Boiled Over» doctors

The Health Insurance Industry is at it Again

Chad Stacey — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:54:59 +0000

You may already know that we have a major beef with the insurance industry. Yesterday I came across an article in CBS News pertaining to BCBS Of California. It seems that BCBS is up to some dirty tricks, “trying cut costs”. They are sending letters to doctors of newly insured people asking the doctor to “rat” them out if there are any discrepancies from their “true” medical condition, opposed to what was placed on the application. According to the article they are looking for preexisting conditions, including pregnancy that applicants were not truthful about. Luckily for the people of California the doctors are outraged and are sticking to their patient doctor confidentiality.

A spokeswoman for BCBS Shannon Troughton said

“Enrolling an applicant who did not disclose their true condition (and the condition is chronic or acute), will quickly drive increased utilization of services, which drives up costs for all members,”

She may be right in the fact that increased service may drive up the cost for members, BUT if someone controlled the cost of medical services, that would not be an issue. How can the hospital charge you ten dollars for an aspirin when you can buy a bottle of 100 for five bucks at the local pharmacy?

The issue about preexisting conditions is the most ridiculous thing out there. The people with these conditions need the insurance the most! How can you be denied coverage because you are sick or pregnant? Like I have said before have you very heard of an Insurance company that is losing money? NO they are the one industry that always makes a profit. The Fortune Global 500 shows that WellPoint the Indianapolis-based company that operates BCBS made over a three million dollar profit.

The National Coalition On Health Care states on their website

“Although nearly 47 million Americans are uninsured, the United States spends more on health care than other industrialized nations, and those countries provide health insurance to all their citizens. “

Why will the nation’s politicians not put a stop to this? I’ll tell you why, they all have health insurance and they can afford the additional costs that go along with medical care. Yes the Presidential Candidates have been talking about “reforming health care”, but most of what they are speaking about is providing affordable health insurance to everyone in the nation. When the real problem lies in the COSTS OF THE HEALTH CARE! It is like putting a band aide on an enormous gash of the sides of the American People.

For now the people of California have the doctors on their side.

“We’re outraged that they are asking doctors to violate the sacred trust of patients to rat them out for medical information that patients would expect their doctors to handle with the utmost secrecy and confidentiality,” said Dr. Richard Frankenstein, president of the California Medical Association.

Anthony Wright, executive director of HealthAccess California says it best

“They are playing a game of ‘gotcha’ where they are trying to use their doctors against their patients’ health interests. That’s about as ugly as it gets.”

I have a feeling it is going to get uglier as the medical costs and the amount of uninsured people rises things can not get better. Something must be done to regulate this industry, a Citizens for America group would be perfect, NO Politicians!

Watch the CBS News Report by Ben Tracy

Medicaid Predjudice

apaquette — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:33:56 +0000

I am a single mother working hard and going to school full time. I unfortunately receive no help from my daughter’s father. One complaint that I have is that she is eligible for Medicaid because of my income status. I however make too much money to receive any Medicaid benefits for myself. However my biggest complaint is that with a Medicaid card you are not eligible to receive care at all Dr’s offices. I do not think that any DR should be able to turn down medical patients because they have Medicaid. I understand the DR’s work hard for their degrees and are entitled to make the money that they have worked hard to get, however the fact that many people are looked down upon because they have Medicaid is ridiculous. This is also true for Medicare. These insurance benefits should pay just as much as a employer purchased medical insurance. Being a hard worker and trying to better myself through school for my child and myself it is disturbing to me that certain people look at me like I am a dead beat person and don’t want better for myself or my child because I present them with a Medicaid card for my daughters insurance. I think that it is partially the state that should mandate offices to participate with the Medicaid. It is really hard to find a provider that accepts Medicaid for dental and vision care. Not to mention the DR’s offices that don’t accept it either. I don’t think people who have Medicaid should get a less amount of service because of the financial state they are in. Also just recently I took my daughter in for an eye exam. She was given a choice of five pairs of glasses that Medicaid would cover. This is ridiculous. I would have even been willing to pay out of pocket for a small amount more then Medicaid will pay, however, they don’t allow you to do that. So out of hundreds of frames that they had available my daughter was only allowed to pick from 5. That is wrong and unfair treatment by medical and other facilities because of the insurance that she has. Not to mention all of the looks of disapproval that you get when your child is on Medicaid. People treat you and look at you like you are lazy and don’t want to work or that you are just mooching off of the system. I work hard and pay the same taxes as everyone else, that goes toward the health care also. I should not be looked at like a negligent parent or like a useless part of society because my daughter has Medicaid. It has been a struggle to receive the care that I think she is entitled to also. It is ridiculous and prejudice for people to assume that because of the type of medical insurance that she has. Medicaid should reform their system so that is will pay DR’s what their prices are and no one should be turned down because Medicaid doesn’t pay the “going” rate for coverage. Also, I am ineligible for Medicaid unless I spend over $400.00 out of pocket a month for my medical benefits. I don’t go to the DR very often and I am in fairly good health but the amount that I would have to spend on medical out of pocket before they would pick up the rest is almost more than I make in 2 weeks of work. This is ridiculous. This country is supposed to be the richest in the world and yet we continue to spend millions of dollars to help others before we help people that are in our own country. This is not the way we should take care of ourselves.

No Health Insurance Can Cause Your Death

Chad Stacey — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 12:41:11 +0000

It has been over five years now and this issue still makes me boil over on a daily basis. Health Care and Insurance is one of the biggest problems that face our country. A lot of the focus is on the children which is understandable, but it also affects millions of adults. The cost to just go to the hospital or emergency room is outrageous and could put someone in a very large debt if they do not have insurance.

My dad’s health was failing him at age 47 his heart was giving out. We have an awful history of heart disease in my family. Of my dad’s four siblings only two are surviving and both my grandparents past away due to heart related problems. Dad had his first heart related health issues in his early twenties so we always knew he wasn’t doing well. At the time of his death he had been working as a subcontractor, therefore in order to have health insurance he had to purchase it on his own. He could not afford to do that, so he avoided going to the doctors due to the bills he would incur. The last two weeks of his life he knew something was seriously wrong, he was drinking Mylanta by the gallon thinking he had heartburn. Two days before his death, my dad entered the emergency room because his arm went numb and he was having difficulty breathing. The hospital did some routine tests, but when my dad said that he could not afford the more expensive procedures the doctors released him. Knowing his health history and all the signs of a massive heart attack the doctor should have tried harder to do the tests or kept him there for observation. When you enter hospital you expect nothing but the best care possible, they are suppose there to help you. Needless to say at 5 am two days later my dad past way in the parking lot of a pharmacy where he went to buy Mylanta, thinking he had heartburn again, he had a massive heart attack.

Just because you do not have health insurance that should not affect the doctor or hospitals decision on treatment. Everyone should receive the same tests based on their symptoms not their ability to pay. Those of us who do have health insurance pay enough to cover those bills, hospitals always make a profit and have you ever seen a poor doctor?

We wanted to sue the hospital in hopes that they would think twice next time they encountered a patient without health insurance. The lawyers told us that since we did not rely on my dad to support us we could not do that. We just wanted to try and make a change, because I know right now there are other people in our country that face the same issues as this. They have either lost a loved one or are in failing health and scared of the bills.

My advice to you is demand the same care regardless of your financial situation for the sake of your family, your friends and your life.