Mountain Projects Health Insurance Counselor Helps Save a Life

Brenda and James Porcello live in Charlotte, but have family in Waynesville. James had a recent medical crisis, and despite a clean health history it became obvious he needed a liver transplant, fast. His life was in danger. Unfortunately, the Porcello’s insurance policy was unacceptable to the hospital that would perform the transplant. 

Jacquie Buttles knew just who to call. She’s an Insurance Analyst for the state of North Carolina, and she had become involved in the case. 

“Jan Plummer at Mountain Projects and I have been program partners for a decade,” Jacquie said. “I thought we should talk this case through to see what options were available for this patient.”

With their many years of combined experience, the two knew both client processes and large agency needs, and they put their heads together to carve out a complicated path forward. It worked: in September, James had a liver transplant at one of the few hospitals in North Carolina that does such procedures, and he came through with flying colors.

The insurance Jan and Jacquie arranged covered the costs of surgery, medications and recovery, and James’s strong family support system was ready to help him fight for his life. 

Jan and Jacquie know the intricacies of health insurance, and sometimes they have the opportunity to help save a life. “This story makes my heart sing,” says Jan, “we counselors know this work is important, but don’t always have such an amazing story to tell.”