LOS ANGELES, Feb. 22, 2008

Canceled Cancer Patient Awarded $9 Million

California Insurer Will Begin Using A Review Panel Before Dropping Policies

  • Hairdresser Patsy Bates owes almost $200,000 in medical bills after her insurance company, Health Net, pulled her policy in the middle of her cancer treatment. Photo

    Hairdresser Patsy Bates owes almost $200,000 in medical bills after her insurance company, Health Net, pulled her policy in the middle of her cancer treatment.  (CBS)

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(CBS/AP)  A woman who had her medical coverage canceled as she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer has been awarded more than $9 million in a case against one of California's largest health insurers.

Patsy Bates, 52, a hairdresser from Gardena, had been left with more than $129,000 in unpaid medical bills when Health Net Inc. canceled her policy in 2004.

Arbitration judge Sam Cianchetti ordered Health Net to repay that amount while providing $8.4 million in punitive damages and $750,000 for emotional distress.

"It's hard to imagine a situation more trying than the one Bates has had to endure," Cianchetti wrote in his findings. "The rug was pulled out from underneath, and that occurred at a time when she is diagnosed with breast cancer, one of the leading causes of death for women."

"I had cancer, my life was on the line, and these guys did not care, did not care at all," Bates told the CBS Evening News last November.

In fact, she was in the hospital getting prepped for surgery when she first learned Health Net was dropping her.

Some of the documents Health Net was forced to hand over revealed that senior analyst, Barbara Fowler, single-handedly dropped hundreds of policy holders like Bates from the rolls every year.

The shocker: the company awarded her bonuses based on how many policy holders she dropped.

The company called 2003 - the year Fowler dropped Patsy Bates - "a banner year" for her, for saving the company $6 million in what they call "unnecessary health care expenses."

"It has never affected how I performed my job duties," Fowler told CBS News, but Bates' attorney called that outrageous and illegal.

Bates, a mother of two, said she screamed when she heard about the damage award.

"I am elated," she said.

Bates' attorney William Shernoff said he wanted other insurers to take notice of the award.

"We are going to stop a put to this practice," he said.

Health Net said it was implementing a freeze on policy cancellations that would last until the company sets up a third-party review panel to scrutinize cases.

"Obviously we regret the way that this has turned out, but we are intent on fixing the processes to maintain the public trust," Health Net spokesman David Olson said.

Bates had previously been insured with another company but was persuaded to switch over to a Health Net policy after an agent suggested she could save money.

She said she had undergone surgery to remove the tumor and had received her first two chemotherapy treatments when doctors stopped treating her because her bills were going unpaid.

"I was devastated, I didn't know what was going to happen," Bates said. "It's boggling that someone can do that to you."

She went on to complete her cancer treatment through a state-funded program.

Health Net also said it would conduct a review of its practices and the way its brokers and agents are trained.

The award came a day after the Los Angeles city attorney sued Health Net, claiming it illegally canceled the coverage of about 1,600 patients. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo also said the company illegally ran an incentive program in which it paid bonuses to an administrator for meeting targets of policy cancelations.

Health Net acknowledged that such a program existed in 2002 and 2003 but was subsequently scrapped.

In his findings, Cianchetti wrote that "it's hard to imagine a policy more reprehensible than tying bonuses to encourage the recision of health insurance that helps keep the public well and alive."

© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Add a Comment See all 192 Comments
by beehive21-2009 February 22, 2008 7:51 PM PST
What BS , who can pay,her having cancer is no fault of societies,please go die in peace w/o asking us to pay your bills.
Reply to this comment
by rudy654-2009 February 22, 2008 7:53 PM PST
It is time to end the control of private health insurance over our lives. Time to put them out of business once and for all. Hear that Health Net???
Reply to this comment
by rudy654-2009 February 22, 2008 7:54 PM PST
Posted by beehive21 at 07:51 PM

Is there a nice rock you can go back and slither under????
Reply to this comment
by trmang February 22, 2008 8:10 PM PST
Beehive,

What do you think insurance is for? It''s to pay the bills so we don''t have to turn to others for help. Health Net should be ashamed of themselves.
Reply to this comment
by ladyephesus1 February 22, 2008 8:11 PM PST
What BS , who can pay,her having cancer is no fault of societies,please go die in peace w/o asking us to pay your bills.

