The Insurance Man

By Ayla Teal

Driven to the end of his rope, with no solution to the health care crisis in sight, Steve Westwood thinks he has found the perfect solution.

Unfortunately, the Commonwealth of Virginia takes a different view. It does not think murder is the answer. It should be an open and shut case however Steve's attorney finds a twist.

Follow what happens in a world where Sarah Palin is president and corporations call the shots.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 24, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465349620

Book preview

PROLOGUE

Rise and shine, Mr. President, said Thomas, President McCain’s young aide. He opened the curtains to let in the morning light. It’s seven a.m., sir. I’m glad you and the First Lady had fun last night at the Inaugural balls. The First Lady is already out on her run, sir. McCain was not stirring. Rise and shine, Thomas said again. Thomas approached the bed. Mr. President? he said, giving McCain a gentle shake. Thomas jerked his hand away and gasped. He ran to the phone and called the Secret Service.

Within seconds, the room swarmed with people. Felix Ross, the head of the President’s Secret Service detail barked out orders. Thomas watched it all from a corner of the room, still in shock. The medical team pumped on McCain’s chest even though he was deader than a doornail. The White House physician arrived ten minutes into this exercise, felt the corpse and stopped the CPR efforts. Time of death, 7:17 a.m., he said.

Find the First Lady and bring her here, said Felix. I’ll contact the Vice President, and the Chief Justice and have them come over. Not a word to anyone except these three, okay everyone? Felix watched for nods. Thomas, don’t tell Mrs. McCain that the President is dead, tell her he’s ill. Go. He pushed Thomas out the door. Turning to the medical team, he said Let’s clean things up before the First Lady arrives.

Cindy McCain had finished running on the indoor track in the White House basement and was doing some weight lifting. I can’t believe we’re living in the White House, she said to Ramon, her personal trainer. I hated Washington, D.C. but living here is going to be worth it. She was interrupted by heavy footsteps outside the gym door. The hair on the back of her neck stood up.

Ma’am, said Thomas at the same time Cindy said, What’s wrong?

The President is ill, said Thomas, you need to come with me to his bedroom. The doctors are there right now.

They ran back to the family quarters and were met at the bedroom door by Felix.

Ma’am, he said, I’m sorry to inform you that the President passed away some time during the night. We were unable to revive him.

Cindy pushed passed him and went to McCain. They were unable to make him look peaceful as he was in an advanced state of rigor mortis. She touched his cheek and knew immediately that everything Felix said was true. Is that ditzy doodle moron on her way over here? asked Cindy.

The Vice President is on her way, said Felix.

God save the country, said Cindy. Don’t let her in here. Don’t let her anywhere near me.

Yes, ma’am, said Felix. He motioned to everyone to leave and closed the doors behind him. As he instructed two agents to give the First Lady some privacy, he could hear her wailing.

CHAPTER 1

Holy shit! said Steve Westwood suddenly. He turned up the radio.  . . . and President Palin will be addressing the country at 9 a.m. She was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts at 8:01 a.m. Eastern Standard time in the Lincoln bedroom of the White House. The White House photographer was the only media person on hand for the ceremony. President Palin had wanted to wait for the networks to arrive however the Chief Justice advised her to proceed without them for the sake of the nation…

Holy shit! said Steve again. He ran up the stairs and burst into the bathroom where his wife, Bonnie, was showering. McCain’s dead! Palin is president! Get dressed! He dashed out.

Steve, wait! said Bonnie. Her long brown hair was covered with shampoo. She rinsed it out as fast as she could, grabbed her robe and a towel and was in the kitchen in 5 minutes. Steve was pacing. Steve, calm down, she said. Maybe you should take a Ritalin.

Steve appeared not to have heard. This can’t be happening, he said. First, Obama wins the nomination but the geezers in Florida think Obama is an Arab and vote for Ron Paul who gets Florida’s electoral votes. So McCain wins and now this? This can’t be happening.

Bonnie could barely understand him he was speaking so fast. Here, take your pill. She hands him the Ritalin and a glass of water. Steve takes the pill but continues pacing. After ten minutes, Steve can focus. Bonnie, meanwhile, was listening to the radio. She did not want to turn on the TV. It was almost 9 a.m. She did not want to see Sarah Palin’s face.

My fellow Americans, said Palin. This morning, our President, John McCain, died. I am declaring today a national day of mourning. John McCain… Bonnie tuned her out. She looked over at Steve. He had stopped pacing.

I wonder what this is going to mean for healthcare reform? said Steve. He started to laugh. Bonnie joined him. Soon they were wiping tears from their eyes.

Hoo boy, said Steve. To paraphrase Gerald Ford, ‘our long national nightmare is just starting’. This is unbelievable.

