A Song for the Fine Folks at CIGNA

The ugly truth about managed care came blasting out of Northridge, CA last week when Nataline Sarkisyan died while waiting for a liver transplant that CIGNA had initially refused to pay for, and reversed course too far past the eleventh hour in response to a righteous public outcry.

CIGNA's unfortunate slogan "A Business of Caring" sums it up -- when caring gets tied up with business, the time eventually comes when someone must choose between the two. Like a poker player on a draw, CIGNA calculated their chances of winning the hand, compared their bet with the size of the pot, and decided a fold was in order. That's fine and good for cards and chips -- not for people.

That's what we wrote and recorded our song about this week. Here is "The Business of Disregard".

Max and the Marginalized write and record a new song every week and post on Thursdays. They can be found here.

The Business of Disregard

A business of caring is endlessly staring at points on a graph
With stipulations and notions to keep our emotions away from the math
So please check your balance ahead of your pulse to see which is which
When it comes down to sickness, if caring was business, we'd all strike it rich

A penny saved is a penny earned and we all know times they are hard
This is one of the things you learn on the business end
Of the business of disregard

A function of assets sits up in the cabinets on top of your sink
So don't expect no remittance when there is no difference between blood and red ink
So if you get sick you better hope they march right quick for you

A life saved is a dollar drowned and we all got to keep what we can
I think you'll find if you hang around that just because they say you're covered
It doesn't mean that you're in good hands
A penny saved is a penny earned and we all know times they are hard
This is one of the things you learn on the business end
Of the business of disregard

(All the king's horses and all the king's men will never ever put you back together again)

Comments

[Wilburrr]

I give it an 8.

Has a good beat, great lyrics, and you can dance to it (if your healthy enough)

[HollywoodBill]

The media is sensationalizing this case and overlooking some pretty important details. This unfortunate young woman had leukemia, was given a marrow transplant to try and delay the disease's progression and ended up in a vegetative state. Terri Schiavo II.

Getting a liver transplant isn't like going down to the deli and ordering one. Someone has to die first. By necessity, there is medical triage involved. Not everyone is going to be able to get one and people in vegetative states don't qualify. Nothing prevented the medical center from donating their services to this unfortunate woman either.

[itolduso]

It's very simple, really. The only thing ordinary people need to do to solve our 'health care crisis' is to unite and demand that all of our elected 'leaders' (city, county, state & federal, including both houses of Congress & the Pres.)can only receive the same treatments and benefits that are affordable to the average American worker. When 'they' are covered by the same plan 'we' are- that plan will be the best.

[InsaneDisabled]

It's simple. If you're really sick, you're not profitable. You're only profitable if you're well.

That's why health care should be a completely public service: privatizing takes profits from those who don't need health care and refuses to provide it to those who actually do. People who get really sick bankrupt their families and then either die or get some kind of government care.

Our taxes thus subsidize the health insurance industry by taking on the burden of the most expensive patients. So we already have socialized medicine; it's just structured to provide salaries for health insurance executives! And it's so inefficient you're likely to die before you get through the paperwork. And the lawsuits.

So what industries lose business if we go to a universal single payer plan? Health insurance. Debt management. Lawyers. And death. That's a lot of lobbyists.

[imsosure]

Marginalized pretty much sums up your whole thing Max, you must be proud of your lack luster abilities.

[edresearcher]

"CIGNA's unfortunate slogan 'A Business of Caring' sums it up." Would anybody really be so naive as to believe that CIGNA really is in the business of caring? They're a for-profit company and what matters is making money, period. After being in business for many years now, I try to pay attention to company mottos and slogans. Most of the time companies choose their slogans based on their greatest perceived weaknesses, not on their strengths. If a company says "the customer comes first," it's only their slogan because the customer always comes last and they're trying to convince the public (and maybe even themselves) otherwise.

[Blackspeare]

You guys have to screw your heads back on. The decision to reject the claim was based on probable patient survival with the transplant. Doctors gave her a 65% chance to live 6 more months and little chance to live another year. The cost in money and time was not worth it when it could be used for someone with a better prognosis. Sorry to sound so mercenary, but that's the way it is!

[realitytrumpsbull]

Healthscam, healthscare, healthcare, they
care about getting that monthly premium from
you...and whether or not the boat has fuel in
it....gotta have it ready for when the auditors
come walking in the door so they can make that
Caymans getaway....

[clumberfeet]

You're in good hands with any insurance company as long as you are paying premiums.

File a claim? Well not so much.

[Massconfusion]

We should remember that Prudential Retirement aquired Cigna Retirement and a former Cigna person now runs Pru's Retirement arm. I am sure he brought all of those good Cigna values with him - time to check your account if you are a Prudential participant!

[rwoodsathome]

And what makes you think 'universal health care' would have approved this experimental treatment?

All forms of health insurance have some kind of analysis of cost forcing tough decisions to be made.

Everyone seems to think a 'universal' plan would mean every treatment is always covered - and that is just not practical.

[kenx]

If the medical care industry continues to operate as a for profit business, tragedies like this will never stop. The way things are now, the insurance company benefits by refusing to provide life saving treatment, leaving the customer/patient to die.

[btrflymom5]

The song is so appropriate. It's the sad, sad truth. Just because you are one of the lucky ones who actually have health insurance, it doesn't mean you can rest easy knowing you're "covered". The only thing you're "covered" with is the red tape of the greedy and misguided folks who get to decide on your fate!