Posted by beehive21 at 07:51 PM : Feb 22, 2008
________________________________________

Beehive that was a low cheap shot. If a retired judge came back and and gave that woman that much money, she deserved it. How would you like to be on your death bed and have someone tell you that your insurance says "Youre cancelled"!

Youre a loser!!
Reply to this comment
by ronaldstark February 22, 2008 8:17 PM PST
I''ve sat through countless depositions of insurance claims reps and VPs and execs of big companies and not one thing in this article surprises me one bit. Insurance is big business and big business is all about finding ways to decrease losses. Its the sad truth that all corporations run without sympathy for their customers these days.
Reply to this comment
by magoo2u1 February 22, 2008 8:18 PM PST
"What BS , who can pay,her having cancer is no fault of societies,please go die in peace w/o asking us to pay your bills."
Hold on here. SHE had a policy to help her with expenses if something happened and when she asked them them to keep the promise they made when they TOOK HER MONEY, they tried to cheat her. Relate this to your car insurance. NEXT wreck you have , go pay for it yourself annd don''t ask the rest of us insured with the same company to share the expense- just the profit please.
Reply to this comment
by observantx February 22, 2008 8:18 PM PST
Three people stood in front of the Pearly gates: a Doctor, A Nurse, and an HMO CFE.

St Pete asks the doc "Why do you belong in heaven?" The doc replies, "I spent all my life relieving people''s suffering and saving their lives."

Pete says "Hey, works for me, go on in"

Pete asks the nurse the same question and she says "I spent most of my working life standing beside the doctor trying to ease my patient''s suffering and comforting their families"

Pete says " Works for me, go on in"

When asked the crucial question, the HMO CEO says "Well, it takes a very entrepreneurial person to assume the fiduciary risks associated with with the Health care industry in the current risky financial environment."

St. Peter says ""OK. Works for me. But you can only stay three days."
Reply to this comment
by liberalme February 22, 2008 8:20 PM PST
What BS , who can pay,her having cancer is no fault of societies,please go die in peace w/o asking us to pay your bills.
Posted by beehive21

You can''t even be considered human!! Those words will come back to haunt you stupid! Cancer isn''t a selective disease.
I watched my brother die from melanoma, you better pray to God you don''t have to watch any family member suffer like that--but then, with a remark like that--you probably wouldn''t even care.
Reply to this comment
by wonderyman-2009 February 22, 2008 8:22 PM PST
Healthcare in the US is on par with countries like Bolivia or Ecuador.
Nowhere in Europe, Japan or Canada would this treatment be possible.
If/when the US opens relations to Cuba, the US will see it''s healthcare outsourced to Havana, who have thousands of highly qualified doctors and medical staff.
Reply to this comment
by ronaldstark February 22, 2008 8:22 PM PST
beehive is really a nice guy...when he''s 6 feet under. :-)
Reply to this comment
by liberalme February 22, 2008 8:24 PM PST
The sad thing is, many of the people who make those decisions have absolutely no medical training and have never stepped foot inside a college. I know, a friend of my daughters works for Cigna--
Reply to this comment
by cbsblogger February 22, 2008 8:31 PM PST
Say what you want about law suits. They serve a purpose in our society and change behaviors. Individuals like us should be able to personally sue government officials and police too.

When these health insurance *** find out it will cost them far more to screw their customers, they will mend their ways and start doing the righteous thing. Good for her.
Reply to this comment
by dakotaclark February 22, 2008 8:46 PM PST
Hmmm...

"The shocker: the company awarded her bonuses based on how many policy holders she dropped."

I believe there should be a special place in hell for Barbara Fowler, and all of her superiors.

Furthermore, this is the type of BAD situation, where there ought to be criminal charges.

It is time for the state and federal governments, to act as one and pass laws that make insurance companies responsible for their errors, and stop patient dumping from happening.

Remember, these are the same insurance companies that favor limiting the amount of awards to lawyers and plaintiffs who sue for medical negligence.

More than likely, these are the same insurance companies that have been supporting Bush II, and his draconian philosophies.


