Help Jeffery see the world clearly again...

Hi, I'm Brittany, and I'm starting a fundraiser for Jeffery Levine, lesson coordinator at Pickers Supply, the one and only "Ayatollah of Rock n' Rollah". Jeffery could use our help, but he's a kind enough person he's never going to ask. So I'm going to ask instead.

Jeffery was supposed to get cataract surgery recently on both eyes. He cleared the surgery through his insurance (Mary Washington Medicare Advantage) and had an appointment with an eye doctor who the insurance claimed he should be covered by.

When he showed up, he was very surprised to find that he was not covered by his insurance. The attendant told him he would pay $2,000 per eye, out of pocket. Jeffery wisely declined, headed home, and did an immediate follow-up with his insurance, who again claimed he was covered. He tried to reschedule, and again...he was told he would be charged.

Since this started, there has been some "back and forth" between the doctor and the insurance, and in spite of their agreement to initially cover this surgery, apparently, it will now not be covered. Jeffery is trying to get this resolved through insurance, but so far, all the responses have been negative, leaving him to cover the cost of the surgery entirely out of pocket...$4000 total.

I had a similar situation happen to me in the last few years, when my vehicle was supposed to be repaired by an insurance company after a tree fell on it during a storm. The company then "changed their mind" after approving the work should done to repair the vehicle. What saved my work van was a Go Fund Me that a friend set up. Within a week, we raised enough money that we didn't need the insurance company to set things right. I set about buying the parts and locating a shop to put the car back together. I've experienced the power of community rallying around an individual, and it's powerful. I'm paying that forward by setting this Go Fund Me up on behalf of Jeffery.

As the lesson coordinator of Pickers Supply, Jeffery has been the face of the shop to hundreds of kids and parents (he's probably handed out thousands of lollipops and other treats over the years), he's taken care of the staff and teachers like an extended family, and he has befriended many people in the downtown area. I am hoping that Jeffery's extended community can rally around him by supporting this fundraiser to help with his cataract surgery.