Entertainment
Mary Lou Retton blasts those who questioned her lack of confidence, $459,000 fundraiser
HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL FEBRUARY 21: Mary Lou Retton, former Olympic gold medalist in women's gymnastics, watches the 2009 Tyson American Cup at the Sears Center on February 21, 2009 in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Mary Lou Retton spoke a little about the controversy that erupted over her claim that she couldn't afford health insurance, a situation that prompted her daughters to launch an online fundraising campaign that grossed more than $459,000 and was supposed to cover her hospital bills for a month. remained last year for a rare and potentially fatal form of pneumonia.
During Rettons' interview Wednesday at his Texas home with a friendly correspondent Entertainment Tonightt, the Olympic gymnast responded to those who wondered why her four daughters needed to open the crowdsourcing fund. She also appeared perplexed by those who called her to account for how the $459,000 was spent.
They didn't deserve this, Retton said of the criticism leveled at his daughters' launch. the spotfund.com campaign. They were just trying to take care of me.
I don't care about the naysayers, Retton also said. There are trolls everywhere. This is what makes us America. Everyone has an opinion.
But it is incorrect for Retton to say that the criticism and questions came solely from online trolls.
Questions also came from media outlets and health reporters, particularly after Retton participated in a softball interview with the Today show in January, two months after her health crisis. In today's interview, Retton said the bottom line was that she couldn't afford health insurance, blaming her plight on the COVID-19 pandemic, her 2018 divorce and pre-existing conditions resulting from several surgeries over the years.
But following this interview, the Daily Mail reported that Retton received $2 million in her 2018 divorce settlement and was set to potentially win $2 million more in compensation following a dispute with the manufacturer of his two metal hip replacements.
USA Today columnist Christine Brennan also wrote that Retton and his daughters had shown reluctance to answer even the most basic questions about his health care. Brennan said these questions naturally arose because Retton's daughters had solicited public donations.
Had they not done so, Retton's illness likely would have remained a private matter, never having been revealed to the public and prompting so many strangers to send money, Brennan wrote.
Retton landed in the intensive care unit of a Texas hospital last October with what her family described as a rare form of pneumonia that left her fighting for her life. On spotfund.com, Retton's daughter, McKenna Kelly, revealed that her mother was uninsured, but Kelly would not elaborate.
Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all the details, Kelly said. We ask if you can help in any way, 1) to PRAY! and 2) if you could help us finance the hospital bill.
The spotfund campaign as of Thursday morning reported that $459,354 had been raised by 8,324 donors.
Retton's explanations about pre-existing conditions and insurance costs certainly triggered some mental gymnastics, according to a report from KFF Health News, published by National Public Radio.
KFF Health News senior correspondent Julie Appleby agreed that Retton's lack of health insurance was shocking. But she also expressed skepticism about the two main reasons Retton didn't purchase coverage, namely pre-existing conditions and cost.
Appleby said Retton could have gotten insurance through Obamacare: under the Affordable Care Act, which has offered coverage in state and federal markets since 2014, insurers are prohibited from rejecting people with pre-existing conditions and also cannot charge higher premiums for them. Appleby also said that for those with higher incomes, the cost of premiums is capped at 8.5% of household income.
In Retton's interview this week with Entertainment Tonight, the highly decorated public figure explained why she thinks health insurance isn't affordable for her. She said she was no longer at the height of her fame, when she was presumably making millions from endorsement deals.
After her divorce, which cost half of everything, Retton said she made a living doing motivational speaking and appearing at events to sign autographs. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, there was no work, she said.
It's not what it was at the height of my fame years ago, she said. I only made enough to pay my bills.
Seven months after her hospitalization, Retton said doctors still don't know what's wrong with her and that she needs supplemental oxygen to help her breathe. She said she was grateful for all the donations and maintained there was nothing nefarious about her family's handling of the funds.
The bills are still coming, Retton said. She explained that the $459,000 is used to pay these bills. Anything left over will go to the American Lung Association.
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