By press time, the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina will have passed. While the nation looks back on the hurricane’s devastating effects 1 year later, survivors of the hurricane are dealing with physical, emotional, and psychological traumas on a daily basis. In addition to the housing and unemployment crises that occurred, the health care system in that region was turned upside down. When survivors lost their jobs after the storm, they also lost their health insurance.

Those who fled to neighboring states obtained relief for a few months through Medicaid programs. However, as their Medicaid ran out, many of the patients—who are still trying to find stable employment—are being victimized by a health care system that is doing little to help.

A recent article, “The Storm After the Storm,”1 tells the story of Chaille White, a mother of a 3-year-old daughter, who fled New Orleans just hours before Katrina’s landfall. She lost her job at the Louisiana Board of Medical Examiners—and with it, she lost her health insurance. White has had Lupus since the age of 16 and has fought to keep the disease under control. However, without health insurance—and, therefore, treatment—for the past 6 months, her kidneys are now affected by the disease. She needs chemotherapy, but without health insurance, she is being turned away by most hospitals.

The health care aftermath of Hurricane Katrina emphasizes how closely our health insurance is connected to our jobs. According to the article, approximately 200,000 working people lost their health coverage when they lost their jobs. Like White, most of them are middle- or working-class citizens—not destitute enough to qualify for public insurance and not wealthy enough to afford a private policy. Compounding the issue is the loss of medical paperwork in affected hospitals and medical facilities—1,100,000 paper medical records were destroyed.¹ The consequences? Hundreds of patients have no medications, no way to get referrals, and no way to check which drugs they were taking.

What does all this mean for you? If you live in the Katrina-affected region, you already know how challenging it is to rebuild aspects of your life, such as your home, your practice, and health insurance for your employees. However, it shouldn’t take a natural disaster to force you to create an emergency plan for you, your practice, and your patients. You already know how complicated your patients’ insurance coverage can be—many patients are forced to discontinue their therapy when their insurance runs out, and they return to their jobs without completely gaining full range of motion after their injuries.

What you can start doing today is invest in an electronic medical records system. Though the financial commitment may be intimidating at first, transfer all of your practice’s and your patients’ data to an electronic format so that you can access it remotely if need be. Research companies that also will help you back up this data. Another tip: If you are a practice owner, make sure your staff PTs are well versed in common insurance rules and jargon. Patients may ask their therapists—instead of their physicians or human resources persons—coverage-related questions at any point during their treatment. Knowledgeable PTs can help direct patients to proper avenues for more detailed information about their insurance policies.

Let me know about other emergency plans you have set in place with your staff, and I’ll share them with our readers. Though life-changing setbacks are sometimes unpredictable, let’s try our best to minimize the negative results.

Reference
1. Austin S. The storm after the storm. Self. 2006;28(9):153–156.