LifeSupport

LifeSupport saved my life, and I'll never be able to repay them. No... seriously. I'll never be able to repay the debt.
Elina Vogl, Dock Worker with Hegemony International

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ifeSupport is the corporate healthcare system offered by Hegemony International. Participants pay no premiums and it requires no upfront payment. This leads some to refer to it as "free" healthcare (and indeed, Hegemony International occasionally implies that it is free in their own documentation), but this is inaccurate.

History

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eginald Howell established LifeSupport for Hegemony's employees in 2020. It was created, ostensibly, as a way to raise the standard of living for his workforce. But critics have charged that it serves other, more sinister purposes.

Execution

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ifeSupport does not entirely replace national, socialized healthcare systems. Nor does it preclude the use of private health insurance. Instead, it serves several critical functions:

1. It provides healthcare for employees who work in countries that do not have socialized medicince.


2. It provides healthcare for employees who cannot afford private health insurance. (Or, for those who simply choose not to purchase private health insurance.)


3. It provides access to experimental treatments, pioneered through Hegemony Labs, that are not available to the general public.

Participants

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egemony International does not provide employer-subsidized health insurance. Employees are free to pursue healthcare in their country's government-based systems or to purchase their own health insurance. But if those employees wish to depend upon Hegemony for their healthcare needs, the only option offered to them is LifeSupport.

Not-So-Free

LifeSupport is sometimes erroneously labeled as "free" healthcare. More accurately, LifeSupport requires no upfront costs from employees. There are no premiums or deductibles. However, if employees receive care via LifeSupport, the cost for that care is added to their account. Employees who have a balance on their LifeSupport account then have a portion deducted from all subsequent paychecks until such time as their account is paid off. There is no interest or late fees generated from this account. But as long as an employee has a balance on their LifeSupport account, wage garnishment is compulsory.

Lifelong Debt

LifeSupport procedures are generally offered at a discount from their standard rate on the free market. But this does not mean that LifeSupport procedures are cheap, by any stretch. It is not uncommon for Hegemony employees to owe millions of bizkits to the company for their entire life. Executive management have their LifeSupport balances discharged at such time as they retire from the company. Non-executive staff enjoy no such benefit. And even executive staff remain "on the hook" for their LifeSupport care if they quit or are terminated for any reason.

Hegemony claimed they were able to save my Robert. But what came home most definitely was not my Robert.
Isaac Cox, Gnome with Hegemony International

No Liability

One of the primary benefits of LifeSupport care is the access provided to experimental procedures, developed by Hegemony Labs, that are not yet available to the general public. While such procedures can prove to be life-saving, they also require that the patient agree to any manner of experimentation that the company sees fit. LifeSupport enrollment also requires an extensive series of rock-solid release forms that absolve the company from any-and-all potential liability. No one has ever managed to successfully sue Hegemony International for malpractice stemming from LifeSupport treatment.

Related Organizations

• Hegemony International