Denial Of Elder's Health Care High Price To Pay For Activism

Everything has a price.

Especially the health care services for an elderly man.

Especially if his daughter is a "controversial" newspaper publisher, judicial activist, legal reformer and coordinator of the NYS Oaths Project.

How do you spell retaliation?

If a person is an "activist" and dares to stand up not only for her rights but the rights of others and particularly those of her parents, does that give Warren County entities the right to deny an elder his constitutional rights and steal his property?

The price one pays for activism is steep when the government retaliates against the family of a person who dares to speak out, who dares to challenge wrongdoing, who blows the whistle. Not only has government sought retribution and heaped reprisals against their critic and adversary but against that person's family, stooping so low as to direct their prejudice and bias towards the health care services of elderly parents and seek to deny them any chance of happiness during their last few years with both in declining health.

The Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has opened an investigation into the alleged discrimination of an elderly Warren County man who had been denied admission to nursing homes in the county because his daughter is, according to Glens Falls Hospital, a "controversial person in [the] geographical area".

Gerald Maxam of Chestertown, 88, in declining health and in need of placement in a nursing home or returned to his own home with nursing care, has been held virtually as a hostage at Glens Falls Hospital since February with the hospital financially benefiting by billing Medicaid instead of him being returned to his home with home care or placed in a nursing home near his family.

Now they want every penny of income he receives and have attached his real property, charging him at least $750 per day while admitting he is not in need of hospital care.