Reply to this comment
by mcv57 February 22, 2008 8:54 PM PST
Must be a different breed of Judge (no bribes), the Enron and Katrina victims had corrupt judges (including the U.S. Supreme court).
Reply to this comment
by ontheleft February 22, 2008 9:35 PM PST
Insurance companies love to take your premiums and give you ''peace of mind'' but they hate to pay out claims. It cuts too much into profits after all.
Reply to this comment
by kiwi_chick February 22, 2008 9:37 PM PST
Beehive...your real name wouldn''t be Barbara Fowler would it?
Reply to this comment
by bob48tech February 22, 2008 10:00 PM PST
I enjoyed the post liberalme!! It''s TIME for Americans to have a voice against the Big corporations that are playing GOD with people''s lives. I know what it feels like to have a doctor tell you to get out of the Hospital bed and go home when you can''t even hardly walk or start paying the hospital bills yourself. We can not continue to let Health Insurance companies decide who lives or who dies.If we do not have a voice in Washington starting in January 09 we must have a voice with our CASH and send Big business a message. Cut off purchases to companies that are inhumane or Anti-American. Could get painful for us to do without things we need but I guarantee it will be equally painfull for Companies shareholders and CEO''s.
Reply to this comment
by excoachken February 22, 2008 10:03 PM PST
Yes, Virginia, there is a need for a National Health Care Program.
Reply to this comment
by liberalme February 22, 2008 10:08 PM PST
Yes, Virginia, there is a need for a National Health Care Program.

Posted by exCoachKen at 10:03 PM : Feb 22, 2008

Agreed, if for no other reason but to terminate corporate greed!
Reply to this comment
by walt1944-2009 February 22, 2008 10:31 PM PST
The "Ferengi" economy of the Great Emperor Bush II is alive and well as its converts continue their never ending search for PROFIT!

One of the rules to achieve and maintain PROFIT, as stated in the Ferengi bible, The Rules of Acquisition" states that you cannot realize profit by spending money, therefore attack the causes that force you to spend money and eliminate them (in this case, cancel your customers policies and don''t pay their claims)!

Of course, by doing so, you run the risk of attracting a lot of bad publicity as well as a bad reputation through angry word of mouth advertising, but who cares, as long as there is someone out there to make a PROFIT off of!!!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!
sig heil, McCain???
Reply to this comment
by mdcain February 22, 2008 11:02 PM PST
Walt 1944 Tell me how President Bush is connected to this story?? Are you that wacked?? And seig hiel McCain??? I find that very offensive and tastless as well. I would venture to say that you don''t know what that word means to some folks, but then again you probley don''t care. To some that word brings shear terror. I''ll bet you are a democrat. I''ll bet you like Mr Obama. Yeah I would want a person in the White House who will not say the Pledge of Allegence..like a hole in the head....Anyway you go on and blame President Bush for this total screw up by a greedy health company. Next year you will blame someone else...........
Reply to this comment
by incog-nito February 22, 2008 11:11 PM PST
Why Americans would hand over their health care decisions to companies whose only goal is to rake in as much money as possible while paying out as little as possible is beyond comprehension.
Reply to this comment
by rudy654-2009 February 22, 2008 11:13 PM PST
Posted by mdcain at 11:02 PM

Well if his rant was bad, yours was pathetic. Sheeesh!
Reply to this comment
by mygramma February 22, 2008 11:17 PM PST
I hope Barbara Fowler and Health Net, Inc. burn in hell for what they did to this poor woman and thousands of others. Hey Barbara, how does it feel to be the lowest life form on earth????
Reply to this comment
by randynason February 22, 2008 11:41 PM PST
I''m glad for Patsy Bates. Companies like Health Net need to be dismantled and destroyed for good. To allow garbage like these companies to exist and "serve" the people at all is a sin and just plain wrong. They are parasitic scum.
Reply to this comment
by rushlimbaug4 February 22, 2008 11:45 PM PST
Loyal listeners and those scum who do not listen to my awe inspiring radio show, greetings!

Any Regulation of corporate power and will is tantamount to treason! Filthy unworthy leeches like cancer, heart patients or any other ailments should be dumped out of the health insurance system and barred from suing these outstanding and patriotic Health Insurance Institutions!

Health insurance does not exist to share risk among our citizenry, but to enrich a select few executives and their friends. Lets not stand in the way of reasonable multibillion dollar golden parachutes and similar necessary bonuses to the only citizens that really count in America!

May God Bless those who are truly worthy!
Reply to this comment
by bobbyduck1 February 22, 2008 11:49 PM PST
regarding Posted by mdcain at 11:02 PM

This type of business outrage has grown virtually unabated under the Bush regime - Enron execs laugh about their new strategy at a party with Bush even before his 5 black-robed sycophants forced the coup d''etat down America''s throats....and on and on and on - deregulate and here goes the mortgage crisis - pay so much attention to the Iraq blunder that virtually any well-heeled corporate entity can simply plunder the public with relative impunity.

