I had recently blind copied a letter of mine regarding the insurance
industry to a friend.  I feel that I should share her reply to me with the
list.  I defend only the system that should be, not the system as it is
abused.  From what I know, there is NO defense against these abuses.

Art - 62/12 - [log in to unmask]

<<Thank goodness, I'm not the only one who has questions!

When I was in a car wreck in 1966, I was covered by Blue Cross-Blue
Shield--true there was a waiting period for "pre-existing illnesses"--
but accident coverage was supposedly immediate, and I received my
precious little card.

SIX MONTHS later, I was advised by BC-BS that our company had never
forwarded the "proper" paperwork to them, and they would have to
"decline" coverage.  My employers URGED me to sue--the bills were
very high. So I consulted a lawyer who advised me I would have to sue
the company I worked for as well as BC-BS.  Still, my employers URGED
me to sue!

But in those days, to sue your employer was a death sentence
professionally--so I chose to pay it myself.  It took me THIRTEEN
YEARS of personal deprivation to pay for it, but I did! And you think
I have any respect for the insurance industry? I would starve or dig
ditches (if I could!) before I would work for them!!!

Many years later, after going to work for Hermann Hospital, the first
few letters I was asked to write were to INSURANCE COMPANIES
demanding payment. Now, in the first 25 letters, all of them exceeded
$100,000!  AND ALL OF THEM HAD BEEN PRE-APPROVED FOR TREATMENT BY THE
DAMNED INSURANCE COMPANIES! I was so mad I nearly threw up trying to
type them...one of the had 13 claims, and it just happened to be the
company that covered Hermann Hospital! I asked the Associate General
Counsel if we couldn't simply withhold payment until they paid us--
and he said they would deny coverage to our 2,800 employees!!  In the
meantime, Hermann had to borrow money for interim financing--and
ultimately "settle" for about fifty cents on the dollar only after
filing a lawsuit!  Please bear in mind that this was a "charity"
hospital with limited resources, but since it was a teaching hospital
for the University of Texas Medical Center, the choice of most of the
"acute" or terminally ill patients in the County.

Now, if you choose to defend the insurance industry, that is your
choice!  If I were a terrorist, I know where I would strike first!!

The statistics were overwhelming!  We got all the explosion victims,
burn victims, many of the "gun-shot and knife wounds" patients--who
had little chance of survival without a Level One Trauma Center--
which, thanks to Dr. Red Duke! we had--and many of the patients
and/or their survivors wanted to sue the hospital because they didn't
survive, or were permanently impaired!  You dare to blame the
hospitals and doctors???  I challenge!  I've had (unfortunately) the
destiny to view it from both sides, and I firmly believe it is
lawyers and insurance companies who are compromising health care!

I noticed that you did state that "elective" surgery was an issue--as
in pallidotomies - and perhaps that should be taken into
consideration. But when I hear that women who must have their breasts
cut off, along with all the muscles that support the back, shoulders
and arms, and the lymph nodes, AND AN HMO SAYS THAT SHOULD BE "OUT-
PATIENT" SURGERY--ALLOWED ONE DAY ONLY, I feel like putting the sick
HMO animals to sleep!  You have your causes and I have mine--and they
aren't always compatible!  I simply DO NOT THINK ONLY THE RICH HAVE A
RIGHT TO MEDICAL CARE IN THIS COUNTRY!!!  So there...>>