Stroke kills S.D. traveler in Panama - Medicare issues prevented return
By NESTOR RAMOS for Argus Leader.com - The overwhelming generosity of his adopted hometown was not enough to save Michael McEvoy's life. McEvoy, who was unable to get home after he suffered a stroke one month ago while visiting his grandchildren in Panama City, Panama, died early Wednesday at Hospital Santo Tomas. His stepdaughter, Mayra Gomez, said a second stroke killed McEvoy, 81. "I could've prevented this if I could have brought him to America," Gomez said. "Every door would have been open to him." Gomez, who lives in Sioux Falls, said an account she set up to help her mother and father has collected more than $1,400 in only three days. The account remains open, and the family is seeking donations to help defray funeral costs, hospital bills and travel expenses. "I don't know how to thank the people of Sioux Falls," Gomez said. McEvoy, who relied on Medicare for health care, did not purchase travel insurance before flying with his wife Emerita to Panama, where she was born. A hospital flight home would have cost about $20,000. Medicare typically offers no coverage outside the U.S. Gomez hopes to fly to Panama soon, though she said she would prefer not to use the donations and is seeking help from airlines. She will not be able to attend McEvoy's funeral service, which is scheduled for Friday. McEvoy probably will be cremated, Gomez said. Don Winner, a retired U.S. serviceman who runs Panama Guide, a Web site for American expatriates living in Panama, read about McEvoy online and went to visit him in the hospital Tuesday. To Winner, McEvoy seemed relatively healthy, considering his age and condition. He had no intravenous lines, and the staff said McEvoy had spoken, though he did not speak while Winner was there. "At this point, he's had a stroke, and he's paralyzed," Winner said at the time. Through his own efforts and his contacts within the community, Winner was working to get McEvoy home. He said his death surprised him somewhat, but considering his age and condition was not unforeseen. Frustratingly, Winner thought he was close to securing a flight home for McEvoy with a St. Louis-based charity organization that had a plane on the ground in Panama City. "We were overcome by events," Winner said. Gomez and Winner both hope McEvoy's death informs others about the risks of traveling uninsured. "The people coming down here, they need to learn from this guy, one way or another," Winner said. Gomez hopes media coverage raises awareness about Medicare's policies and encourages others to purchase additional insurance when traveling.
Editor's Comment: Nestor called me with the news of Michael's passing last night. Several people indicated a willingness to make some kind of donation to help this family and now it looks like they could use a different kind of help, for travel expenses and final arrangements for Michael. I had gotten as far as contacting Doug Clements who is the Executive Director for the Wings of Hope organization, and as luck would have it Will Holladay, a member of their organization happened to be in Panama with a Cessna 206 on a fact finding trip and doing humanitarian work. They might have been able to help get Michael back to the United States but as the article says that effort has now been overcome by events. If you are going to travel to Panama for any reason; tourism, business, to look at real estate, or whatever, please make sure you have some kind of major medical health care coverage that covers you here. Medicare does not cover you. Right now there is an effort underway through the new Punta Pacifica to achieve a level of accreditation that would allow them to accept Medicare patients, but that's probably two years or more into the future. The reality on the ground today is that you need to buy a plan or policy. Get it done or be prepared to suffer the consequences if you don't. Kevin Bradley has some kind of a product, but he's got the details...
