SUMMARY OF ABANDONMENT PATIENT:  CONSTANCE "BUC" WEBB AGE AT TIME OF INCIDENT:  47 YEARS RESIDENCE: SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA.   WITHOUT WARNING, WITHIN MINUTES OF THE ONSET OF HER INJURY, AND FOR FIVE YEARS THEREAFTER, BUC BECOMES FULLY INCAPACITATED.  HER FAMILY, ONCE A TRIAD CONSISTING OF HERSELF, HER HUSBAND AND THEIR SON, WAS IMMEDIATELY TURNED INTO A DYSFUNCTIONAL DIAD.  DESPITE THE STATISTICAL KNOWLEDGE PRIVY TO THE OFFICIALS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, THAT ALL DIADS FAIL, NEITHER THIS PATIENT NOR HER FAMILY WERE SECURE IN A SOCIAL SYSTEM WHICH IGNORED THEIR SPECIAL PLIGHT.   Ignoring not only the trauma to the family, as well as the patient, the inability of the husband to meet basic financial obligations in maintaining their home, since Buc was, at the time of her injury, the 60-40 bread winner, and an ongoing process of medical abandonment, the State moved against the family by declaring that the patient had defaulted on her State Income Tax.

Progressively throughout 1997 and 1998, not one of these companies nor government agencies, though knowing the status of this family, relented in business practice in any way, as late fees and penalties piled up.  These companies include Aetna, Maxicare of California, Inc., CareAmerica, Blue Shield, Blue Cross, Wells Fargo Bank, World Savings and Loan, Unocal, Radio Shack, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Franchise Tax Board, MBNA credit card and Casa Colina, Buc's outpatient facility.  because all of these companies are major and established business or government agencies, their inability or unwillingness to discern the desperate situation of a family unit they engage, belays a serious, inexcusable and unconscionable breach in social consciousness.

Shortly after surgery at UCLA, my father wired $10,000 to Wells Fargo Bank for UCLA to begin to defray costs.  The following day, I went to my Wells Fargo Ocean Park branch to withdraw these funds, but unbelievably, their computers were down.  UCLA was demanding this money, and I asked the teller if they could give me something on their letterhead which might explain the situation.  The teller refused, saying she cannot do that.  The bank manager, Ron, who I knew very well, was sitting right there and heard the whole thing;  reiterating what the teller had said, that they don't have a letterhead.  I had already explained to them what the money was for, but they refused offer any help.  Since everyone was just standing around, waiting for their computers to come up, I just stood staring at the teller until finally she produced a hand scribbled scrap of paper, with which, I left.  On the way out, someone standing in line said, "I just can't believe the way they were treating you."

This is the first story on an unbelievable journey of total social neglect, ranging from medical malpractice, omission of treatment, multiple HMO abandonment, deliberate government abandonment, willful attempted patient termination by medical means, family neglect, religious neglect, omission of political and judicial representation, provider capitalization (many instances), medical treatment and social support orchestrated by State accountants working in conjunction with the County of Los Angeles, whose employees threatened us with warnings by phone, and voracious, oppressive and unrelenting business practice.

On December 28th 1996, Buc enters UCLA as a seriously injured patient who will serve as their guinea pig.  Even though before surgery, UCLA physician had written her off, it was the absence of confidence after her surgery, in any possible valid outcome, which, from then on, sent her medical care downhill, to the extent that her prognoses were to become wild speculations by another UCLA neurologist working for her HMO, claiming that she was and would remain  chronic vegetative.  But ask her today (still paralyzed after that brisk game of tennis she was playing), if she wants to get better, and she will tell you yes by looking up to the ceiling with her eyes.
 

On December 31st 1996, Buc's COBRA is implemented against her insurance carrier, Maxicare, forcing them to acknowledge a huge last minute calendar year loss after already being financially weakened.

On January 21st 1997, though Buc is forced out of UCLA by unlicensed Maxicare administrators, and UCLA does nothing to protect her; as they are more than willing to abandoned their guinea pig, especially in light of the fact that her family is not wealthy.

(Fig. 114.jpg, circa: 1992 at Eli Broad's Sun America)

On January 23rd 1997, Buc is furtively moved to another hospital where she almost dies. Because of the filthy conditions at UCLA, she has acquired three deadly post surgical diseases. During her transit and for six more hours, medical care is suspended at her new facility, Freeman Memorial Marina Hospital.

On January 24th 1997, her new neurologist under Maxicare, a UCLA graduate, begins to poke around. By February 28th, without performing any meaningful testing, he declares Buc to be equivalent to chronic vegetative.

On January 28th 1997, though the Maxicare neurologist discovers physiological improvement, he tells no one. The Freeman nursing team could care less about Buc. She's a write-off.

On February 7th, Buc almost dies from dehydration. Is her medical team trying to kill her under administrative orders?

On February 12th 1997, the Freeman hospital shuts down their air-conditioning on Buc's wing. She is in quarantine with her doors and windows closed, and the nurses leave her room, they forget and leave heat lamps they were using for illumination.  All her rooms seemed unduly poorly lit.

On February 16th 1997, unable to promote, stimulate or cause, either directly or indirectly the cessation of this life form, Maxicare is already orchestrating the abandonment of Buc by moving her into Outpatient classification, where she will be quickly forgotten and eventually terminated.

