Man who jumped from helicopter 500 feet to his death 'had chronic health problem and couldn't get surgery'
- Gregory McFadden, 61, jumped from a private helicopter above the Newport Beach shoreline around 1pm Tuesday
- McFadden was given CPR after rescuers plucked him from the ocean
- He was taken to an area hospital where he died of his critical injuries
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Suicide? Gregory McFadden, 61, bought a helicopter tour for two but showed up alone
The California man has jumped out of a helicopter and plummeted 500 feet to his death had a chronic health problem that prevented him from sleeping and he couldn't get the surgery to fix it, his brother has revealed.
Gregory McFadden, 61, landed in the water a few feet off upscale Newport Beach in Orange County, California, in broad daylight Tuesday afternoon.
He was pulled from the surf by lifeguards, who performed CPR on him on the crowded beach. However, he was unconscious and died after being taken to the hospital.
His brother Bradley McFadden told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune that his brother suffered for years from a medical condition for which he couldn't get treatment.
'He said he was choking so bad, he couldn’t sleep... It was very painful. He was losing sleep. And he couldn’t get an operation,' Mr McFadden said.
The condition was a problem with a valve that resulted in a form of acid reflux that caused food to continually come back up as it was digesting.
McFadden, who was on Social Security and disability, had been trying for years to get an operation to fix the valve, but the procure was continually delayed or canceled.
Mr McFadden believes his brother likely lost hope and decided to take his own life.
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Scene: 61-year-old Gregory McFadden jumped from a helicopter near the end of Balboa Pier, here at Newport Beach, California
The pilot of the helicopter said McFadden, the only passenger aboard the aircraft, suddenly opened the door and jumped out.
The chopper was operated by Cardinal Air Services, which offers aerial tours of Orange County. It is owned by Chuck Street, a longtime pilot and on-air traffic reporter.
Mr Street said his son Corbin was flying the helicopter at the time and struggled with McFadden before he plunged to his death.
'It’s the last thing I ever thought would happen to my son,' Mr Street told the Los Angeles Times.
Mr Street revealed the McFadden, from West Covina, paid $310 to reserve an afternoon helicopter beach tour for two.
But, when he showed up at the airport Tuesday, he was by himself.
McFadden splashed down near Balboa Pier and a busboy at a restaurant at the end of the pier watched him fall from the white Robinson R44 craft, according to Ruby's Diner general manager David Saighani.
Suicide? Authorities are investigating what seems likely to be a suicide. The man was pulled from the chilly Pacific and given CPR. He died from his critical injuries after he was taken to the hospital
Police in Huntington Beach were apparently the first to be alerted of the fall, which was reported by the private helicopter company according to a police release.
'The only passenger on board opened the door and jumped out into the water,' FAA spokesman Ian Gregor told KTLA.
Huntington Beach authorities worked together with Newport Beach lifeguards and Orange County sheriffs to find the man and pull him ashore.
'Lifeguards brought the man to shore and initiated lifesaving efforts,' police spokesperson Jennifer Manzella said.
McFadden was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
'There’s probably more to it than what it seems to be,' said Sergeant Mike Robertson, of the Orange County Sheriff's Department.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2488368/Gregory-McFadden-jumped-death-helicopter-suicide.html#ixzz2jw4X2rfC
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Meet the mother with a severe pre-existing heart condition who will lose her heath coverage by the end of the year because of Obamacare
- Hundreds of thousands of people will lose coverage by the year's end
- Jill Morin explains why she hasn't even attempted to enroll in Obamacare
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Jill Morin of Raleigh, N.C., is one of hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S. with a pre-existing chronic condition who will see their high risk health insurance coverage dissolve by the year's end.
Morin, 42, has a severe heart condition and is currently covered by her state's pool, but she has not attempted to enroll in the healthcare.gov federal website, otherwise known as Obamacare.
'It's the unknown, the uncertainty that gets to me,' the mother-of-one said. 'I don't know what my cost will be at the end of the day.
Jill Morin, right, poses for photos with her son Kyle at their home in Raleigh, N.C. She will see her high risk insurance pool coverage dissolve by the year's end
'I don't know if my two cardiologists and my procedures are going to be covered under the plan. There just isn't enough information on that website.'
But, she said, she has no choice. She must pick a plan soon because she can't afford to go without.
She plans to go to an insurance broker for advice, then contact the federal call center to bypass the online marketplace altogether.
State officials throughout the nation have been scrambling to figure out how to help people like Morin.
Last week, the board of the Oregon Medical Insurance Pool — which covers about 11,000 people — ordered the state to create a contingency plan for its members because the state's online exchange still has not enrolled a single person.
For now, the only way to enroll for coverage in Oregon is to fill out a 19-page paper application.
The state has so far received just 7,300 such applications from all Oregonians, not just those in the pool, but it has not yet processed any of them.
Morin suffers from a serious heart condition and suffered a cardiac arrest in 2009
The process takes up to several weeks, so no one has completed it and successfully enrolled, Cover Oregon spokesman Michael Cox said.
Oregon pool administrator Don Myron said he hopes to speed up enrollment for its members by mailing them a paper application and following up to make sure they filled it out.
In Indiana, the Department of Insurance extended the high-risk pool coverage until at least Jan. 31 because of difficulties with the federal health insurance exchange. Its pool covers about 6,800 people.
The move was crucial, officials said, because people in the pool were not able to schedule treatments without proof of health coverage for the coming year. Indiana will spend $6.3 million to extend the coverage.
Morin and hundreds of thousands of other people with preexisting chronic conditions are covered through high risk insurance pools
In Wisconsin, the Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan that covers 24,500 people is rolling out an outreach effort to make sure their members are signed up by the deadline, chief executive Amie Goldman said.
The state created a worksheet and directories of carriers to help people prepare for enrollment, has sent postcard reminders and is answering questions through its Facebook page and weekly newsletters.
Many of those in high-risk pools across the nation will be shopping for insurance for the first time in years.
'Even if the technology was really perfect, it would still be hard to sign up because many people who are really sick don't respond well to change,' said Linda Nilsen Solares, executive director of Portland-based Project Access NOW, which connects uninsured people with care.
'Many of them are just trying to get through the day.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2488522/Mother-pre-existing-condition-lose-heath-coverage-Obamacare.html#ixzz2jw68IeqM
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