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News & ArtsThursday, October 29, 2009
Health Woman's Health Insurance Company Cancels Her Policy After She Was Raped
Posted by Dan Savage on Thu, Oct 29, 2009 at 10:23 AM
Something to bear in mind today during the debate about reforming the health insurance industry...
The woman who lost her coverage is a health insurance agent. Via HuffPo.
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It is too bad for this woman the Democrats are doing such an inept crappy job at healthcare reform.
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The entire damn insurance industry needs to be 100% nationalized and bring on single payer universal health care.
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@2 Because being raped shouldn't get in the way with you going about your daily duties (i.e. forking over your money to the private insurance bureaucracy that's about to rape you all over again)
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Once again proving that health insurance is a great thing to have . . . as long as you don't need it.
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If a health insurance agent can't get thru the hoops put in place in this current situation, then what hope do the rest of us have?
Now more than ever we need health care reform with a solid public option put in place.
Now more than ever we need health care reform with a solid public option put in place.
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@3 and 4
I completely agree on the need for single payer national health for everyone, period. However, given that that is not what we have at the moment, people do have responsibilities, whether or not they've had a crisis or not in their lives. I don't think sending in a premium is such a burden that it can't be managed by someone, even under duress. Is adult life to be free of responsibility after anything bad happens to you?
I completely agree on the need for single payer national health for everyone, period. However, given that that is not what we have at the moment, people do have responsibilities, whether or not they've had a crisis or not in their lives. I don't think sending in a premium is such a burden that it can't be managed by someone, even under duress. Is adult life to be free of responsibility after anything bad happens to you?
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@2 - is there a source that shows that to be true? She presents it as a fact in dispute (I paid the premium, they didn't receive it/didn't cash the check), so i Googled and can't find anything.
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@2 and elsewhere - Say she was properly cancelled. The issue to me is that she then was refused new coverage anywhere else because of the rape, subsequent medical treatment and therapy. Do you want a system where a "pre-existing condition" that warrants denial includes the fallout from rape? Outrageous.
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Another glorious victory for American Capitalist Greed!!! Hallelujah!
Since her story's got nation-wide attention now, her insurer will "generously" volunteer to cover her.
That's how it's done in this country:
"I don't give a damn if you were raped... Fuck you, bitch, gimme my money!"
"Oh, you've brought a camera with you? Please accept our sympathy at your horrible ordeal and allow us to pay for your hurting."
Fucking insurance companies.
Since her story's got nation-wide attention now, her insurer will "generously" volunteer to cover her.
That's how it's done in this country:
"I don't give a damn if you were raped... Fuck you, bitch, gimme my money!"
"Oh, you've brought a camera with you? Please accept our sympathy at your horrible ordeal and allow us to pay for your hurting."
Fucking insurance companies.
13
The real question is whether a private, for-profit system provides a more efficient bureaucracy and better return on investment when denying coverage to rape victims.
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she acknowledges it in the clip (I wasn't balancing checkbook to notice, etc...)
no doubt the company used that as an excuse to cancel her and it is crummy but they couldn't have and didn't cancel her because of the rape.
she acknowledges it in the clip (I wasn't balancing checkbook to notice, etc...)
no doubt the company used that as an excuse to cancel her and it is crummy but they couldn't have and didn't cancel her because of the rape.
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health care is an expensive and complicated and life-and-death issue.
mostly expensive.
sympathy and empathy are really nice but some cold hard judgements and decisions will have to be made if a workable solution is to be found.
cold hard facts are the starting point for that process.
a system that goes bankrupt in a few years and/or saddles our grandchildren with debt will do no one much good.
hope you feel better soon.
health care is an expensive and complicated and life-and-death issue.
mostly expensive.
sympathy and empathy are really nice but some cold hard judgements and decisions will have to be made if a workable solution is to be found.
cold hard facts are the starting point for that process.
a system that goes bankrupt in a few years and/or saddles our grandchildren with debt will do no one much good.
hope you feel better soon.
20
everybody wants good care.
everybody feels sorry for people like the lady in the video and think "somebody" should do something so she gets coverage.
NOBODY wants to or thinks they can pay more than they already are for health care.
those don't add up.
everybody feels sorry for people like the lady in the video and think "somebody" should do something so she gets coverage.
NOBODY wants to or thinks they can pay more than they already are for health care.
those don't add up.
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@14 - I interpreted her statement to mean "I sent in the check, but they are saying that they didn't receive it. I was distracted and never noticed that my check hadn't been cashed, so I didn't follow up and they dropped me." Of course I'm interpreting, because she didn't elaborate, but that's what I was thinking when I heard her say that.
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I agree with Cory.
I just don't get the point of the current American healthcare system, other to make money.
I just don't get the point of the current American healthcare system, other to make money.
