I got this in my email. It's the unfolding story of an insured who was dropped by her insurance company, after diagnosis with breast cancer. After diagnosis, meaning her application was not "carefully examined" until after she actually needed to make a claim on her insurance.
Issue: The insurer claims she "lied" on her application about a vaguely referred to "heart condition" and "about her weight," she is now dropped.
Action taken: She is suing, she is bringing to light and she is fighting back.
Steps taken: This one is good. Turns out HEALTHNET INC gives INCENTIVE PAY to its employees for every insured dropped. This has become the focus of the investigation that has gotten the attention of governmental officials.
What about the rest of us? The insurance company is claiming that the insured "lied" about a heart condition and her weight. Everybody, go check your policies...lied about her weight? Mine changes from minute to minute. We aren't given any numbers but this is a great new loophole. If your insurance company drops you what can you do? The answer is to fight back, publicize it to everyone willing to listen and pay $5 on each of your medical bills while you get it resolved.
You're in it for the long haul. Get yourself a folder. Keep track of your communication. Go on every website from consumer complaints to state insurance departments to your doctors to your consumer reporters on your local news and get the story out. You do NOT have to give the details of your health, approach it like the insurance companies do--a business. Hey, and when you get a positive result, give yourself an incentive reward!
This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate.
The original article can be found on SFGate.com here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/11/10/BUCLT9JOV.DTL