The phone rang. It was their son calling from California. He and his sister stayed there to go to college. Mom, didja hear? What the fuck is gonna happen now? Robert sounded frightened.

Relax, Robbie, relax. Nothing bad is going to happen. She heard a beep. It was their daughter calling. It’s your sister, hang on, I’ll conference her in. Bonnie switched lines. Penny, your brother is on the other line. I’m going to conference you in. OK, is everyone there now? Robbie and Penny both said yes. Great, said Bonnie. Your father is going to get on the extension. She waved to Steve to get the other cordless.

Hi, guys, said Steve. What a morning, huh? Steve realized that many of their friends and other relatives back in California were probably unaware of the news. It was going to be a busy day. America has gone through worse so don’t panic.

Oh god, Dad, Sarah Palin? What could be worse than this? She’s an idiot. Four years of being governed by an idiot? Penny was distraught.

Hey, we had 8 years of George W. Bush and managed to get out of that without starting a nuclear war, said Bonnie. We’ll be okay. We’ve got checks and balances built in by the Constitution, I’m not worried. It’s just a shock, waking up to that, huh?

It sure was, said Penny. The American people are stupid, Mom. How could they have voted for these guys? It seems like there are more gun nuts and right wing fanatics out there than ever before. It’s scary.

I know, said Bonnie. But we’ve got a Congress with a Democratic majority in the senate so we’ll be okay. Trust me, your father and I have been through worse.

How’s school going? said Steve.

We’re closed today for the national day of mourning, said Robert.

Us too, said Penny. Classes just started a few days ago anyway so not much is going on.

We miss you guys. How’s living with Grandma and Grandpa? asked Steve.

It’s fine, Dad, said Robbie. They’re in San Francisco and we’re in San Diego so we really aren’t living with them.

I can hear you rolling your eyes across 3000 miles, said Bonnie. You know what your father means.

Penny laughed. Yeah, but it’s fun yanking your chain. Hey Dad, get any riding in in the capital of the Confederacy?

Had a ride this morning in our January thaw, said Steve. 20 miles so not a big ride. There aren’t that many trails. But I try to ride every day, sometimes up in Hanover or out in Goochland.

Goochland, said Robbie. Can that sound any hickier?

All right, guys, said Bonnie, your father and I have to get ready for work. We’ll talk to you again soon. Love you. Everyone hung up. Bonnie looked over at Steve. I guess we do have to get ready for work. I doubt anyone is going to fault us for being late. Bonnie hunted for her ID. Forgot my ID yesterday. Good thing the guards know me or I wouldn’t have gotten in.

How could the clinic do without their best nurse practitioner? Mrs. Do-Good-until-I-can-move-back-to-California?

Go shower, you smell, Bonnie told Steve.

On my way, said Steve.

Bonnie was still in the kitchen when he came back down. They closed the clinic today. National Day of Mourning. Good for me.

Steve called the JR snow line, hoping to hear the same message but all offices were ‘open and operational’. Damn. We’re open, he said to Bonnie. I’m gonna have a second cup of coffee and then go. No one’s going to say anything.

Bonnie brought him his mug and gave him a kiss. Here you go, big guy.

Steve sighed. How did we ever end up here in Richmond? That old joke about this place is true. Richmond is the safest place to be in a nuclear war because it’ll take at least 10 years for the fallout to get here. We’re California born and raised, what are we doing here?

Well, Bonnie said, if you recall you lost your last job when your reading problems couldn’t be hidden anymore. It wasn’t your fault. Your boss was an asshole.

Steve nodded. Once I had to write my own reports, the jig was up. That’s why I’m a numbers person. I’m good at it and I could always get someone else to put together a presentation to show it. If that head hunter hadn’t found this position here 5 years ago we might have been out on the street.

San Francisco takes very good care of its homeless people. I’m sure we would have been fine, said Bonnie.

Steve smiled. What would I do without you? He put on his coat. Off into this brave new world, he said. Steve took his usual route to the offices of James River Health Care. Traffic was light. The parking lot was full, however, but as a vice president he had his own spot. He rode the elevator to the 7th floor. Rita, his secretary for the last 5 years, greeted him.

Wow, what a way to start the day, huh? First, McCain gets elected by sheer dumb luck. Next, he croaks and leaves us with someone stupider than an ass, and I mean that in the biblical sense.

Steve liked Rita. She was petite, perky, and hated Richmond as much as Steve did. He loved her Brooklyn accent. She’d been in Virginia for over 30 years and never lost it. Ya want some cawfee?

