Wisconsin women fight back against insurance companies.

[postulater]

From a press release:

"A group of Wisconsin women have filed a federal class action lawsuit against six major health insurers on behalf of all chiropractic patients in the state.

The suit, filed in early July in U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, alleges the insurance providers violated state law by requiring chiropractic patients to pay a co-payment for each visit, essentially covering the cost of their own care. Since 1987, Wisconsin has required insurance companies to cover chiropractic care.

Insurance companies have set up a system where they maintain that they cover chiropractic care, but at the same time require patients to pay a co-payment that represents all or a substantial portion of the chiropractor’s charges for that visit, effectively excluding coverage by shifting the cost of the visit to the patient, said Erin Dickinson, an attorney with Hansen Riederer Dickinson Crueger LLC, Milwaukee, which is representing the plaintiffs.

“This case is a really big deal for patients,” Dickinson said. “A lot of people are loyal to their chiropractor because they don’t want to do surgery. ”

The class action complaint contends the insurance companies have been raising the co-payments for chiropractic patients, while either reducing or holding the amount they allow chiropractors to charge for their services.

UnitedHealthcare, Wisconsin Physicians Services Insurance Corp. (WPS), Humana, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Wisconsin, Network Health Plan and Compcare Health Services were named as defendants in the lawsuit."

This suit has the potential to force Wisconsin insurers to write full copay refund checks (plus penalties equaling 1 to 3 times the refund)to everyone who has paid for chiropractic services within the last five or six years. Based on the way the law is written it has good chance at succeeding. Ultimately it could cost those insurers a couple hundred million dollars that will go back to Wisconsin policy holders.

Quite a nice little economic stimulus for the state! Put the money back in the hands of the consumers and create some demand.

Here's the legal filing (or whatever it is called):

http://www.hrdc-law.com/assets/docs/CLarson_v_UH_FC.pdf

[TygrBright]

1. This case has larger implications for the whole co-pay system. Interesting. n/t

[ProgressiveProfessor]

2. Mandatory coverarge for chiropractors?

:popcorn:

[postulater]

9. As of 1997 46 states mandate chiropractic coverage

You can bet it is not by the good graces of the drug companies and medical assns. The people who are helped by chiropractors demand their legislators implement it. That's what democracy looks like.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. Should it cover other wanted modalities

like homeopathy?

[postulater]

11. You might ask that of the voters.

That's not my decision to make.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. Science is not up for a vote

Homeopathy and Chiropractic are both of negligible value. Both are based very questionable science. We do not have enough resources for real health care, why waste it on frauds

[postulater]

13. Well, your vote counts as one against.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

15. So if the majority votes for Creation Science instead of Evolution you are good with that too

One of the reasons we live in a republic is to minimize tyranny of the stupid majority

[postulater]

16. It seems like our republic does allow for that.

The topic of this thread is people asserting their individual right to be treated fairly under the law. I believe that is what a republic protects.

Whether I am 'good with' any particular issue is irrelevant to that reality. And I am not interested in arguing any of your issues here.

[Odin2005]

3. What do you call a failed Physical Therapist? A Chiropractor.

They are a scam and should NOT be covered. If you want to pay for woo than pay it out of your own money.

[Archae]

7. Agree 100%.

[midnight]

8. I sustained a sports injury that was addressed by a chiropractor after

going to a medical sports center and nothing worked.

[TorchTheWitch]

14. baloney

Chiropractors utilize much the same exact therapies as physical therapists. My chiropractor saved my life. I have known no other medical professional of any variety (and through my lifetime I can't even count how many various medical professionals I've had to go through) that put in more time and personal care to each and every patient including his animal patients. The only possible exception is my utterly saintly vet (though, sadly, I've never been able to convince them to treat ME).

[midnight]

4. K&R Hot dog.... This is the best news I've seen in so long... go get those

law breakers....

[midnight]

5. P.S. Awesome find... Thanks for posting....

[defendandprotect]

6. Wow -- love that Wisconsin spirit -- !!!!