Kim Shamp
Kim Shamp, wife of retired Flagler Beach Sgt. Bill Shamp, and mother of two young men is in need of help. She has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer that has spread to both her brain, and rib cage. At this time there is no medical insurance and the financial burden is mounting. Traveling back and forth from MD Anderson in Jacksonville treatment has been put on hold due to insurance issues. Kim will most likely be having daily treatments in Jax for quite some time. This is going to be a huge out of pocket expense for them and is the last thing they need on their very full plate right now. We believe in the power of prayer, and ask that you please keep Kim and her family in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate through this difficult situation.
In 2018, Sgt. Bill Shamp retired from the Flagler Beach Police Department after 30 years of dedicated service to the citizens, and visitors to the city. The city he served faithfully for three decades, sent him off into retirement with the option for COBRA insurance for 18 months – the standard. When that concluded, the only other option was under the “Affordable Care Act” – which could not have been farther from “affordable”. Enormous buy in’s, deductibles, qualifications, and lengthy application process was all too overwhelming, and ended up being not fiscally responsible. This ultimately led to self-pay. Which, until now, has been manageable.
Fast forward to November of 2021, when The Shamp familiesmatriarch, Kim, received a devastating health diagnosis, which self-pay simply will not cover. Stage IV adenocarcinoma lung cancer that had already metastasized to her ribs as well as her brain. Back to the marketplace they went, in an effort to obtain some type of health insurance, to support her through this journey. Selection was made, with an effective date of February 1st. Since November, treatment progress has slowed to a crawl – at best with money at the center, all with Kim patiently waiting for her uphill battle to commence. Another setback came over the past 48 hours, with MD Anderson treatment center in Jacksonville now advising they do not accept the HMO plan the family chose in November, under the advisement of the marketplace and MD Anderson financial services.
Where does this leave Kim Shamp? Unable to receive the treatment she wants, and needs.
As a community, we have failed this family. Thirty years of law enforcement service should come with some level of peace of mind. Those that retire from the county law enforcement organization receive somewhat more than the city, but at a cost,that literally is a Florida State Statute violation. Per FSS(112.0801.1), retired public service employees should not pay higher premiums then current employees – factoring in the employee portion paid for current employees, however this is not the case – and has not been for serval years.
Nothing happens, until something happens… well something has happened. Kim Shamp, and her family, need our help! We may not be able effect change for all law enforcement retirees faced with similar situations, and concerns, but at minimum, we need to take care of our own. We need to do better. They protected us, and now we need to help protect them. The lack of support from the cities, and the failure to follow statute at the county level both need light shed.