Mary Lou Retton Fighting for Her Life in ICU
- Thread starter Pink Partridge
- Start date
Of course no one wishes her ill will, so we all want her to improve.
I have opted not to contribute (though I've done so for other people in need many times), but that's because there was nothing more than a 20-something saying "she is not insured". I mean, I know she doesn't have Warren Buffet or Bezos or Musk money, but if she made the decision to "self insure" then does she need half a mil from strangers?
There is absolutely no doubt that MLR has had more money than me (many times over) most of her adult life. Presumably she may be in a drastically different situation today. But they never said that.
I admit to being so surprised at her not being insured that I'm very curious what she will share moving forward. She mentions helping other people in her situation. I hope she addresses the burden of being uninsured and what she'd do differently today.
Marrila
❇️💠❇️💠❇️
- Joined
- May 26, 2021
I continue to be kind of amazed at the excessive curiosity. Contribute or not.
Most of us have busy lives.
LOL. You are a participant on a message board, just like the rest of us. Who cares what topics you or I choose to discuss in our busy lives?
Not that it matters, but MLR is close to my age (I'm a little older), I've just left the corporate world and am currently paying a TON for COBRA benefits (tomorrow I start researching ACA plans for 2024). I work a very very part time job now where I earn...maybe $500-$1000/month. MLR could do 1 appearance and earn 20x that. Even so, our decision to leave our corporate professional jobs included how we'd get health insurance until we're 65. I don't think it's "excessive" to compare/contrast my situation to MLRs. Yes, I'm curious.
Marrila
❇️💠❇️💠❇️
- Joined
- May 26, 2021
The insurance situation for older Americans under 65 is absolutely complicated and often difficult to navigate.
Add in a late in life divorce (like MLR) and it's can be even more so.
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TheIncredibles!
Winner (?) of the Crazy MIL Award
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2010
Yes, I’m one of those people!
MLR was divorced over 5 years ago. Of course it’s possible that became a financial burden for her (perhaps she’s the one who paid alimony). But my point is that her earning power is certainly above mine (even with my old professional salary), yet we’ve managed to prioritize our health insurance coverage as a necessity.
Even if she didn’t qualify for a subsidized ACA plan, she could probably make a single appearance (for a mobile phone store, a car dealership, a Comic-Con like convention) and make more than enough to pay a premium.
DCLMP
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2020
That's what I think. It's been a few years since I paid for a hotel stay or a flight. Disney World hotels excluded of course.
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2002
That’s fantastic news for all former child athletes who could do backflips like no one‘s business and found themselves as adults in an ICU with pneuomonia and no insurance (by choice) and grifter daughters begging strangers (sorry, followers) for money to pay their medical bills. They must be heaving a huge sigh of relief.
Boy, for someone with such a busy life you certainly spent enough of your precious time telling everyone to move on like nineteen times.
during the pandemic several of our regular providers (utilities and such) were waiving fees but now they have reinstated them so i agree with you for the most part. i also don't do cards with annual fees that offer the higher rewards so that might make a difference. the only deal i've found where it truly rewards me for using a credit card is one amex (their zero annual fee card is included in the offer) is offering where setting up auto pay for disney plus results in a $7 monthly statement credit.
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2002
Follow-up, from USA Today:
Christine Brennan
McKenna Kelley, the daughter of Mary Lou Retton who posted a crowdsourcing request for her mother that has now reached $459,324, said in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY Sports that she and her sisters never expected to get so much money from the public and were “so overwhelmed” by the response.
“I don’t know if that’s ignorant of us or if that was just sweet,” said Kelley, 26. “This was not supposed to be a big media thing. … We didn’t even think about what this would turn into. It was simply four daughters who felt helpless who wanted to help their mom who knew that this would help take a burden off.”
Retton, 55, who won the women’s gymnastics individual all-around gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, was released from the hospital in late October after a weeks-long stay in which she was “fighting for her life” with “a very rare form of pneumonia,” Kelley posted on Instagram at the time.
On Oct. 30, Retton wrote on Instagram that she was “with family continuing to slowly recover and staying very positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process.”
Asked repeatedly by USA TODAY Sports to comment, Retton has declined.
Kelley said that after her mother’s medical bills are paid, the family plans to donate "all remaining funds" to a charity of her mother’s choice. Neither Kelley nor Retton would comment on how much of the $459,324 from the account at spotfund.comhas been spent or what amount would be given to charity.
Donations skyrocketed after Kelley’s surprising Instagram announcement about her mother, one of the most recognizable names in U.S. Olympic history.
“She is not able to breathe on her own,” Kelley wrote on Oct. 10. “She’s been in the ICU for over a week now. Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details. However, I will disclose that she (is) not insured.”
When asked in the interview with USA TODAY Sports why her mother wasn’t covered by medical insurance, Kelley said that Retton could not get affordable health care because of pre-existing conditions, which she said include “over 30 orthopedic surgeries, including four hip replacements. She’s in chronic pain every day.”
