FULTON COUNTY, GA (CBS46) –
A Fulton County 911 dispatcher spends his days helping others; now he needs your help.
Larry Peel, 45, has COPD and Emphysema, which requires him to have a high dose of oxygen 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A large machine provides oxygen for him at home; a much smaller, portable oxygen concentrator travels with the single dad to work.
That was, until Peel said, his insurance, Kaiser Permanente, took his portable away.
“They called it non-essential medical equipment,” Peel said.
Peel said the decision has made working very difficult, so he appealed to the State Insurance Commissioner.
After he did that, Peel said Kaiser Permanente changed its tune, offering Peel a portable back, but in exchange, taking away his home unit.
Peel said using just one machine for both home and work is not feasible. He said the new portable does not come with a long cord, hindering his mobility. It also weighs 29 pounds, much more than the six pounds of his first portable.
“My doctor is concerned I won’t be able to handle that much weight,” Peel said. “I don’t have the strength or the energy to do that.”
Kaiser Permanente issued the following statement:
“We have been working with Mr. Peel to find a reasonable solution. Late last week we informed him that we will provide a portable oxygen concentrator that he can use at home and at work. In addition, our staff will continue to reach out to Mr. Peel to offer our support and to monitor his medical needs. We believe this portable concentrator is a reasonable compromise that will meet his oxygen requirements and allow him to be as mobile as possible.”
“It’s like they want me to fail. They’re coming up with these alternatives, and they’re not feasible alternatives,” Peel said. “I don’t want to be homebound. I want to continue to work. I don’t want to be a welfare case.”
Peel has set up a GoFundMe account to try to raise the $6,000 needed to purchase a portable oxygen concentrator on his own. That link is http://www.gofundme.com/f5z7a0.
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