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HEALTH PLANS: More of the same bad behavior?

This article, Sick but Insured? Think Again by Lisa Girion at the Los Angeles Times is why she’s been slow to respond to my email about the AHIP quote from last week. No matter. It’s the same meme about California health insurers retrosprctively cancelling sick people’s insurance on very flimsy grounds.

What I can’t tell is if this is a new story or just a human interest piece on the same issue. Wellpoint’s Blue Cross unit is already in deep “discussions” with both the patients’ legal team and the state’s DMHC from the cases reported earlier this year. There were reports that California’s Blue Shield (not related to Wellpoint or Blue Cross) is also being examined, and the story features them doing the same thing. By the way, if you look carefully at the comments from the AHIP piece last week, you’ll see that Pacificare/United is accused of the same thing too.

So it’s safe to say that everyone is at it. And it’s therefore safe to say that the individual market sucks.

 

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3 replies »

  1. While vitamins and food supplements for the underfed. We live in an unbalanced world. A traditional saying goes – some would die of malnutrition while others would fatten themselves to death.

  2. To demonstrate the total incompetance of my HMO Pacificare, I will describe the events of August 11, 2006 thru September 15, 2006, about 1 month’s time.
    Believe it or not, I think my HMO thinks that I am a senior citizen. They cancelled my policy August 11, sent me my September Premium bill August 27, cashed my payment September 3, and now they sent me an important notice that I must save because it is proof I had prescription drug coverage.
    Apparently, I need this letter so I am not penalized by Medicare when I sign up for Plan D coverage. What a relief, can you imagine what the penalty might be in the year 2037 when I turn 65?
    Hopefully I don’t forget where I saved it by then. Maybe I will save it with the recent AARP Card I also received. Oh and a company named Legend has offered me home delivery for my Medicare drugs as well.
    Can’t wait for 2037 to finally arrive because that will probably be my next health insurance coverage anyway!!
    Thank you Pacificare for looking out for “us” seniors, but what I really need is managed care, not geriatric care!!

  3. Matthew,
    I would be interested in your reaction to Wellpoint’s announcement this morning outlining substantive changes in its recission policies and procedures. Sounds like a step in the right direction, at least. Better late than never.