping radicchio]

5. This is probably not the conversation you'd want me to veer into, but

my first thoughts were how he died and why a well-known, successful fellow like this guy didn't have insurance.

[NashVegas]

7. He Did Have Insurance

But because his malady was tied to a "pre-existing condition," the company refused to pay for the needed surgery.

Suppose for a moment, you get into a car accident and injure your knees. Because it's really not that bad at the time, and because you don't seem like a terribly important person (few people had ever heard of Titanic Love Affair) like a pro-athlete or CEO, your doctor doesn't go out of his way to impress knee replacement surgery upon you.

15 years go by and that old injury that never really healed entirely gets aggravated when you reach the age of 45 and arthritis starts kicking in. Your insurer looks at the report and says, "sorry Bub, but that old injury is far more responsible for your current condition than the arthritis. If you can hold out another 15 years, to the average age where this shit hits everyone, we can get you covered."