Company as Caregiver

David Kratovil was diagnosed with stage 3 Hodgkins lymphoma on his 21st birthday. In order to treat the disease, he would need aggressive -- and expensive -- chemotherapy. His father and primary caregiver Dave didn't know how they would pay those bills, even though he had a job as a real estate agent in Marysville, Wa., a small town on the coast of the state known for its strawberry farms.

Maybe his salary wouldn't cover those bills, but his company ultimately would.

Dave (pictured above with son David) received a grant from his company, Keller Williams, a North American real estate agent with 650 offices across the U.S. and Canada, to help him with the unmet costs of his son's treatment. The company's charitable arm, KW Cares, gives grants to workers and their family members facing life-altering accidents, serious medical illnesses as hurricanes, floods, wildfires and house fires. Already in 2009, KW Cares has granted $550,000 to employees and their immediate families to cover costs like deductibles, medicine, therapies and rehabilitation services not covered by health insurance and have donated food, shelter, and clothing to those who needed it. Last year, the company gave $1,233,000 to 237 workers and their families. The money is raised through efforts at regional branches.

According to a recent Harvard study, via the National Coalition on Healthcare, "50 percent of all bankruptcy filings were partly the result of medical expenses." The elder Kratovil says that instead of worrying about paying the bills, the grant enabled the family to concentrate on "the things that are truly important: one another and David’s health and well being, while having peace of mind that he’s got a roof over his head and expenses are being met."

While the president is trying to push through health care reform this year, many will slip through the cracks. Luckily for its workers, one employer is happy to act as a safety net.