Blue Shield of California gets tough over late payments (Miss A Payment-Imediately Lose Coverage)

[kpete]

Source: Los Angeles Times

The health insurer will end an additional 15-day grace period but keep its 28-day reprieve. Those who miss a payment risk an immediate loss of coverage.
By David Lazarus

December 16, 2009

Amid a national debate on how to make the healthcare system friendlier and more accessible, and as millions of people grapple with the loss of jobs and homes, what does insurance heavyweight Blue Shield of California do?

It decides to take a key benefit away.

The company has notified individual policyholders that their coverage could be immediately dropped if they miss a single payment -- or so it seems.

Blue Shield says in a letter to customers that they can reapply for insurance, but with potentially higher premiums and stricter conditions.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-lazarus16-2009dec16,0,2322431.column

[Deja Q]

1. Californians should do what their governor does:

Hand out "IOU" slips.

:popcorn:

[tomm2thumbs]

2. and these are the people we are being forced to hand over our wallet to - WTF?!!

KILL

THE

BILL

[gratuitous]

3. Opening gambit in the new 3-card monte game

Next will come the bewildering array of proper addresses of where to send your premium payment. Guess the wrong one, and you're done. So, if you have PPO, send your premium to Address A. If you're part of PPO with the prescription rider, send it to Address B. If you have the MCN coverage, the premium must be sent to Address C. MCN coverage with out-of-plan supplemental premiums are sent to Address D and Address D only. And don't expect that old dodge of looking at your policy to help you out, and a call to the customer service number just plays a loop of the Joker's laugh from the end of Batman.

But we got reform. We definitely got reform. Everyone says so.

[Iowa]

10. Good point. And that's exactly the kind of shit they pull.

[SoapBox]

4. Lost payment? Not our fault...

...so what is to prevent them from just plain old not posting a payment and tossing the check?

[wtmusic]

6. If you were diagnosed with cancer and your payment "disappeared"

they just saved themselves a couple of hundred Gs, and you're...f*cked.

[Javaman]

5. This is only the beginning...

now that it's very apparent that any form of real HCF is dead, the insurance corps are now going full tilt in screwing us all.

Heath care insurance to the American public, "you want health care reform? I'll give you health care reform!! Fuck you!!! This is what you get for trying to make us compete!!! This is what you get for trying to have us cut our rates!!! This is what you get for trying to make us cover everyone!!! Fuck you!!!!"

It's like the damn Mafia.

[KansDem]

9. "It's like the damn Mafia."

One difference: At least the Mafia will send flowers to your funeral...

[mbperrin]

11. There's that.

Kill the bill.

[Heywood J]

12. I would think that if they hadn't been screwing us for years...

Definitely seems like it, though.

[Zoeisright]

7. Mobsters. That's all they are.

They take money for 'protection' and then whack you.

[PM Martin]

8. The financial industry is run by thugs.

Strange to see how many Americans trust them with their lives.

[Doctor_J]

13. Big Insurance will be kicking a lot of ass starting today

they just won another major battle, and have to reason to exhibit even the appearance of decency