No, thanks, I’ve had two cups, that’s my limit said Steve. He went into his office and checked his email. Ding! Immediately an appointment Rita had accepted for him popped up. Steve had 2 minutes to get to the CEO’s office. On my way upstairs, he told Rita as he passed her desk. As he walked up the three flights of stairs, he remembered his first meeting with Paul Devries, the CEO. I’m one sixteenth American Indian, he had said, so just call me Chief.

In Chief’s office, Steve saw Jill and Phil, the two actuaries. He never bothered to learn their last names, then they wouldn’t rhyme and that’s how he remembered them. Steve looked around. Besides Jill and Phil and Chief, there were the directors of nursing, network management and case management.

Good morning, everyone, said Devries. Given the events this morning, I felt it necessary to get you together to outline our strategy for the next few months. I think it’s safe to say that health care reform is not on the agenda of the Palin administration. Even so, we cannot become complacent. Costs are still going up and we have to impact that while continuing to keep our investors happy. He took a sip of water. First, no one is to give any statements to the press. If you receive any inquiries refer them to Nancy Kramer in public relations. Second, I want each of your departments to come up with three ideas to lower costs in your areas that would be easy to implement in the next six months. Jill and Phil will be available to give a quick analysis to help you prioritize those ideas. We’ll pick the best one or two from each department and go with them. We’re not looking for big ideas at this time, just fast ones. We need to show our investors we are continuing to look out for them while still maintaining quality for our members. Third, we’re going to announce our quarterly earnings for the fourth quarter tomorrow and our annual report next week. I’m happy to tell you we’ve done very well. We’re going to meet all our targets for the annual incentive program so congratulations to you all. You worked hard and you earned it. He looked at the faces around the table. Any questions?

Jill said, Can these ideas include administrative cost cutting?

Absolutely, said Devries. He waited. No other questions? Thank you all for coming. Steve, a moment. Everyone else left. Steve, you and your medical directors are the most expensive employees at JR next to myself. You guys need to do more than the others to pull your own weight, you know what I mean? It’s always easy to cut costs by downsizing but I want to avoid that, okay.

Okay, Chief.

That’s a good man. He clapped Steve on the back.

Steve ran to the restroom and vomited his breakfast. He looked in the mirror. What am I going to tell Bonnie if I lose this job? I can’t disappoint her again.

Back in his office, Steve asked Rita to schedule a meeting with the four medical directors to talk about the CEO’s meeting He closed his door and did some jumping jacks. He looked at the mess of reports and papers on his desk. He tried to think of what was the most urgent. Ah! He had to review the revised contracts with the physician providers in the HMO. This was more complicated than the PPO because it was more restrictive. Once he reviewed the HMO contract, however, the PPO would be fast work. He also had to read a boilerplate contract with their members, used in both the HMO and the PPO. He started reading. There was a knock at the door. Come, he said.

Susan Ozbourne, one of the four medical directors he employs, poked her head around the door. Are you busy, Steve?

No, Susan, come on in. Susan closed the door behind her and Steve waited. Susan Ozbourne had been here when Steve took over as VP. Almost sixty-five, she should have retired by now except that no one had asked her to. She was slow, the most deliberate decision-maker of the four of them. Maybe starting off as an anesthesiologist had something to do with it. She did only one fourth of work the others did. Good thing the others picked up the slack. Have a seat. What’s up?

Susan took the leather chair in front of Steve’s desk. She’d tied her long gray hair into a ponytail. As usual, she wore no make up. She’d put some garment like an artist’s smock over her white blouse to protect her good clothes from ink and dirt. Her long beige A-line skirt stopped just above her ankles and a pair of Doc Martens completed the ensemble.

The problem is Brian, she said. Brian Mackey was the newest medical director, an internist Steve hired about six months ago. I can hear him through the ceiling. He is always on the phone, either with his stockbroker or his girlfriends. I cannot get any work done. I tried talking to him but it has not helped. Susan stopped. And it is not just his conversations, Steve, it is his swearing. It seems like every other word is a swear-word. You know I simply cannot abide it.

Steve regarded Susan thoughtfully. How could he get rid of her short of murder? No one would miss her but her cat. She’d never married and the maiden aunts who raised her were long since dead. A teetotaler, she never went out with the group after work. Still, murder seemed kind of drastic. You want me to speak with Brian, Susan?

Yes. Yes I would like that very much. Please make him stop, Steve. I simply cannot abide it any longer. Susan got up. She never made small-talk. Have a nice day, Steve. She closed the door behind her.

Brian Mackey was a bright young Internist with big ambitions. He had practiced medicine just long enough, the requisite five years after finishing his residency, and made the jump to the healthcare insurance industry. He landed this job right off after interviewing first with Steve and then the other medical directors. Everyone but Susan was enthusiastic about him.

Brian had read