Said Kelley: “Due to her medical history and the amount of surgeries she has endured from gymnastics and just life, it’s unaffordable for her.”
When told that an insurance agent contacted by USA TODAY Sports found two plans charging $545 and $680 per month for which someone with her mother’s medical history would qualify, Kelley said that Retton had once been covered by health insurance but “because she was not able to work and give speeches for two years due to the pandemic, she gave up her insurance.”
Retton was “about to get (health insurance) again but didn’t, and then she got sick,” Kelley said.
Retton remains popular in Olympic circles, with a speaking fee that is believed to be at least $25,000. She and her husband, former University of Texas quarterback Shannon Kelley, divorced in 2018 after 27 years of marriage. About 10 years ago, McKenna Kelley said, Retton moved from her large house in the Houston area to a smaller home.
Against this backdrop, with her mother in the hospital, Kelley said, she and her three sisters made the decision to raise money for their mother online from both friends and strangers.
“This is genuinely four daughters concerned for their mom, that was it,” Kelley said. “I know I keep saying that but that is truly where our hearts were when we started this; we felt so helpless. Her breathing was out of our control. The only thing that we could do to help that was in our control was what if we start a GoFundMe, what if we start a spotfund, people can help.”
Said Kelley: “When we asked for help, when we put this out there, we didn’t think of how this would turn out because she’s not Mary Lou Retton to us. She’s our mom. She would ground us, she would make us clean our room, she’d make us dinner, she’d be the shoulder to cry on, she is the joy and light of our lives and we wanted to help.”
Mary Lou Retton received $459,324 in donations. She and her family won't say how it's being spent.
Mary Lou Retton's daughters raised thousands for their Olympic-champion mother when she was hospitalized in October, saying she was not insured.
January 6, 2024Christine Brennan
McKenna Kelley, the daughter of Mary Lou Retton who posted a crowdsourcing request for her mother that has now reached $459,324, said in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY Sports that she and her sisters never expected to get so much money from the public and were “so overwhelmed” by the response.
“I don’t know if that’s ignorant of us or if that was just sweet,” said Kelley, 26. “This was not supposed to be a big media thing. … We didn’t even think about what this would turn into. It was simply four daughters who felt helpless who wanted to help their mom who knew that this would help take a burden off.”
Retton, 55, who won the women’s gymnastics individual all-around gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, was released from the hospital in late October after a weeks-long stay in which she was “fighting for her life” with “a very rare form of pneumonia,” Kelley posted on Instagram at the time.
On Oct. 30, Retton wrote on Instagram that she was “with family continuing to slowly recover and staying very positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process.”
Asked repeatedly by USA TODAY Sports to comment, Retton has declined.
Kelley said that after her mother’s medical bills are paid, the family plans to donate "all remaining funds" to a charity of her mother’s choice. Neither Kelley nor Retton would comment on how much of the $459,324 from the account at spotfund.comhas been spent or what amount would be given to charity.
Donations skyrocketed after Kelley’s surprising Instagram announcement about her mother, one of the most recognizable names in U.S. Olympic history.
“She is not able to breathe on her own,” Kelley wrote on Oct. 10. “She’s been in the ICU for over a week now. Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details. However, I will disclose that she (is) not insured.”
When asked in the interview with USA TODAY Sports why her mother wasn’t covered by medical insurance, Kelley said that Retton could not get affordable health care because of pre-existing conditions, which she said include “over 30 orthopedic surgeries, including four hip replacements. She’s in chronic pain every day.”
Said Kelley: “Due to her medical history and the amount of surgeries she has endured from gymnastics and just life, it’s unaffordable for her.”
When told that an insurance agent contacted by USA TODAY Sports found two plans charging $545 and $680 per month for which someone with her mother’s medical history would qualify, Kelley said that Retton had once been covered by health insurance but “because she was not able to work and give speeches for two years due to the pandemic, she gave up her insurance.”
Retton was “about to get (health insurance) again but didn’t, and then she got sick,” Kelley said.
Retton remains popular in Olympic circles, with a speaking fee that is believed to be at least $25,000. She and her husband, former University of Texas quarterback Shannon Kelley, divorced in 2018 after 27 years of marriage. About 10 years ago, McKenna Kelley said, Retton moved from her large house in the Houston area to a smaller home.
Against this backdrop, with her mother in the hospital, Kelley said, she and her three sisters made the decision to raise money for their mother online from both friends and strangers.
“This is genuinely four daughters concerned for their mom, that was it,” Kelley said. “I know I keep saying that but that is truly where our hearts were when we started this; we felt so helpless. Her breathing was out of our control. The only thing that we could do to help that was in our control was what if we start a GoFundMe, what if we start a spotfund, people can help.”
Said Kelley: “When we asked for help, when we put this out there, we didn’t think of how this would turn out because she’s not Mary Lou Retton to us. She’s our mom. She would ground us, she would make us clean our room, she’d make us dinner, she’d be the shoulder to cry on, she is the joy and light of our lives and we wanted to help.”
Southernmiss
I am hazed everyday
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2011
Thanks for the update.
