Gary sent a message to Eric H. Schultz President and CEO, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care that said:
Dear Mr. Schultz,
I am one of your customer who would like you to reconsider your policy. I have hammer toes and have developed calluses on the bottom of my feet which, left alone, become open wounds. I have cellulitis three times between February and June 2015. The first time it took about eight or nine daily visits to the urgent care for antibiotic injections (which I imagine is quite costly). My foot doctor recommended special shoes which I bought from Hangar Shoes. He believed that if I could offset the weight I would no longer develop open ulcers. These shoes turned out to be quite costly and because I have no diagnosis of diabetes and your company refused to cover any of the cost. This also makes it difficult for me to exercise which would help me lose weight and prevent me from developing diabetes. These shoes are not something that is cosmetic, as my records clearly indicate. It is instead something preventative that would surely give me (and others like me) a better quality of life as well as saving your company money in the long run. Your policy, as it currently stands, will play a role in preventing me from getting future inserts which in turn will play a role in my developing more serious and costly medical conditions. Once again I ask that you reconsider my case and your policy in general regarding clearly documented cases.
thank you,
Gary
