The core funciton of America’s broader health care system administrators is to reduce costs by denying payment for all but the most undenyable of claims. This extends well beyond basic medical treatment and into the realm of dissability and long-term/life-long care.

From the Springdale, Arkansas, Morning News:

Former Pine Bluff police officer Jimmy Singleton was patting down a suspect on March 1, 2003, when the man stuck a gun in his stomach.

Singleton received a gunshot wound to his left ankle and a blow to the head that knocked him unconscious in the ensuing struggle. He says he sustained neurological damage that affected his thinking and that he walks with a limp because of bullet fragments.

What does Singleton have to do with Wal-Mart?

Singleton was puzzled when the world’s largest retailer and the world’s largest meat processor [emphasis mine], along with the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce and two other employers’ associations, tendered friend-of-the-court briefs with the state Supreme Court this month arguing his claim should be denied.

It follows that if Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods are the world’s largest in their category, they certainly dominate the economy and politics in their home state of Arkansas. And that is important because:

“Now we’re going from the legal realm and we’re moving into the political realm,” [Singleton's attorney, Kenneth]Harper said. “Somebody is wanting to assert some influence.”

Can there be any doubt as to who those somebodies are?

And don’t you just wonder if Officer Singleton’s story might creep into the minds of his brother officers, just a teeny tiny bit the next time they answer a call for assistance with a shoplifter?

Jeff Hess: Have Coffee Will Write.

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 29th, 2008 at 0919 by Jeff Hess and is filed under Health Insurance, Litigation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.