Sad Insurance companies

[Mitzi]

My husband recently had surgery for a hernia. He really needed about 3 days in the hospital....He got one. That's because the insurance company SAID it was all he needed. So,I got to watch my husband grit his teeth in pain for 2 days before he could even walk. While we were at the hospital,I heard a little child crying. I looked out the window and a child in a hospital bed was being escorted to his car. He kept saying, "It hurts! It hurts" He had a very badly broken leg. A nurse came up behind me and said, "You are witnessing child abuse. He needs a week in here. He got 2 days. "We both had tears in our eyes as she turned to leave the room.
It would be iteresting to see how many days are allotted to the head honchos of insurance companies!
But, I understand. We must suffer so the head honchos can have those huge salaries and huge yachts. Also, they simply can NOT do their jobs without those new $10,000,000 home offices, I understand!

[cheapboy]

I'm beginning to realize now why my friend's mother kept her French Citizenship... . Seriously there was a report done on the best healthcare in the world, and while the U.S easily spends the most money, the French seem to have the best services.

It's quite deplorable how our hospitals are run these days, in fact the whole healthcare system. Some things are best left in the hands of the government; and our healthcare system is one of them.

[This message has been edited by cheapboy (edited 05-22-2001).]

[Tom]

I think if you look at Canada's health care system you will see that socialization of health care would not be good. Many Canadians come to the US for health care since it is hard to get good treatment there.

[unhappycop]

Don't get me started on insurance companies.

A few years back my mother was diagnosed with tumours that were considered "pre-malignant", meaning that the biopsy determined they were of a type that WOULD inevitably turn malignant. Given a HUGE family history of breast cancer fatalities, she was left with little option, but to face a double mastectomy.

Now, she was a corporate high-flier at the time, and had whizz-bang medical insurance. Bugger the public hospital waiting lists, show her the private room.

Anyway, after a botched operation, gangrene of the stomach, numerous skin grafts etc, we were left with a $150,000 medical bill.

Anyway, when time for the insurance company to pay up came, some pencil-necked pr*ck behind a desk refused the claim, saying because it was not YET malignant (and therefore not YET terminal) she had chosen to have ELECTIVE SURGERY without their consent.

The happy ending was that her CEO fronted the company and threatened to pull their $6 million P/A corporate account if they did not pay. They paid. He pulled it anyway at the next tender.

And DON'T get me stated on the recent $3 Billion collapse of HIH insurance in Australia. Now ALL Australians will probably have to pay a levy, because the insurance industry council won't make their own members pay up for one of their own members fraud!!!!

[Don]

Well OK unhappy, but what CAN we get you started on?

Hey I'm sorry you folks have had so much trouble with insurance. Guess I've been pretty fortunate over the years! My biggest problem came from working for a county that switched insurance companies all the time. Trying to get all medical records updated to the right insurance was billed was a real hassle. But once the billing WAS done to the right company, I've never had any complaints.

In fact the only real complaint was over a workers comp claim denied by the county. They were self insured. By the time the law suit was over, that denial cost them FAR more than it would have to just pay the original claim!

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"Don't teach in German, then test in Japanese!"
6P1 (retired)

[Mitzi]

We lived in insurance hell for years. We had our son at the Mayo Clinic for years and he received such wonderful treatment. Then, the Mayo dropped his insuance company. I was frantic! Out of a city of over a million people, they covered only 3 neurologists here in town.
I sure felt all alone because I knew he was not receiving the best treatment because of his insurance company. I even ended up at the Mayo Clinic, in tears, begging them to help me. Shortly after that, his insurance was accepted and they were just wonderful to us. I don't think anything will ever get my nerves back though. I can't remember ever crying that much. One day, a cop stopped me cause I guess I was driving erractically. He was SO kind when he saw my tears. I was too upset to even explain the situation but he had seen me come from the Mayo. He had dispatch call my husband and he and a friend came and got me, with my friend driving my car home. I remembered later to write him a letter of much gratitude.
I don't know of anything more frustrating or scary then trying to get the best care you can and the insurance companies saying "no".

[grum]

In my Canadian view, there are a few things in life that should not be left in private hands ie police, utilities (ask California), health care etc. We may not have the absolute best publicly funded system in the world here, but I know that if and when i need to go to the hospital, I'm not going to have to worry about how to pay for it. I'll take that peace of mind over the american system anyday!