Universal health care is essential to the nation''s well-being and is now available in every civilized country in the world, except America. Well-connected corporate greed in the only obstacle - along with mindless followers of the neo-con wing of the GOP chanting words like "Socialized medicine" as if were some evil communist plot.

I have lived in Canada now for all of the Bush years and I can tell you first hand that even though the Canadian system, like all systems, has flaws, NO-ONE is denied life-saving treatment and NO-ONE has to stress about it. That fact alone makes it worthwhile for everyone.

Perhaps if your life-or-death medical treatment had been withheld by the company in question, you might wake up. I hope it never happens to you.
Reply to this comment
by psk123-2009 February 23, 2008 12:22 AM PST
Insurance companies are in business to MAKE money, not to SPEND it on those of us who find ourselves suddenly in need of care. On the other hand, those of us that purchace health insurance (usually at astronomical prices) do so with the expectation that should we need to use it it will be there.

It seems to me that God has become the almighty dollar, and screw everyone else.
Reply to this comment
by b-easy63 February 23, 2008 12:48 AM PST
This happens a lot. Blue Cross Blue Shield tried to drop my mother in the middle of her cancer treatments. They said they had determined that she was probably going to die anyway, so saw no need to keep paying for what they determined was useless chemo. In their defense they cited reports that my mom''s cancer was almost 100% fatal (small cell lung cancer) their threat lasted about 24 hours. Within the hour of finding out, my sister (who is an RN) called me and told me--I had my lawyer get a lawyer for my mother, an injunction was about to be issued by a judge and lo and behold, within 24 hours the company decided that it was worth their while to pay the claims until my mom either got better or died. My mom and dad had BC/BS for over 30 years--rarely got sick until this cancer--if they don''t want to pay these kinds of bills--they need to stop taking the gamble.
Reply to this comment
by February 23, 2008 12:50 AM PST
Health companies like HealthNet should be padlocked forever and the assets seized by the state to cover the damages it has inflicted on those insured whose policy has been canceled. The administrators of these type of companies should be injected with the most virulent bacteria and let them suffer without their own insurance coverage
Reply to this comment
by tpeks40 February 23, 2008 12:54 AM PST
Good for her and *** those cheap HMO''s. They deserve to be slammed. I hope they get 25 more $9 million lawsuits against them, maybe then they''ll wake up, better yet, I hope the same thing happens to one of their loved ones, the cheap ba$tards
Reply to this comment
by b-easy63 February 23, 2008 12:55 AM PST
Yes, Virginia, there is a need for a National Health Care Program.

Posted by exCoachKen at 10:03 PM : Feb 22, 2008

Agreed, if for no other reason but to terminate corporate greed!

Posted by liberalme at 10:08 PM : Feb 22, 2008


[SIGH] don''t you people get it? The "corporate greed won''t stop" it will be just like car and home owners ins--except you won''t have a say in cancelling this policy and getting a better one more suited to your family and circumstance. On the surface this looks like it is geared to help us all--but in reality, it is a bid to ins and the health and pharm industry--to have a captive payer with a payee who is spending money that is not theirs. You guys better follow the special interest back to Hilary and who ever else is for this. When we all have this Universal care, what is to stop them from charging even more than they get now--and since it is not their own money what is to stop our government from shrugging their shoulders and requiring each and everyone of us to ante up? Monopolies are dangerous things--but especially suspect when we are told they are for our "own good".
Reply to this comment
by b-easy63 February 23, 2008 12:58 AM PST
Why Americans would hand over their health care decisions to companies whose only goal is to rake in as much money as possible while paying out as little as possible is beyond comprehension.

Posted by incog-nito at 11:11 PM : Feb 22, 2008


You''ll get an up and close quick lesson in why if you or someone you love ever gets cancer and you don''t have insurance.When those 2 to 300 thousand in bills, and transplants hit you--bet you will understand why people take out insurance to help defray those costs. It''s not rocket science--if you don''t know it is because you are either too young or too self centered to realize insurance is to pad against potential bad times in health --which eventually happens to everyone.
Reply to this comment
by rwolf01 February 23, 2008 1:03 AM PST
Am I the only one who noticed that the *private* insurance gave her the paperwork run-around while her sucessful cancer treatment was actually paid for by a *state* program?

Suddenly national healthcare doesn''t look so bad!

