Comments on: Blue Cross To Docs: Help Cancel Coverage

Calif. Health Insurer Sends Letters Asking Physicians To Report Pre-Existing Conditions

[bobnjersey]

[Wake up people! Blue Cross is an insurance COMPANY. COMPANIES exist to make the most money they possibly can. That is not evil, it is capitalism. If you are willing to allow COMPANIES to control your health care, this is what you get.]
[Posted by rf35 at 05:26 PM : Feb 12, 2008]

capitalism in the health business yields the evil ... cause they don''t care about health ... just money. the only problem is ... they''re in the bad health mitigation business ... or at least that''s what their premium payers think.

of course ... since the ''more money'' comes from actually not providing mitigation to health problems ... there''s just a little something wrong w/ the model.

[iceman_1960]

"When you fill out an insurance application, you are agreeing to release your doctor''''s records to the insurnace company. It''''s in that big paragraph right above where you sign."
- Posted by hawksprings at 05:17 PM : Feb 12, 2008

I knew there was some subtle catch there someplace.

But we"re talking about doctors going out of their way to call up the insurer and report things.

When you are dealing with doctors and patients, sometimes humane considerations occur that bend the written rules.

My brother was being treated for an asthma-like condition that later turned out to be just a little cat allergy. His doctor knew that he was switching insurers, so he told him he would not list this as asthma on the records, just a seasonal allergy -- which is close to what it turned out to be.

Human patients are more than numbers on an accountant"s balance sheet.

[wango2007-2009]

There''''s nothing new about this.

I repeat: The Moral of this story is DON''''T LIE ON YOUR APPLICATION!

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hawksprings, I think you must work for the insurance industry, because you couldn''t just be a moralists.

1. There have been many cases where the insurance companies have constructed forms that make it IMPOSSIBLE to report what they later wish to know when they want to cancel you.

2. Insurance agents COMMONLY say, "oh, the insurance company isn''t concerned about that" when you ask them about some issue. They only want the commission, not provide help in completing the complex forms.

3. Health insurance companies have a track record off TWISTING information put on forms if they want to cancel you.

Is lying immoral... if it is lying, yes. That''s why it is THEIR responsibly to check the facts BEFORE they issue a policy. Only SLEAZY insurance companies, like Blue Cross of Cal would enlist doctors as snitches. THAT is immoral. Denying coverage to increase corporate profits is also immoral.

[crusherking]

rp44_63 wrote"Dear "crusherking", you poor pathetic moron. You''''ve been suckered by republicans"

Really? Thats why I did the research. Thats why I understand the problems with Billary''s socialist plan. I think you are the one being blinded by and lied to by the Liberalist socialist party called the democrats. For example.

If you don''t accept the plan.. You''re on it anyway and she''ll garnish your wages.
Taxes will DRAMATICALLY increase. Do the math.
Doctors won''t make more than 70k? WOW! Glad I decided against a career in medicine!!!

Cradle to grave?? Yeah.It''ll tax you to death!!! And if it doesn''t, how competent and motivated do you think your surgeon''s going to being knowing that he only gets 70k? Yeah.. I''m the moron because I actually know what I am talking about..

[bobnjersey]

[If there is one thing I would like to see changed is pre-existing disqualifications. Let me explain ...]
[Posted by aeasus at 05:18 PM : Feb 12, 2008]

in most cases ... it''s only pre-existing because there''s no continuity in medical coverage across employers ... which there should be.

the absurd cost of medical insurance ... and the tie to the employer will ultimately lead to all employees to paying their own way ... or all good paying jobs will be outsourced because american companies will no longer be able to compete.

[crusherking]

Well Rp44-63, I did compare other health systems and the one you are supporting is a government provided healthcare system just as they have in Canada. Don''t see how its any different. Sure if you present a plan for privatized, personal healthcare for life that does not require anyone to sign up for it or force me to pay 1/2 my salary in taxes, i''d be interested in reviewing. As of now, I have not seen anyone propose anything even close. I have seen what Billary wants to do, Garnish your wages to force you to subscribe to her socialist healthcare system and pay for it with tax increases. That is WRONG! So if I am missing something here, like a plan you have proposed or support that is privatized, please elaborate.

SBBM And just FYI, born, raised and still American.

[rf35]

Wake up people! Blue Cross is an insurance COMPANY. COMPANIES exist to make the most money they possibly can. That is not evil, it is capitalism. If you are willing to allow COMPANIES to control your health care, this is what you get.
"One of the conditions noted in the letter that could force a new patient to be dropped by Blue Cross - pre-existing pregnancies."
This is so wrong on so many levels, yet it is the COMPANY''S right to make money any way it can. Morality and ethics have no place in corporate business. When Americans did nothing to stop COMPANIES from taking over their health care, we asked for this.

