Thread: Documents shine light on insurers

Documents shine light on insurers

Coverage denied for acne, pregnancy

By David S. Hilzenrath

THE WASHINGTON POST
2:00 a.m. September 20, 2009

WASHINGTON — A proposal to make pre-existing health conditions irrelevant in the sale of insurance policies could help not just the seriously ill but also people who might consider themselves healthy, according to documents released by a California-based advocacy group illustrate.
Health insurers have issued guidelines saying they could deny coverage to people suffering from such conditions as acne, hemorrhoids and bunions.

One big insurer refused to issue individual policies to police officers and firefighters, along with people in other hazardous occupations.

Some treated pregnancy or the intention to adopt as disqualifying.

As Congress and President Barack Obama work on legislation to overhaul the nation's health care system, one of their main objectives is to stop insurers from denying coverage on the basis of health status. Proposed legislation would prohibit insurers from denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions or charging them higher premiums because of their medical history — practices known as medical underwriting.

Even the insurance lobby has endorsed that goal as part of a larger reform package in which the government would extend coverage to the uninsured, greatly expanding the market for insurance.

Guidelines that insurance companies have written for professionals involved in selling policies offer a glimpse inside the underwriting process.

“What these documents show is the lengths to which insurance companies are willing to go to make a profit,â€

Quite a few people have told me that insurance companies treat pregnancy like a disease. While it may be of longer duration than a broken bone, for instance, it is still a temporary condition. I guess they feel that it is also correct to dismiss expectant parents before the baby arrives, so they don't need to pay for any problems with the youngster.
Wonder if their executives and upper-level employees receive the same treatment?

If you think the insurance companies are bad think how much worse our health care will be if the corrupt gov't gets it's dirty hands on it.

No thanks.