美国国家公共电台 NPR Nurse Denied Life Insurance Because She Carries Naloxone

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Be prepared. Get naloxone. Save a life. That summarizes a campaign launched by U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams to tackle the opioid epidemic¹. But one woman who heeded² that call and got the overdose reversal drug found that it was a liability when applying for life insurance. From WBUR in Boston, Martha Bebinger reports.

MARTHA BEBINGER, BYLINE³: Bloodwork was supposed to be the last step in Isela's application for life insurance. But when she arrived at the lab, the receptionist said her appointment had been canceled.

ISELA: That was my first warning, I guess. And I contacted the agent that made this appointment. And then she came to my home and said, you were denied because it looks like you have something on your med list - that you're using drugs.

BEBINGER: Isela, who works at Boston Medical Center, scanned her med list. It showed a prescription⁴ for naloxone.

ISELA: I'm a nurse. I use it to help people. Just in case, if there is an overdose, I could save their life.

BEBINGER: Primerica is the insurer Isela says turned her down. The company says it can't discuss individual cases. But spokesman Keith Hancock, in a prepared statement, says Primerica, like many life insurers, considers prescription drug use when reviewing applicants⁶.

BEBINGER: Now if a life insurance applicant⁵ has a prescription for naloxone, we request more information about its intended use as part of our underwriting process. Primerica's very supportive of efforts to help turn the tide on the national opioid epidemic.

BEBINGER: Isela asked that we just use her first name because she's been turned down by two separate companies but is still pursuing life insurance. A second insurer said it might reconsider if she got a letter from her doctor. But here's the thing. Isela's doctor didn't prescribe her the drug. She just walked into a pharmacy⁷.

When the opioid epidemic hit, Massachusetts and many other states created a standing⁸ order for naloxone, one prescription that works for everybody. So Isela had to find the doctor who signed that statewide naloxone prescription. Just by chance, he works in the same hospital. Meet Dr. Alex Walley.

ALEX WALLEY: I am the standing order-writer. And we want naloxone to be available to a wide group of people.

BEBINGER: So Walley's troubled by the handful of denied life and disability insurance applications he's heard about.

WALLEY: My biggest concern is that people will be discouraged by this from going to get a naloxone rescue kit⁹ at the pharmacy, so this has been frustrating¹⁰.

BEBINGER: Isela says she and some of her fellow nurses have stopped carrying a naloxone kit outside the hospital. They don't want it to show up on their active medication list until this life insurance problem is sorted out.

ISELA: So if something were to happen on the street, I don't have one just because I don't want another conflict.

BEBINGER: Boston Medical Center has alerted the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, which is reviewing the cases and drafting guidelines for, quote, "the reasonable use of drug history information in determining whether to issue a life insurance policy." But Isela is not a drug user, yet she's still being penalized¹¹. Michael Botticelli, who runs the Grayken Center at Boston Medical, says many people should be carrying naloxone and not worrying about their life insurance.

MICHAEL BOTTICELLI: It's incumbent¹² on all of us to make sure that we try to kind of nip this in the bud before it is any more widescale.

BEBINGER: Botticelli wrote to the Surgeon General. Dr. Jerome Adams says he contacted the National Association of Insurance Commissioners¹³. That group says it has not heard of any denials. Adams says it's good to, as Botticelli suggests, nip the problem in the bud.

JEROME ADAMS: Naloxone saves lives. And it's important that all Americans understand the vital role bystanders can play in preventing opioid overdose deaths, especially when equipped with this lifesaving medication.

BEBINGER: More widespread use of naloxone is a key reason, say some public health experts, that Massachusetts and a few other states are seeing fewer overdose deaths this year as compared to last. For NPR News, I'm Martha Bebinger in Boston.

GREENE: That story was part of a reporting partnership¹⁴ with NPR, WBUR and Kaiser Health News.

(SOUNDBITE OF TYCHO'S "APOGEE")

1 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

2 heeded   

v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She countered that her advice had not been heeded. 她反驳说她的建议未被重视。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I heeded my doctor's advice and stopped smoking. 我听从医生的劝告，把烟戒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

5 applicant   

n.申请人，求职者，请求者

参考例句：

• He was the hundredth applicant for the job. 他是第100个申请这项工作的人。
• In my estimation, the applicant is well qualified for this job. 据我看, 这位应征者完全具备这项工作的条件。

6 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

7 pharmacy   

n.药房，药剂学，制药业，配药业，一批备用药品

参考例句：

• She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
• Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。

8 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

9 kit   

n.用具包，成套工具；随身携带物

参考例句：

• The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
• The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。

10 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 penalized   

对…予以惩罚( penalize的过去式和过去分词 )； 使处于不利地位

参考例句：

• You will be penalized for poor spelling. 你拼写不好将会受到处罚。
• Team members will be penalized for lateness. 队员迟到要受处罚。

12 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

13 commissioners   

n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官

参考例句：

• The Commissioners of Inland Revenue control British national taxes. 国家税收委员管理英国全国的税收。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The SEC has five commissioners who are appointed by the president. 证券交易委员会有５名委员，是由总统任命的。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

14 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。