Nothing Intimidates Health Insurers Like the Public Health Insurance Plan

[marmar]

from OurFuture.org:




Nothing Intimidates Health Insurers Like the Public Health Insurance Plan
By Monica Sanchez

June 19, 2009 - 11:37am ET


Most people don’t trust health insurance companies and with good reason. They are a powerful industry that is not easily prodded, pushed or intimidated into doing the right thing by their members.

Insurance companies routinely abuse the trust of patients and providers alike. A new report by Health Care for America Now outlines the habitual abuses perpetrated be health insurance companies, including leaving patients with high out-of-pocket costs, denying coverage for medically necessary care, preventing doctors from delivering care they feel is best for their patients, and unduly delaying reimbursement to patients and providers.

The report demonstrates how health insurance companies repeat the same abuses over and over again, despite being reprimanded and fined by state insurance agencies. For example, the report notes how the Texas Department of Insurance has fined United Healthcare millions of dollars for violating the state's prompt payment law. The 2007 fine, $4.4 million dollars, was “the second time in two years and the fourth time since 2001 that Texas fined United Healthcare for the same type of violation.”

But Texas is not the only state where United Healthcare has perpetrated that particular abuse. The report also gives examples of similar fines being levied in Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Insurance companies are clearly not intimidated by state regulators. These companies seem to consider the fines they incur just the cost of doing business. How much money must they be saving by breaking prompt payment laws if they are willing to keep violating the law over and over again? ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2009062519/nothing-intimidates-health-insurers-public-health-insurance-plan