P.S. Dr. Richard Frankenstein...are you sh*ttin'' me?

[hawksprings]

"My neighbor worked for NCR and was laid-off. Some time later he landed a job at Intel. During his 90 day prebenefit employment he complained of abdominal pain but was afraid of it being deemed pre-existing before his medical kicked in. I couldn''''t get him to see a doctor. He died of appendicitus complications weeks later. This was a sad way to lose a friend."
Gary Phillips R.I.P.
Posted by aeasus

That is very sad.

[hawksprings]

Wango2007,

They''re not doing anything they haven''t done for years.

If you buy health insurance, and then soon after turn in a claim for, let''s say ulcers, the insurance company is going to say, "Hmm, I wonder if they had ulcers before they bought our insurance?" And they will request the doctor''s records and see if it was a pre-existing condition that you didn''t reveal on the app.

There''s nothing new about this.

I repeat: The Moral of this story is DON''T LIE ON YOUR APPLICATION!

[aeasus]

If there is one thing I would like to see changed is pre-existing disqualifications. Let me explain.

My neighbor worked for NCR and was laid-off. Some time later he landed a job at Intel. During his 90 day prebenefit employment he complained of abdominal pain but was afraid of it being deemed pre-existing before his medical kicked in. I couldn''t get him to see a doctor. He died of appendicitus complications weeks later. This was a sad way to lose a friend.
Gary Phillips R.I.P.

[hawksprings]

"I thought the ethics of physicians" confidentiality would prevent them from "ratting" their patients out to their insurers."
Posted by Iceman_1960

When you fill out an insurance application, you are agreeing to release your doctor''s records to the insurnace company. It''s in that big paragraph right above where you sign.

[iceman_1960]

The ethics OF...

"I thought the ethics of physicians" confidentiality would prevent them from "ratting" their patients out to their insurers."

[iceman_1960]

I thought the ethics physicians" confidentiality would prevent them from "ratting" their patients out to their insurers.

I guess not.

Blue Cross should also appeal to all the Catholic priests in California, to report if anybody has admitted in the confessional that they lied on their insurance forms.

[wango2007-2009]

Posted by hawksprings

Excuse me people, but if someone LIES on their application, then the insurance company should have every right to cancel their coverage.

-----------------------

hawksprings, You have missed the point ENTIRELY.

WellPoint Inc / Blue Cross of California want to turn doctors in to cops or informers. That''s just evil. Insurance companies hould not give coverage until they themsleves have done an investigation.

Insurance companies have long used so-called "pre-exisitng conditions" to deny payments and kill off customer/patients that would hurt their profits.

No one can defend WellPoint Inc/ Blue Cross of California. No one should. They are a menance to humanity as are all other such companies that profit from pain and suffering.

[hawksprings]

The moral of this story is "Don''t Lie on your health insurance application."

Or maybe Hillary will make a law saying that you can lie on your app with no consequences.

Besides, when you apply for health insurance, many companies request doctors'' records, so they''ll catch you lying when you apply.

[iceman_1960]

My "Basic Blue" Blue Cross premiums have been increased 12% a year in the past two years, although my health is very good and I"ve only filed one claim: for x-rays related to a broken finger.

[jwrhea]

Be careful of what you wish for. Any national healthcare coverage must be paid for. And you cant get money from the unemployed. They will deduct it from the paychecks of anyone who works. (hillary is actually promoting this idea) So if you can afford 40 to 50 bucks a week from your paycheck to pay for national health care your far better off than I.

[tejasdemo]

Go to hell Blue Cross

[sharncedar]

You fools - you aren''t going to get squat. The government from top to bottom talks all day about cutting social benefits to pay for the wars, and that includes hillary "devil-worshiper" Clinton who has already criticized Social Security and the other "entitlements".

How could you even imagine that you will get free health care? The talk amonst the evil leaders is that Americans are too lazy, too selfish, too expensive and the whole problem with the economy is that they get oo many entitlements and benefits.

Hillary and her satainc friend are going to cut your benefits, not increase them. It''s liek the fools who didn''t bother to read Mein Kampf - Hillary states right out she is going to cut benefits, just listne to her, hear what she says, not what you hope she says. Her "health care plan" requires you to buy insurance, it doesn''t give anything to anyone.

[crusherking]

McVet= obviously off his rocker and blinded by his hate.

Rp44_63= Delusional if you think that Socialist healthcare is the way to go. Check out the healthcare system in Canada eh.. It sucks!!! And to top it off. Check out how much tax they pay to maintain that miserable healthcare system. It sucks too. The idea of Universal Healthcare is wonderful, but the reality is that it will only drag down the system as a whole. Please research this issue before you support something that will completely destroy the level of healthcare we have now.