A little boy in Georgia gained nation-wide recognition on Tuesday when the media caught wind of some local Home Depot workers making a DIY walker for a 2-year-old in need. But just one day after news outlets began reporting on the “sweet” moment, Americans started responding with outrage over how the heartwarming story actually highlights the country’s healthcare and health insurance failures.
Logan Moore is unable to walk on his own because of a medical condition he has, called hypotonia, which affects muscle tone and stability. However, the family is currently dealing with the long process of trying to get their insurance company to approve a walker for the boy, forcing the father to look into other options.
According to a Facebook post by the Home Depot’s manager, the boy’s father, Justin Moore, had started looking online to figure out ways to create a walker out of PVC pipe. Instead of doing it himself, employees at a Home Depot helped to put one together at no cost to the family. And although Logan’s reaction to the new piece of equipment and the kindness of the Home Depot employees is sweet, many are saying the reason this happened at all isn’t.
Shaun King, an American writer and activist, was one of the first notable people to comment on how the story was poorly framed by outlets such as Fox 5 DC.
“Logan is awesome. This workers who did this are awesome,” King wrote in an Instagram post. “But that it came to this is not awesome at all. It’s a failure of our healthcare and health insurance industry.”
Hundreds of people responded to King’s post with similar thoughts.
“Seriously. Beautiful and generous but so freaking wrong,” one person commented. While another wrote, “We’re at a point where we can’t afford to help our children walk.”
Thousands of others also shared their reactions on Twitter.
THIS IS AWESOME! Two-year-old Logan Moore needs a walker to get around but his family didn't know if insurance would cover for one, so his local Home Depot found parts to make it themselves.MORE: bit.ly/2YTichw
THIS IS AWESOME! Two-year-old Logan Moore needs a walker to get around but his family didn't know if insurance would cover for one, so his local Home Depot found parts to make it themselves.
This isn’t heartwarming. It’s an indictment of the US healthcare system.
397 people are talking about this
THIS IS AWESOME! Two-year-old Logan Moore needs a walker to get around but his family didn't know if insurance would cover for one, so his local Home Depot found parts to make it themselves.
THIS IS AWESOME! Two-year-old Logan Moore needs a walker to get around but his family didn't know if insurance would cover for one, so his local Home Depot found parts to make it themselves.
In the richest country in the world, disabled children have to rely on charity because for-profit insurance won’t pay for a walker?
This is not “AWESOME.”
752 people are talking about this
Overall, people have agreed that the actions of the Home Depot employees are inspiring, while the story itself should be seen as a call for necessary change.
THIS IS AWESOME! Two-year-old Logan Moore needs a walker to get around but his family didn't know if insurance would cover for one, so his local Home Depot found parts to make it themselves.
It's great that a Home Depot store stepped up and helped with the nightmare of a policy failure that is this family's story, but framing this as a win in any way is, at best, disingenuous journalism, and, at worst, straight propaganda.
197 people are talking about this
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