Post-Flamingo survival

Seeing a doctor for a scheduled appointment today makes her nervous. Former Flamingo Hilton cocktail waitress Ann Walters, who was diagnosed with liposarcoma in 1999, pworries that the doctor will demand a CT scan or even a blood transfusion.

“If I’d had insurance, they’d have scheduled the scan already,” Walters, 58, says. “And if I have to have a transfusion, that means a few days in the hospital … and I’m a private patient.”

After the Flamingo Hilton closed in October, Walters knew that it would take some finagling to make sure she didn’t end up without health insurance for any period of time. She’s been in and out of the hospital a few times over the past two years, having malignant soft tissue tumors removed and undergoing chemotherapy. But when she wasn’t in the hospital or recovering from treatments, she kept working.

Then, a string of rotten news. The spots on her lungs were increasing in size. While undergoing treatments with a specialist at UC-Davis, her insurance company informed her that they’d no longer pay for her to go to Davis. She’d have to see a doctor in Reno instead. Then the Flamingo Hilton closed. And Walters’ insurance company, Pacificare, decided to close up shop in Nevada, too.

The Hilton provided health coverage for its former employees through Dec. 31. During this time, Walters worked to make sure she’d have the health coverage promised her through COBRA, a federal program that was intended, among other things, to help subsidize continued health coverage to folks who’ve lost their jobs. When Walters received the COBRA enrollment papers in early December, she filled them out and sent them in. She changed her healthcare provider from Pacificare to Health Plan of Nevada. That meant she’d have to start all over again with doctors—finding a new primary care physician and getting a referral to a new oncologist. It was a hassle, but Walters needed health care.

Turns out that changing physicians—again—wasn’t the worst of her fight. During calls to her new insurance provider, Walters says she was told that she wasn’t yet enrolled in COBRA. Spending hours on the phone with COBRA was getting her nowhere. Too late, she was informed that COBRA applications could take 45 days to process. And she says she found out last week that the application process doesn’t start until she had made her first monthly payment of $196.50 to COBRA.

Walters finished a round of chemotherapy on Dec. 30 before her coverage ran out. She got a nine-day supply of expensive medications before her coverage ended; daily shots needed after chemotherapy cost $400 to $500 each.

Hilton owners Park Place Entertainment announced this week that it’s setting up a $100,000 fund to help laid-off employees from the Flamingo. Walters could be eligible for up to $500 through this fund. That would pay for one shot—or a couple of office visits, but not a CT scan or transfusion.

"I’m frustrated," she says. "And I know I’m not the only one. With 1,000 people laid off … At least I speak English. A lot of Hispanic employees don’t even know where to turn."