Exclusive: WellPoint routinely targets breast cancer patients

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – One after another, shortly after a diagnosis of breast cancer, each of the women learned that her health insurance had been canceled. First there was Yenny Hsu, who lived and worked in Los Angeles. Later, Robin Beaton, a registered nurse from Texas. And then, most recently, there was Patricia Relling, a successful art gallery owner and interior designer from Louisville, Kentucky.

None of the women knew about the others. But besides their similar narratives, they had something else in common: Their health insurance carriers were subsidiaries of WellPoint, which has 33.7 million policyholders -- more than any other health insurance company in the United States.

Interesting! I know and have known many women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Several have died. But none of them had their health insurance canceled. I also know several (two males, one female)who have had organ transplants with nary an insurance problem.

A few years ago the major problem in dealing with health insurers was the filing of claims. In our church we had several knowledgeable persons who volunteered to help the elderly with claims. But insurers have streamlined the system now so that it is no longer a problem.

There are many aspects to this story.

ON the surface, these women weren’t dropped because they got Breast Cancer, they were dropped because the insurance company insisted they either lied on their applications, or failed to respond to correspondence. It seems in some cases that these charges were false. But that’s a different story than “dropping them for getting sick”.

I think there should be a statute of limitations on pre-existing condition investigations. If you pay for more than, say, 2 years, then they can’t drop you later if it turns out you missed something on the form. Outright fraud could be excepted from this rule, but I would expect the burden of proof to be high.

Right now, the company is happy to keep taking your money, knowing that if you become expensive, they can investigate your application and cancel your policy at that point. It makes perfect sense — why waste money on an investigation if you are making money on the policy? Only investigate the money-losing policies.

I still don’t get people missing life-saving surgery. In some cases, it seems they actually were treated worse because they once had insurance — an uninsured person would have been on support by then. I also don’t know why medicaid didn’t kick in for the destitute person on social security — but maybe the government insurance sucks and wouldn’t cover her treatment.

I don’t see how, as the article says, insurance companies could continue to do this under obamacare. The new law prohibits checking for pre-existing conditions. So even if there was a way for a company to cancel your policy, you have the absolute right to buy another policy without restrictions from them, or another carrier. You would probably not even buy insurance until after you had breast cancer — which would be the turnabout in this story;

See, right now they can take your money and then investigate if you get sick. Under Obamacare, you can refuse to pay for insurance until you get sick, and then they have to write you a policy at a discount to what you will cost them.

Except that the government will fine you. Of course, that fine doesn’t go to the insurance company who will have to cover you later. Which is why even if they did enforce the fines (taxes), Obamacare will still destroy the private health insurance industry.

This doesn’t seem to be a problem with company-sponsored plans, most of which are actually run by the companies, and which cover pre-existing conditions.

if this is true, all I can conclude is that WellPoint is being run by the STUPIDEST people on the planet!

Why don’t you just paint a big ol’ target on yourselves and wear t-shirts saying “Propaganda Poster Child and Whipping Boy for Single Payer Socialized Medicine Advocates”. “Take us over, whip us, beat us, tell us what to do and then steal all our cash”. Even before Obama came along, whenever insurers did something like this that primarily affects women, the Six O’Clock News would have an Oprah-style Victim Party on every night until the state legislature passed a bill requiring that mammograms, pap smears or whatever be 100% covered.

“Interesting! I know and have known many women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Several have died. But none of them had their health insurance canceled. I also know several (two males, one female)who have had organ transplants with nary an insurance problem.”

Yea - I would certainly like to hear BOTH SIDES of the story before I indict Wellpoint. I would also like to know WHAT PERCENTAGE of breast cancer patients end up having their policies canceled, under debatable circumstances (as opposed to clear-cut fraud). I suspect that percentage is quite small.

There is, in fact, no "other side" to the story ~ it's all of a piece with the tax on medical appliances.

Obama, like any other corrupt Illinois politician, hates Indiana, hates the people of Indiana, hates the vast medical industry built up in Indiana (5th largest in the country, far outpacing the population of that state ~ with only Florida, New York, Texas and California having a larger medical industry), and so on.

Obama and his running dog lackeys are attempting to destroy medical industry companies headquartered or operating in Indiana ~ Wellpoint is HEADQUARTERED in Indianapolis in fact.

This sort of state on state warfare can end only one way ~ Illinois delenda est

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