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MSSN-Anthem split set to affect patient coverage admitted to Mount Sinai South Nassau’s intensive care unit on Dec. 22 and discharged on Dec. 31 Thousands of Long Island resi- — one day before the Mount Sinaidents insured by Anthem Blue Anthem contract expired. “When my husband was in critCross Blue Shield enter the new year facing uncertainty over their ical condition in the ICU, the last medical care after contract negoti- thing I was thinking about was ations between the insurance plan whether our insurance would provider the Mount Sinai Health cover the cost of the critical care he was receiving,” System broke down, Potter said. “I can’t leaving physicians event imagine what out of the Anthem our family would be network as of Jan. 1 facing in the months and hospitals potenahead if the timing tially following in had been different.” March. Both Amy and her The lapse affects husband received letroughly 9,000 Mount ters this week notifySinai physicians, who ing them of the are no longer considch a n g e s. Wi t h ered in-network promonths of follow-up viders for Anthem recovery and rehabilmembers. If no agreeitation ahead, the ment is reached, all AMY POTTER uncertainty, she said, Mount Sinai hospiis overwhelming. tals and facilities — Long Beach “We don’t know at i n cl u d i n g M o u n t Sinai South Nassau, in Oceanside this point if he can continue his — are scheduled to leave the net- care with his Mount Sinai doctors or if we’ll need to find in-network work on March 1. Patients now find themselves doctors elsewhere,” Potter said, caught in the middle of a dispute describing his care at MSSN as “exceptional and lifesaving.” they had no role in creating. “It’s also scary to consider that Amy Potter, of Long Beach, whose husband, Van, recently sur- our local hospital is no longer the vived a massive cardiac arrest, one that we would go to in an said the timing of the dispute has emergency because it no longer left her family shaken. Van was CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
By ABIGAIL GRIECO
agrieco@liherald.com
I
Abigail Grieco/Herald
Library hosts Lego Portrait program Elena Capello, 9, left, Elizabeth Ruderman, 8, and Avery Delmas, 7, created Lego-style self-portraits at the Island Park Library’s Lego Portrait Painting program on Dec. 30.
Troop 230 honors its newest Eagles
Three Oceanside teens earn the highest rank in Scouting By ABIGAIL GRIECO agrieco@liherald.com
In a ceremony marked by tradition, reflection and praise for service, Troop 230 formally elevated three young men from Oceanside to the rank of Eagle Scout at St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church last Saturday — an achievement reached by only a small percentage of Scouts nationwide. Teens Nicholas Bozek, Maxwell Greenberg and Connor Jaffe were honored during an Eagle Scout Court of Honor attended by family members, fellow Scouts, troop leaders, clergy and elected officials. Eagle Scout is the highest rank that could be attained, with only about 4 percent of Scouts earning the dis-
tinction since Scouting’s inception in 1912. Troop 230 Scoutmaster Harold Gerry opened the ceremony, welcoming guests and underscoring the meaning of each rank. Eagle Scouts, he said, are charged with using their training and leadership not only within Scouting but also in their communities and future endeavors. Michael D’Ambrosio, representing Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, addressed the audience and praised the honorees for their commitment to service. D’Ambrosio, who also serves as president of the Oceanside Board of Education, said the scouts exemplify the values of leadership and selflessness. “These are boys that have turned into men,” CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
can’t event imagine what our family would be facing in the months ahead if the timing had been different.