Can Usher's Stepson Be Removed from Life Support Over Insurance?
Usher's stepson, Kile Glover, may be removed from life support in a month if someone does not step up and pay his medical bills.
Glover has been on life support since a tragic Jet Ski accident last week. Reports are that Glover's insurance company is willing to continue paying for the expensive life support only for a couple of months.
Without the insurance, Tameka Raymond, Glover's mother, may have to pay for the life support herself or find someone who will foot the bill, reports Fox 8 Cleveland.
Fair or not, Usher may catch a lot of flak if he does not offer to pay support.
It's a shame that whether Kile Glover may live or die depends upon how much money his family has. It wasn't reported what type of health insurance Glover has, but his insurance company apparently has the right to cut off life-saving measures at its discretion when the patient is brain dead. If Tameka Raymond only had to continue paying her regular monthly insurance premiums to continue the life support, one would assume she would do so.
Putting aside the issue of the insurance company's ability to cut off coverage, it's also questionable whether a hospital can legally or ethically cut off life support simply because the patient cannot afford it. Different states have different rules regarding removing life support. For example, some states may allow it, while others may require that the hospital give the family the option of moving the individual to a different hospital.
It remains to be seen if the insurance company will even try to cut the life support for Usher's stepson. But just because the insurance company stops footing the bill, does not necessarily mean the plug will be pulled.
Related Resources:
- Usher's Stepson Family Can't Afford to Keep Him Alive Much Longer (TMZ)
- Usher's Stepson Kyle Glover May Be Taken Off Life Support (The Huffington Post)
- Termination of Life Support (FindLaw)
- Legal Aspects of Withholding and Withdrawing Life Support from Critically Ill Patients in the United States and Providing Palliative Care to Them (AJRCCM)