February 16th through March 4th 1997, Buc's Provider and HMO have ducked out of sight. They have refused to allow her husband to act on her behalf. They are now breaking all the laws and codes of human decency, without any government agency having jurisdiction, and those that do, have a system which avoids public scrutiny.

February 20th 1997, the social worker calls for a nurses meeting with administrators, family and the nurses union representative, because of the terrible conditions and events surrounding Buc.  In her room, some of the nurses have drop sterile packages on the floor, scooped them up with their gloves, and then to proceeded to open the packages.

March 4th 1997, Buc has been moved into Outpatient Status, when, after 100 days she will be released from further care, thus loosing all coverage for her injury sustained, even though she paid for 100% unlimited medical coverage.

March 16th, unable to move or speak, because of her anguish at her skilled nursing facility, Buc has gnashed out her four lower front incisor with her upper teeth.

April 4th 1997, Dorothy Oda, Special Nurse Consultant for the Dept. of Corp. calls me to inquire as to what is going on and calls in a mobile ray unit to evaluate Buc's lower jaw.

May 14th 1997, Maxicare informs everyone that Buc's coverage has been terminated retroactive to April 1st, because they are closing down operations in California.  Why?

June 9th 1997, having enough, the California Department of Corporation places Maxicare in moratorium.

August 28th 1997, the first grievance is made to Maxicare, which they ignore and the Department of Corporations does nothing.

(Fig124 - Buc pictured twenty-five years ago when we lived next door.)

September 2nd 1997, the Department of Corporations closes Buc's case, claiming insufficient evidence and that Maxicare did nothing wrong! Remember, at one time, it was the most significant case on their docket.

Up until now, the principle parties involved are the California State Department of Corporations, Aetna and Maxicare Insurance carriers for Buc's HMO plan, the Regents of the State of California (Experimental and Advanced Neurosurgeries and Dentistry), Prairie Group (her Provider), Freeman Marina Hospital, Casa Colina, and numerous physicians and nurses, especially her Maxphysician, Dr. Howard Chew (UCLA), whose deliberate misdiagnosis and withholding of facts, condemned Buc to death, or in the least, abandonment.

October 31st 1997 - By now, as Buc's plan moves to a new carrier and her COBRA is about to expire, help is even further away as new parties become involved inclusive of:: CareAmerica and Blue Shield, Professional Home Health, the County of Los Angeles In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), the State of California Department of Social Services (DPSS), Governor Gray Davis, California Health and Welfare Agency, Department of Health Services, Medi-Cal, and of course, the return of the Department of Corporations.   Buc comes home to recover just before Halloween 1997.

 (Buc at home 1999)

January 8, 1998 - Buc is yet to receive the appropriate bed for our home.  I write a letter to Maxicare's Vice President and General Manager Warren Foon.  This is my first attempt in getting Buc the right bed, and not my last, as it goes on forever.

...You would think that only in your dreams might the physicians stand before the gates of heaven and hell, and when they condemn you,  and you can't talk or run, all hell can break loose, unless you have a lot of money or an angel or God or someone else to guard you, for in wild retreat, the enemy becomes stronger, increasing as the State steps in with a system of reclassification. Just as a criminal is reclassified in jail with limited liberties and rights, a middle class law-abiding citizens can also be reclassified if they pose to be too expensive under the State's welfare program.

For example, if you are In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS), a program in part paid for from many funds, but exclusively administered County to County, under the guidance of the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) you can be moved from the IHSS program to the PCSP program (though by law equivalent), an actual downgrading occurs.

For one, under the IHSS program, DPSS staff review case by case is permitted, but under PCSP, it is denied. Secondly, under IHSS, there is no mandatory pay back to the government for their help and social assistance, such assistance normally paid for by taxing the public. In extreme cases, certain patients who are classified chronic vegetative or permanently disabled, the County and State can withdraw such support, or at least minimize it and regain the right to reclassify the patient (the public) to save money.

In order to facilitate this option, the patient must agree or family submit their signed approval on Department of Social Services form SOC 426 (1/93), by Albert Seltzer, Department of Health Services. If the patient or family does not sign this document, then a patient in IHSS will not be reclassified into PCSP. This document was received 3/10/99, read and understood. Then I, Joel E. Webb, the conservator for Buc chose to not act on this eligibility and called P. Knox, Buc's County of Los Angeles Case Worker, leaving my message. That was 3/11/99. What happened then follow this link. On April 17, 1999, I sent a letter to various State agencies telling them that I had chosen not to accept the PCSP program.

Because of the statute of limitations protecting the business of medicine and jurisprudence, and because this patient was unconscious throughout this period, she will never receive that which she rightfully deserves, nor will those, through their acts or omission of acts, ever be held accountable, even those who may have tried to kill her or prey upon her.

In simple retrospect, one might say that insurance companies are poorly regulated to offer the public:  "The option of they collecting money for services and goods to be delivered; whose quality, quantity and type are determined and regulated at a later date by the them and usually at the time the recipient is either too sick, frightened or weak; and where provisions of the law short circuit the statute of limitations; were Federal and State laws conflict; where the regulation and administration of all relies on governmental discretion; where the patient's injuries have paralyzed them and made them mute...is a formula for disaster. I speak of Buc Webb, who has been abandoned by friends, family, the medical profession, business and government. She is California's opposite of Helen Keller; where rather than the immediate family guilty of abuse, the government is the wrongdoer, as are all those as purveyors of medicine."