WellPoint Routinely Targets Breast Cancer Victims For Rescission

One after another, shortly after a diagnosis of breast cancer, each of the women learned that her health insurance had been canceled.

...

The women all paid their premiums on time. Before they fell ill, none had any problems with their insurance. Initially, they believed their policies had been canceled by mistake.

Read the whole story: Reuters

Comments

[Lisbeth35]

03:00 PM on 04/25/2010

And the story remains buried....

[ajwriter]

04:37 PM on 04/24/2010

Hey Huffpost! The link to this article is broken! Please fix it...

[Lisbeth35]

11:56 AM on 04/24/2010

24 hours passes. Not one other person has commented. The article is buried. Tip of the hat to Wellmark. You pick your battles. And win. Every. Time. The ladies in this article can attest to that.

[Lisbeth35]

11:02 AM on 04/23/2010

It REALLY creeps me out that this story was on the front page of HP for less than 24 hours, and now it is difficult to find. No wonder Insurance Agencies can do whatever they want to the American Public. The story doesn't last for more than 10 hours.

[medic628]

07:35 AM on 04/23/2010

Until the masses take to the streets and demand the banks and insurance be broken up, things like this will continue to happen. So far the whole reform movement has been a joke. Enforce the antitrust laws. Don't tell that they can't do it! If you do say that, someone's hand is in the others pocket.

[Lisbeth35]

11:03 AM on 04/23/2010

Exactly...who's hand is in HP's pocket. Is HP's insurance Blue Cross, Blue Shield? They threaten to pull coverage for employees if the story isn't buried?

[Duluthian]

07:14 AM on 04/23/2010

Where are the teabaggers telling us how good our insurance companies are?

[LateForTheSky]

06:07 AM on 04/23/2010

I wonder why men aren't targeted when they are are diagnosed with prostrate cancer...

[Actraiser]

08:59 AM on 04/23/2010

How do you know they're not? I believe what we're seeing here in this article is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

I don't see this as men versus women nearly so much as big private insurance company versus the people of America.

[HappyBalance]

12:17 AM on 04/24/2010

Oh the insurance companies will screw over anyone with a pre-existing condition you can bank on that.

[jonahswitness]

01:09 AM on 04/23/2010

Why are we just finding out about this now?

http://www.cjr.org/feature/an_rx_for_reporting_1.php

http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/reuters_is_excellent_in_diggin.php

http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/reuterss_beefedup_enterprise_r.php

[RitaS]

12:47 AM on 04/23/2010

This example, one of MANY, is the reason WHY THE US NEEDS a public option............

Frankly, in my opinion, why the H*LL should a Medical Insurance Company PROFIT on a person's health? Especially when they take the monthly premium & then deny/resin coverage because it'll cost them MONEY....

[gmb007]

11:52 PM on 04/22/2010

To anyone with a compassionate soul...
to anyone with even a sliver of conscience...
to anyone who believes in a higher and better Power than himself...
to anyone who believes in a good and just Spirit of this universe...

how can FOR-PROFIT life-or-death ever be defensible?

[Anathema77]

11:38 PM on 04/22/2010

Change we can all believe in...

[HappyBalance]

12:24 AM on 04/24/2010

Will happen some day.

[Lefteris]

11:05 PM on 04/22/2010

I worked as an agent in Greece for "AIG Greece" (ALICO), a great company back then. I do not remember any private company doing things that their US counterparts are doing here, although regulations are much tougher in the US. The US companies are highly unethical.

The solution for the US is simple: create a public option health coverage (minimum but essential hospital coverage for all) without "silly" coverages - this is actually easy to control.

This way if a private insurance fails to provide services, the individual will be able to use at least a basic public coverage.

The public option costs much less than the complicated law they voted, and is more effective and efficient.

[mamalisa38]

10:47 PM on 04/22/2010

What really sucks is that in 2004, George W. Bush and the Republicans gave $950 million to Iraq to institute universal health care.

[Lisbeth35]

11:05 AM on 04/23/2010

Why does that suck? I am all for all humans receiving health care. We darn well should be paying something since we landed there and started killing civilians.

This isn't an either/or situation. We should be able to promote better health care for ALL.

[mamalisa38]

09:46 PM on 04/29/2010

I meant that it sucks because the Republicans don't think that their fellow Americans deserve what the Iraqi's do.
I think we should have universal health care and get rid of the insurance companies.

[DrCardio]

10:47 PM on 04/22/2010

Yet another unconscionable argument for paralyzingly strict government regulations of these s0ulless v@mpiric sunspots, who offer a counterfeit paradise in the policy fineprint, while ghoulishly snatching up wiggle room like amazonian tributaries snatch up river.

Here is your de@th panel Sarah Failin. Here is your middleman...in its fulminantly macabric glory.

[jonahswitness]

10:35 PM on 04/22/2010

We should know how many companies do this and how many don't. Apparently er' quite a few

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/demons-and-demonization/