Just about every civilized country on earth has national health care, except the US. We say we can''t afford it, yet we spend more per-capita on health care than anyone... Unless we are totally lame, we should be able to copy sweden, canada or germany''s system and save money!

Where does the money we are spending now really go? Does it go to patient care or fat bonuses for weasels?

Let''s give national health care a try.... Pay the doctors, serve the patients and fire the weasels!
Reply to this comment
by blazercoach1 February 23, 2008 1:04 AM PST
Bobbyduck,

Support for this woman against this company goes ACROSS party lines. Stop demonizing people who would agree with you.

Now for a few fact-checks. Enron filed for bankruptcy in 2001, meaning that it was conducting its illegal practices during the CLINTON administration.

If Bush had 5 "sycophants" on the Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade would be overturned. Are you suggesting Sandra Day O''Connor was a Bush sycophant?

As for the Canadian system of socialized medicine, it may not be YOUR experience that anyone is denied life-saving treatment, but don''t speak for everyone. My wife had a progressing case of pneumonia that went untreated for several days because she couldn''t get IN to see the doctor in Canada. She went back to the states and got care immediately. By the time she got help, the doctors said she was only a day or two away from maybe not coming home.

So 1) stick to fact based opinions and 2) respect that your experience may not be everyones.

Cordially,
Reply to this comment
by incog-nito February 23, 2008 1:05 AM PST
b-easy63: Take it easy. We all need financial protection from a catastrophic medical event. I''m just pointing out the inherent conflict of interest in relying on a for-profit business to make life-or-death decisions. Personally, I''m for some kind of universal health care.
Reply to this comment
by irisheyes555 February 23, 2008 1:05 AM PST
Congratulations to Ms Bates. beehive21 should go to h*ll. Health insurance companies be forced to become nonprofit organizations. They are amoral. Greedy executives at the top get rich and fat over killing people. Wow, what a wonderful country. Health Net should be driven out of business. Blue Cross too. These are reasons the government should intervene and make universal health insurance available. If insurance companies were ethical, government would not need to do this.
Reply to this comment
by incog-nito February 23, 2008 1:18 AM PST
blazercoach1: I agree. It''s not enough to rely on anecdotal evidence to argue which health care system is best. You can always find horror stories everywhere. Instead we should look at more systematic studies, such as one by the World Health Organization, that found that the U.S. ranks 37th in the world, behind all the other industrialized with so-called "socialized" medicine. This, despite spending the most per capita on health care.

Of course there are always people who choose to this study offhand, and rely on anecdotal or hearsay evidence instead.
Reply to this comment
by incog-nito February 23, 2008 1:32 AM PST
The following is an excerpt from the WHO study:

"The World Health Organization has carried out the first ever analysis of the world''s health systems. Using five performance indicators to measure health systems in 191 member states, it finds that France provides the best overall health care followed among major countries by Italy, Spain, Oman, Austria and Japan.

The findings are published today, 21 June, in The World Health Report 2000 %u2013 Health systems: Improving performance*.

*Copies of the Report can be ordered from bookorders@who.ch.

The U.S. health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance, the report finds. The United Kingdom, which spends just six percent of GDP on health services, ranks 18 th . Several small countries %u2013 San Marino, Andorra, Malta and Singapore are rated close behind second- placed Italy."

The study was published in 2000. I seriously doubt that health care in the U.S. has considered improved since then. In fact, all evidence points to the contrary.
Reply to this comment
by rudy654-2009 February 23, 2008 1:34 AM PST
Posted by b-easy63 at 12:55 AM

Sigh! Don''t you get it??? What we have in this country that passes for health care is absolute KRAPP!!! If the US ranks 37 in health care that should tell you something. Government employees get non-privatized government provided health care insurance. They do not receive their coverage like the rest of us through private insurance. They do not have to worry about being canceled or having previous conditions for which they won''t be covered. We who support this goverment with our taxes should at least have the same opportunities as they do.
Reply to this comment
by beehive21-2009 February 23, 2008 1:36 AM PST
Stop thinking you people have a right to live forever,lots more will get cancer,it does not mean it''s pay day .Everyone wants to be paid off greed is ruining the America way of life.everyone of us is going to die it''s evolution so check out quietly and don''t expect society to pay your way, the $$ is BS,we need it for education,homeless,and you want to waste it,you people are weak,and it will kill you.
Reply to this comment
by incog-nito February 23, 2008 1:42 AM PST
You always know when wingnuts come onboard: The board quickly deteriorates.
Reply to this comment
by b-easy63 February 23, 2008 1:44 AM PST
Posted by b-easy63 at 12:55 AM

Sigh! Don''''t you get it??? What we have in this country that passes for health care is absolute KRAPP!!! If the US ranks 37 in health care that should tell you something. Government employees get non-privatized government provided health care insurance. They do not receive their coverage like the rest of us through private insurance. They do not have to worry about being canceled or having previous conditions for which they won''''t be covered. We who support this goverment with our taxes should at least have the same opportunities as they do.

