Insurance Company Drops Cancer Patient And Veteran Because He Accidentally Underpaid By Two Cents

[democracy1st]

Run time: 02:23 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVrvR3PxAyA   Posted on YouTube: January 26, 2011 By YouTube Member: ThinkProgress2 Views on YouTube: 108   Posted on DU: January 27, 2011 By DU Member: democracy1st Views on DU: 811

 
One of the worst abuses of the private health insurance industry is the practice of denying claims to pay for necessary care or revoking the coverage of policyholders for frivolous reasons. A Vietnam veteran from Thornton, Colorado, is the latest victim of this practice.

Vietnam vet Ronald Flanagan has been battling cancer for more than two years. Two weeks ago, Flanagan was getting prepped for a bone biopsy at the local Exempla Rock Creek Medical Center. But at the last minute, his wife called the hospital and told them to stop the procedure because she had just received notice that they no longer have insurance. The reason why? The couple had accidentally underpaid their insurer by two pennies and it decided to drop them from their plan:

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/01/26/insurance-company-veteran-cents/

[Buddha2B]

1. This is amazingly wrong on so many levels.

It would take an employee or Manager 2 seconds to forgive an oversight like that.
It clearly shows American Health Insurance companies top priority.

[TheEuclideanOne]

2. Aren't there laws in place for things just like this?

I thought I remembered hearing that there was some small percentage where they could not drop somebody if it was within a certain range.

[DearAbby]

3. A human life to the insurance companies

worth two cents. These people have no souls. And congress thought America wanted to work with these things...ie no single health care, took it right off the table for this.

[micraphone]

4. This is your US health "care" system in one byte

What care????

Bastards to the nth degree.

There are no words.

[Bette Noir]

5. The profit motive should have no place in health care. EOM

[whathehell]

6. This is a total outrage...Surely the publicity this is generating will "coax" the Insurance company

to do the right thing.

[mzmolly]

8. You're right. See my follow up post.

:hi:

[whathehell]

9. Thanks, mzmolly..

I thought that would work.:hi:

[mzmolly]

7. Good news. Media attention worked. Mr. Flanagan was reinstated per ABC.

"And we're pleased to say...Mr. Flannigan's insurance coverage was reinstated."

http://abcnews.go.com/US/cancer-patient-vietnam-vet-ron-flanagan-loses-insurance/story?id=12768088