Posted on 05/11/2010 7:15:21 AM PDT by reaganaut1
The war of words between the Obama administration and WellPoint Inc. escalated over the weekend, as WellPoint's chief executive rebuked the president for what she said was false information he gave the public about the insurer's coverage of breast-cancer patients.
In his weekly radio address broadcast Saturday, Mr. Obama said his administration recently asked an insurer to stop systematically dropping coverage of women diagnosed with breast cancer.
The president didn't specifically name the insurer that dropped the coverage, but WellPoint has lately been fending off accusations that it targets such women, and Chief Executive Angela Braly clearly believed the remark was directed at WellPoint.
Company spokeswoman Kristin Binns noted that WellPoint is the only insurer that the administration and news media have pointed to on the subject.
Ms. Braly late Sunday fired off a letter to the president in which she said Mr. Obama's statement "grossly misrepresents" the facts. "To be absolutely clear: Despite your claims, WellPoint does not single out women with breast cancer for rescission. Period," she wrote.
Ms. Braly used the opportunity to criticize the administration for "attacks" on health insurers, which she said "must end."
She said she has gotten no response to her requests to meet with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
The country's largest insurer has been under fire from Democrats over its business practices, but the reference by Mr. Obama takes the spat to a new level. The breast-cancer allegations, which were raised in a Reuters article, have caused anxiety for policyholders and spurred questions from regulators, according to Ms. Binns.
"I think we were disappointed to hear them repeat it" in the Obama address, she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I wish all these companies in the line of fire would fight back instead of rolling over and taking it.
November cannot come soon enough-!!! Can’t WAIT to take this fool out behind the woodshed-!
When has that ever not been the case?
bookmark.
Why is it that only women have the courage to openly challenge Obama?
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Because it's less likely they will be branded as a racist.
“women” are a PROTECTED class....he cannot go after them as easily as old white guys.
The only reason they do not is fear of the King Obama and his communists machine.
It’s about time! They need to be careful though, Mr. Wee Wee doesn’t like to be crossed.
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Minister of Propoganda.
Yes, I do, too.
Stop me if I've said this before, but I have wondered why there were no "Harry and Louise" type commercials this time around. (If there were, I never saw them) I wondered why the Health Insurance Association didn't mount a similar campaign against BamaCare like with HillaryCare.
there is unfortunately a long track record of this hustle working where women are concerned.
1) insurance company denies a routine claim for a mammogram, pap smear, or some other procedure done only on women.
2) Sandy Talkinghead from the local Eyewitness News Team shows up to interview the crying patient (who is clearly a victim of gender discrimination), and shoot footage of the front door of the Big Evil Insurance Company that won’t talk to her (thereby giving a tacit admission of guilt)
3) the Eyewitness News Team spends Sweeps Week running a spate of stories about women who have died from various forms of cancer, no doubt because some Big Evil Insurance Company denied their cleim.
4) State Senator Colburn P. Graftspreader puts a bill in the hopper at the State Capitol the next morning requiring all insurers in the state to cover this procedure, gaining applause from the NOW crowd and glowing coverage from the Eyewitness News Team
5) the bill passes and everybody’s premium goes up
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