Posted by rudy654 at 01:34 AM : Feb 23, 2008


I agree that something must be done--but before handing ourselves and tax money to this program part and parcel--we need to examine the agenda of those who want it, the loopholes they left to be exploited, and which companies are maneuvering into position to exploit them. Iraq, Bush, NAFTA and other debacles ought to teach us the folly of rushing into something or starting a process that ultimately harms us and others and is difficult to reverse.
Reply to this comment
by rudy654-2009 February 23, 2008 1:49 AM PST
Posted by b-easy63 at 01:44 AM

TO say that we are "rushing" into universal health care is an extreme exaggeration. If anything, this country has been moving at a snail''s pace towards anything that even looks remotely promising. Seriously, all I ever see is opposition getting in the way. The opposition never ever has an alternative other than keeping it as miserable as it has always been.
Reply to this comment
by sparks224 February 23, 2008 1:53 AM PST
$9 Million?
It should have been $900 Million.
Health Insurance executives are the lowest form of life on Earth.
Someone should be going to jail.
Reply to this comment
by b-easy63 February 23, 2008 1:57 AM PST
Posted by blazercoach1 at 01:04 AM : Feb 23, 2008

it is also true that few systems are truly "Universal" as people think. I was born in England and have lived there and in Holland. First of all, miscarriages and pregnancies are handled at home with occasional visits by a midwife. Most colds and sore throats or infections are allowed to resolve themselves and antibiotics are rarely given. In holland, where taxes can reach as high as 70% of one''s salary, everyone is not entitled to the care that is taken out of the taxes. Those who make over (in 1993) 35K have to buy private insurance and are not allowed to avail themselves of the programs that they help to pay for. Although in Holland one can get into see a doctor pretty easily if one has private insurance, if you have the public care, you have to wait. Some procedures which are determined to be elective there, are not elective here (like bad hips and knees, or tonsilitis....migraines, allergies like hayfever) for those types of problems the wait can be measured in months or even a year or two and it may also be determined to not be necessary and a person is sent to alternative care.
Reply to this comment
by b-easy63 February 23, 2008 2:00 AM PST
When I had a miscarriage in Holland, I was sent home and told to labor and deliver the fetus myself. I was to save the tissue and call the clinic to make an appointment to be examined after--and we had private insurance. So I went home knowing I had a dead baby in me and waited the 3 days it took for my body to finally go into labor. That labor is just as painful as regular delivery (I was 4 months pregnant and I had to deliver the baby and carry it back to the hospital. Many countries in Europe use a lot of alternative medicines such as acupuncture and natureopathy. and homeopathy. These are much cheaper and the practitioners help to relieve the burden of providing care for so many. Does the system work? In a way..but there is no panacea and those who purport to rush into Universal care, better realize there is a down side--like substandard care and the fact that if the entire system is Government controlled it is usually not state of the art. But that is not what American is planning to do--they plan to become a single payer system with the hospitals and ins and pharm companies remaining capital businesses. Interesting how long the rates will stay down under such a system. Or if it will abused to the point of being discarded. We should all remember--genies are easy to remove from the bottle--not so easy to put back --so as we proceed towards Universal care--we should all tread carefully and consider the pitfalls as well as success of other countries programs.
Reply to this comment
by rudy654-2009 February 23, 2008 2:00 AM PST
Posted by beehive21 at 01:36 AM

NO beehive. For example, some may feel that spending money on mental cases like yourself is a waste of our money. Hitler felt that mental patients such as yourself should be gassed. I disagree. I think you are worth the money and time needed to make you healthy again.
Reply to this comment
by irliberal February 23, 2008 2:01 AM PST
I don''t really believe in Karma, but if I did, then Beehive and Michaelt304 have HUGE red targets on their butts. It might be best to stay at least 100 yards away from them at all times. lol!
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