Unfair attacks on firefighter's daughter's R-67 ad

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http://www.approve67.org/node/91

Approve 67 campaign decries attack on firefighter’s family
For Immediate Release – Oct. 8, 2007

Approve 67 campaign decries attack on firefighter’s family

SEATTLE – The Approve 67 campaign stands behind its ad profiling Tiffany Forslund, the daughter of a Puyallup firefighter David Potter, 53, who died from leukemia in 2006. The insurance company handling Potter’s claim for the city of Puyallup intentionally delayed the treatment that would have saved Potter’s life. It approved the claim after he died.

The ad can be viewed at the Approve 67 campaign website: http://www.approve67.org/press/ads/forslund.

“It is sad that the insurance industry continues to attack our family after all it has done,” Forslund said. “I would not harm my father’s memory by participating in anything that is untruthful or misleading to the public. He asked me to carry on his fight, should he die before finding justice, and that is what I am doing.”

The Approve 67 campaign has no plans to remove the ad from the air. “It’s ironic that a $10 million campaign bought and paid for by the out-of-state insurance industry is attacking a Washington family treated unfairly by the industry,” said Sue Evans, Approve 67 spokesperson. “This campaign is symbolic of what the average family faces when it takes on the insurance industry. We don’t have millions of dollars to fight the insurance industry, but we have the facts and the truth on our side and we intend to use them,” Evans said. “We stand behind our ad and we stand behind the Potters and other Washington families who are treated unfairly by the insurance industry.”

Referendum 67 would require the insurance industry to treat consumers fairly. Insurance companies who unreasonably delay or deny legitimate claims would be subject to court-approved penalties under the law. Gov. Chris Gregoire, Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler and more than 80 organizations around the state have endorsed the Approve 67 campaign including consumer groups, seniors and firefighters.

Potter had an insurance policy that contained a series of benefits that would be covered by Referendum 67. These policies are often provided to firefighters and certain law enforcement agencies that would be subject to Referendum 67.

“Internal correspondence between the city and the insurance company handling this claim demonstrate a clear objective to deny the claim because of the cost of the treatment – not because of Potter’s condition to receive treatment.”

Under Washington law, leukemia is an occupational disease because firefighters are exposed to smoke, fume and toxic chemicals on the job. David’s $100,000 down payment required for a bone marrow transplant should have been covered in part by his disability policy through Puyallup and its insurer, Safety National Casualty. Instead, Safety National Casualty dragged out David’s claim and tried to prove his 20-year firefighting career did not cause the leukemia. David and his family were unable to raise the money for the down payment themselves. David never got the treatment that would have saved his life and died almost a year after finding out he had the aggressive cancer. Safety National Casualty eventually approved his claim after he died.

“Every firefighter in the state knows what David Potter’s own insurance company did – they put their profits over his life,” said Kelly Fox, president of the Washington State Council of Firefighters. “I knew David personally and the circumstance behind his delayed treatment for cancer was felt by firefighters everywhere. Firefighters will continue to support the Potter family and their fight against irresponsible insurers.”

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Contact:
Sue Evans
206.792.0408
[e-mail]