Under fire, Blue Cross Blue Shield agrees to insure Texas newborn who was denied coverage

[babylonsister]

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/30/2078718/under-fire-blue-cross-blue-shield.html#tvg

Under fire, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas offers to cover medical expenses for Crowley baby
Posted Tuesday, Mar. 30, 2010

By JAN JARVIS

[e-mail]


Houston has health insurance.

The news, announced on a Web site set up for the Crowley baby, ended his family's weeklong fight after the newborn was denied health insurance because he needed surgery to repair a heart defect -- what the insurance company called a pre-existing condition.

Doug and Kim Tracy's battle with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas garnered national attention, coming on the heels of historic healthcare legislation, signed by President Barack Obama a week ago, which will require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions.

The Star-Telegram reported on the Tracys' problem on Friday. That evening, Darren Rodgers, president of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, personally contacted the family. Initially he offered to see whether coverage through the Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool could be back-dated to the baby's birth, Tracy said.

But when that was not possible, he offered to work with Cook Children's Medical Center to pay for Houston's medical care.

On Monday, a letter outlining the offer was sent by courier to the Tracy home. Blue Cross Blue Shield agreed to pay the baby's medical expenses from his birth on March 15 through March 26, when coverage through the risk pool took effect. Houston's surgery took place on March 19.

"I feel like Blue Cross Blue Shield finally realized they made a mistake and did come through for me," said Tracy, 39. "I am happy this is taken care of and my little boy going to be fine."

more...

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/30/2078718/under-fire-blue-cross-blue-shield.html#tvg

[Hannah Bell]

1. her little boy will be insured; 1000 others will be denied.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Maybe we just have to organize and make every denial a public

issue, loud and clear.

[Hannah Bell]

3. yes, except that there are 100 other things that should also be organized against & publicized.

there has to be a better strategy than the issue-by-issue, case-by-case approach.

[Betty]

4. and it shouldn't take this much effort to get the coverage you have paid for.

It pisses me off that these assholes only do the right thing when someone shines a bright light on them.

[Hannah Bell]

5. for sure. same thing with getting justice from business in general these days.

you have to nag them to death to get a minimal response.

i spent three months & some time conversing with a defunded federal regulator to get a refund from qwest.

[StarlightGold]

10. Exactly...

This should be a given, not an exercise in "OK, we'll capitulate this time, but our policy still stands". Why don't those who are against health care reform see that this is what all of us are up against? Or do they see it and don't care? Maybe that's it.

[maglatinavi]

6. protest

Every denial should get national protests
:kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick:

[zbdent]

7. unless the "liberal media" actually focuses on them, too ...

Like the "investigative reporting" on the local news ... unless the media gets wind and threatens to air the problems a consumer has with a business, then the business can sit there and leave the issues unresolved. Media gets ready to expose it, THEN they rush to resolve the issue.

[Crunchy Frog]

8. I'm sure the good teabaggers of Texas will rally to right this great injustice

against the insurance companies, and to make sure that all future little sick babies will be properly denied coverage. This oppression must not stand!

[rocktivity]

9. Well, there's a new healthcare sheriff in town

And he's got a nuclear weapon in his saddlebag--the threat of a public option!



:evilgrin:
rocktivity