It's a lot of what I expected.
Hate to see that she's had so many surgeries. Gymnastics really took a toll on her body.
It's a lot of what I expected.
Hate to see that she's had so many surgeries. Gymnastics really took a toll on her body.
The comments by the daughter.....that her mother could not get affordable health insurance due to her pre-existing conditions is not true. It may not have been affordable to her, but pre-existing conditions are not a factor in obtaining health insurance on the ACA exchanges...for now at least. In fact, if she has that many chronic illnesses and is paying out of pocket for her health care, she'd be the perfect candidate for such a policy, especially as a divorced woman. I'm assuming all of the surgeries she's needed previously were covered by her spouses health care policy.
She's now experienced what it's like to *not* have health care insurance and have a major healthcare event. If her income is extremely low, she'd qualify for medicaid (even with other assets), but no knowing if that's the case. If she didn't spend all of the donated money, why not use the remained to actually purchase a good healthcare policy and put the rest in an account to fund any co-pays and future surgeries she may need due to pre-existing conditions.
She's now experienced what it's like to *not* have health care insurance and have a major healthcare event. If her income is extremely low, she'd qualify for medicaid (even with other assets), but no knowing if that's the case. If she didn't spend all of the donated money, why not use the remained to actually purchase a good healthcare policy and put the rest in an account to fund any co-pays and future surgeries she may need due to pre-existing conditions.
mumto3girls
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2008
Yes, ACA policies do not factor in preexisting conditions. Age is a factor and your geographical area. My family of 5 have been covered under the ACA for years as husband and I are self employed. My 20 year olds policy is slightly more expensive than my 17 year olds and the 23 year olds is slightly more than the 20 year olds. DH and I are significantly more than the kids. We purchase policies with low premiums to keep it affordable which means our deductibles are high and we have co-pays. We are generally healthy though so don’t use it a lot. When that changes we will have to reconsider the low premium/high deductible. Hopefully our daughters are on their own by then. It does protect us from catastrophic loss like the extended hospital stay Mary Lou Retton had though and also provides some screenings (mammograms etc) at no charge. We would sacrifice a lot to keep our health insurance. I wonder if possibly she didn’t understand how the ACA works? Prior to it, we were purchasing on the open market and were struggling to afford it. At one point our health insurance payment exceeded our mortgage and was increasing significantly every year.
Thanks for the first hand experience on the ACA. I only know a bit about it as we're just beginning to understand how it works as we'll be accessing it as early retirees when we're in our late 50s/early 60s....until we reach medicare age. THE biggest selling point about the ACA is that in order to participate in the exchanges, an insurance company can't factor in pre-existing conditions and charge someone more. It's literally against the law.
As you've stated, I've read that the cheapest plans are in rural parts of the country....and that then it can be difficult to find providers, etc. I know it's not perfect by any means, but having an exchange that every American can use, many of whom will qualify for big subsidies, is a big deal. As far as health care provided in total by the government for everyone, well, not too many of those systems are perfect either. The U.K.'s NHS is in a serious crisis right now, and it was once one of the shining examples universal. health care in the world.
I'm not sure why Ms. Retton didn't have insurance, but she surely could have. And her daughter is misinformed for sure. I hope she also understands that even after the ordeal she's been through, she can purchase health insurance on the ACA. Maybe Hoda will tell her that tomorrow on The Today Show
.
Southernmiss
I am hazed everyday
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2011
But the article goes on to say insurance coverage was available for MLR for $545 or $680 on the ACA.
But the daughter said MLR decided not to get ACA covered insurance as she did not have the income for it during Covid shutdowns.
That's a bit different than being declined due to pre existing conditions.
Ahhh, ok. Yes...I think the daughter is confused. There's a lot of "smack talk" out there about the ACA....how awful it is, etc. And again, I'm not saying it's the greatest system in the world, but you certainly can buy a bronze policy with a higher deductible for something reasonable. I understand that her income dropped during Covid...that happened for a ton of people. Ironically, had her income dropped that low, she would have likely gotten a policy that would have greatly covered most of this recent catastrophic illness.....for next to nothing. She would have gotten massive subsides making her policy nearly free. If her income was too low to even get her a policy on the exchange, she would have qualified for medicaid.
Perhaps the issue for her was that....embarrassment of her financial predicament? Also, she may have been influenced by all of the talk on the right about how horrible the ACA is....but they call it the other name, the one with a President's name attached to it. I heard an awful lot about the other team coming up with a great health care plan that is better, cheaper, more awesome in every way....but I'm still waiting for a glimpse at that plan
. In the meantime, the ACA is actually popular with Americans....has a 60% approval rating.....which is about 500% higher than the approval rating of Congress.
starry_solo
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2010
I know a lot of the comments I've read are, she has 4 daughters, each of them couldn't contribute $150 per month so that their mother had health insurance? A lot of people seem peeved that not all of it is being spent on healthcare costs as was requested under the original GoFundMe (GFM). As I understand it, once a GFM has reached its goal, it can be shut down by the requesting party.
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