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I'm assuming she conceded their position, of course she probably didn't have much/any choice.
her story does totally stink and is heartbreaking- the only solace is that she didn't contract HIV...
I'm assuming she conceded their position, of course she probably didn't have much/any choice.
her story does totally stink and is heartbreaking- the only solace is that she didn't contract HIV...
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@20 If OUR money stopped being sent to Iraq and Afghanistan for seriously questionable and likely illegal wars, there would be plenty of public funds in the system to cover everyone's basic health care. But then that would just mean more cash to pass on the the big insurance companies. What a fucking political capitalist shit hole we live in.
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I'm sorry, what was this video about? Anderson Cooper distracted me again with all that silver sexy
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The government borrowed $1.8 trillion this year.
It is our GRANDCHILDREN's money that is being sent to Iraq.
Spending THEIR money on OUR healthcare is not a solution.
The government borrowed $1.8 trillion this year.
It is our GRANDCHILDREN's money that is being sent to Iraq.
Spending THEIR money on OUR healthcare is not a solution.
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@26: Et al: Oooh, one of those "hard dose of reality" people. Here's another: You don't have a point.
Explain your fiscally responsible alternative, or shut the fuck up.
Explain your fiscally responsible alternative, or shut the fuck up.
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@22- That's exactly the point. The providers want to buy low and sell high, and the premium for quality is out of the reach of most consumers.
@26- Spending money on Iraq and Afganistan and maintaining the ability to destroy the world three times over doesn't make any sense. Investing in our healthcare system so that we the people can stop wasting our money lining the pockets of insurers, pharma and healthcare industry executives is a fantastic idea. It's just too bad we aren't actually going to do that, but instead we're doing a little tweaking to our messed up system. It'll help a little, but it's not nearly as good as a real single-payer system.
@26- Spending money on Iraq and Afganistan and maintaining the ability to destroy the world three times over doesn't make any sense. Investing in our healthcare system so that we the people can stop wasting our money lining the pockets of insurers, pharma and healthcare industry executives is a fantastic idea. It's just too bad we aren't actually going to do that, but instead we're doing a little tweaking to our messed up system. It'll help a little, but it's not nearly as good as a real single-payer system.
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let people pay for their own healthcare.
they buy their own food and clothes and housing.
it is a crazy radical idea but it worked in grandpa's day.
let people pay for their own healthcare.
they buy their own food and clothes and housing.
it is a crazy radical idea but it worked in grandpa's day.
31
Due to the massive percentage of American men 18-45 who served in WWII (and lesser percentages that served in Korea and Vietnam), Grandpa probably didn't pay for his own health care. He got it from the evil, evil federal government through the VA.
Since having been raped is treated as a "pre existing condition," this makes Wasilla's attempt to make rape victims (through their insurers) pay for the rape kit even more stupid. Suppose someone has been the victim of sexual assault, but does not require hospital-level medical treatment that flags her as a victim, and instead could go quietly to her gynecologist and ask for a battery of STD and pregnancy tests (which lots of women ask for after consensual sex, and don't raise a red flag of possible in the insurance file). By billing the rape kit to the insurance company, instead of having the city pay for a tool that assists them in finding a criminal, Wasilla helpfully notified insurance companies that they were covering someone who had been the victim of sexual assault.
Since having been raped is treated as a "pre existing condition," this makes Wasilla's attempt to make rape victims (through their insurers) pay for the rape kit even more stupid. Suppose someone has been the victim of sexual assault, but does not require hospital-level medical treatment that flags her as a victim, and instead could go quietly to her gynecologist and ask for a battery of STD and pregnancy tests (which lots of women ask for after consensual sex, and don't raise a red flag of possible in the insurance file). By billing the rape kit to the insurance company, instead of having the city pay for a tool that assists them in finding a criminal, Wasilla helpfully notified insurance companies that they were covering someone who had been the victim of sexual assault.
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@29: Are you suggesting that we do away with health insurance and let everyone pay out-of-pocket for whatever health care they need?
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You want medical care the way "Grandpa" got it?
In the 1950s, my family was covered by Blue Cross, which was then truly non-profit. The premiums were therefore reasonable, the co-pays negligible (compared to now.)
But looking back on all the health care required for our family of four over two decades, would now bankrupt a similar family several times over.
Yeah, your "Grandpa" paid for his health insurance and care, and he was able to do so on a middle class salary because non-profit insurance companies didn't pay $5,000 an hour for CEOs, millions of dollars to board of directors, or deny care to pad the profits of stockholders.
This current toxic health insurance system was brought to you by Nixon and company, aided and abeted by all the Republican governments since. Enjoying it?
If so, you haven't tried to use your insurance for major healthcare, yet. That's when you'll get the full flavor of "fuck you -die, bitch" from your health insurance company.
In the 1950s, my family was covered by Blue Cross, which was then truly non-profit. The premiums were therefore reasonable, the co-pays negligible (compared to now.)
