DAMON HAD VIEWED THE PRODUCTION MEETING FROM HIS office via a video feed on his laptop. He’d watched with interest as Taylor spoke, noticing how similar her facial expressions were to Jeremy’s. It pleased him to see that his genetic influence was strong. That boded well for Evan.
He’d frowned, though, when she began detailing the story of the girl needing the heart transplant. On the one hand, it might be a good way to take the nation’s temperature on disabilities and the social utility of those unfortunate enough to have them. But the problem with the case Taylor wanted to use was that the child was attractive and sympathetic. People might be inclined to believe that she had something to offer society. That was no good.
These policy exclusions were his end run after his failure to get the Healthy Children Act bill through Congress. The bill required genetic testing for all pregnancies and the termination of those fetuses that showed evidence of any birth defects on the included list. Brody Hamilton had tried to sneak it through as a rider to a less controversial bill two years ago, but Malcolm Phillips had changed his vote at the last minute. That decision had cost Damon his bill, and Phillips his life.
But human nature being what it is, most people would do almost anything to avoid potentially bankrupting themselves, which is where his genius idea had come in—offering an affordable health insurance policy in exchange for a few exclusions. It accomplished the same thing as the bill would have, enforcing the termination of less than perfect children, but this way, people could retain the illusion of a clear conscience. After all, if the insurance company denied covering the pregnancy and the child, it was much easier to justify the decision to end the life and try again for a more perfect baby.
But now these damn ambulance-chasing attorneys with their lawsuits were putting everything in jeopardy. The Supreme Court case could go either way. The arguments from the plaintiffs had been compelling, but it would all come down to the law. The justices wouldn’t be swayed by an emotional argument. If Jefferson Health Care could prove that their policy exclusions had everything to do with economic decisions and nothing to do with discrimination, the court would have to side with them. Not all the claims denials involved patients in protected categories. Still, it was probably best to keep the story of the pretty little blond girl with a weak heart off Karen’s show. There had to be a better example, someone much less appealing.
He had watched Taylor closely to see how she’d react when he killed the story. She hadn’t buckled like many of his underlings would have. She had fire. That was his genetic influence, he was sure. He’d felt a grudging admiration for her, but of course he didn’t let her know that. He had to keep her in her place. This was his story, after all; she was just another cog in the wheel. But he’d speak to Karen about it later, have her smooth things over. He didn’t want to be too heavy-handed with Taylor, since he knew that Phillips had left her very well off, and the network didn’t have anything to hold over her to make her stay if they made her angry by interfering with her creative vision. He wanted her handled with kid gloves, to ensure she continued to come to this office with Evan for the time being. Once he had the boy, it wouldn’t matter anymore. Her usefulness would have run its course. Evan already knew his grandfather’s face and the sound of his voice. By the time he was ready to execute his plan, Evan would be so used to him, he wouldn’t think anything about the fact that Damon was his sole caregiver.