But looking back on all the health care required for our family of four over two decades, would now bankrupt a similar family several times over.
Yeah, your "Grandpa" paid for his health insurance and care, and he was able to do so on a middle class salary because non-profit insurance companies didn't pay $5,000 an hour for CEOs, millions of dollars to board of directors, or deny care to pad the profits of stockholders.
This current toxic health insurance system was brought to you by Nixon and company, aided and abeted by all the Republican governments since. Enjoying it?
If so, you haven't tried to use your insurance for major healthcare, yet. That's when you'll get the full flavor of "fuck you -die, bitch" from your health insurance company.
34
@29: A hip replacement costs $30,000. My grandpa doesn't have that kinda money handy. Or he wouldn't if he weren't already dead from a treatable condition.
Your "solution" is to go back to the way things were a hundred years ago, premised on the fact that since you weren't alive at that time you presume things must have been hunky dory.
Your refusal to read a book, ever, does not mean you have facts on your side.
Your "solution" is to go back to the way things were a hundred years ago, premised on the fact that since you weren't alive at that time you presume things must have been hunky dory.
Your refusal to read a book, ever, does not mean you have facts on your side.
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By the way, where I can buy stock in "the guy calling himself 'grandpa' is a 35 year old white male who thinks the gov't should keep its hands off of Medicare"??
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30 so how about we pay for our healthcare and leave them a little of their own money to pay for theirs?
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@30 +...
oh no-
the Liberals get snarky and testy when someone tells them money doesn't grow on trees...
oh no-
the Liberals get snarky and testy when someone tells them money doesn't grow on trees...
39
I'd love to hear from the scores folks she screwed over in her 27 years working in the health insurance industry.
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@38: OOooh -- the truth hurts, and nobody but you has the GUTS to SEE it, man.
Still waiting for your plan. I'll cut you a break and assume your "Everybody should pay out-of-pocket" suggestion was a joke. Care to try again, brave little truth-man?
Still waiting for your plan. I'll cut you a break and assume your "Everybody should pay out-of-pocket" suggestion was a joke. Care to try again, brave little truth-man?
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Actually not a joke.
It is Econ 101 that if the consumer is paying for the product with his own money he will look for the best possible deal and providers will respond by innovating etc to keep prices as low as possible.
It works for cars and widgets and Lasik eye surgery.
When 3rd party payers (health insurance, government,etc) became common patients quit caring (or even knowing) how much care costs and providers responded to the lack of pressure to keep costs down by raising costs more and more.
Which is why, over that period of time, health costs have grown at much more than the rate of inflation.
Which is why health care is the ONLY field where technological advance does not reduce costs.
Lasik is terribly informative as the exception that proves the rule. Insurance usually doesn't cover it, patients usually pay out of pocket and costs have dropped steadily since the procedure was introduced.
Until some measure of economic feedback is reintroduced into health care costs will not be brought under control.
The fatal flaw of all health care reform proposals out there is that they do not address (or even acknowledge) this factor.
I suspect Obama and his fellow government-centrist Democrats do not even understand the phenomenon. The way anyone who has spent any time at all competing as a (small) businessperson in the freemarket instinctively understands.
btw the same effect is seen in tuition costs in states where lottery money is used to grant generous "scholarships" to college students- once a significant proportion of the 'consumers' (students) were no longer paying their own tuition the cost of tuition increased at a much greater rate than it had previously within the same states.
Actually not a joke.
It is Econ 101 that if the consumer is paying for the product with his own money he will look for the best possible deal and providers will respond by innovating etc to keep prices as low as possible.
It works for cars and widgets and Lasik eye surgery.
When 3rd party payers (health insurance, government,etc) became common patients quit caring (or even knowing) how much care costs and providers responded to the lack of pressure to keep costs down by raising costs more and more.
Which is why, over that period of time, health costs have grown at much more than the rate of inflation.
Which is why health care is the ONLY field where technological advance does not reduce costs.
Lasik is terribly informative as the exception that proves the rule. Insurance usually doesn't cover it, patients usually pay out of pocket and costs have dropped steadily since the procedure was introduced.
Until some measure of economic feedback is reintroduced into health care costs will not be brought under control.
The fatal flaw of all health care reform proposals out there is that they do not address (or even acknowledge) this factor.
I suspect Obama and his fellow government-centrist Democrats do not even understand the phenomenon. The way anyone who has spent any time at all competing as a (small) businessperson in the freemarket instinctively understands.
btw the same effect is seen in tuition costs in states where lottery money is used to grant generous "scholarships" to college students- once a significant proportion of the 'consumers' (students) were no longer paying their own tuition the cost of tuition increased at a much greater rate than it had previously within the same states.
43
This is why we need health care reform. screw up republicians who only care about profits, wrong thinking, and a danger to the usa.
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