HMO Drops Cancer-Stricken Vietnam Vet Over 2¢.

I wish I was making this up. But I saw a link to this on the Kindle political boards just now and I have to share this with you all.

A Florida-based health "provider" had decided to drop a cancer-stricken Vietnam Vet because he accidentally underpaid his November premiums by two pennies. Paying the bill online, he'd mistakenly hit the "7" instead of the "9" and when he went in for a bone biopsy, his wife was informed their coverage had been dropped. Prior to being dropped, the Flanagans were paying Ceridian $328.71 a month in basic premiums, not including co-pays, deductibles and what other out of pocket expenses they incurred.

They'd received no notice from Ceridian that they were in default for this unforgivable amount, despite the HMO's story to the contrary, and Ceridian had even cashed their subsequent December payment with admirable dispatch. In other words, they knew that Ronald Flanagan, who's suffering from cancer due to exposure from Agent Orange, was about to hit them with lots of medical bills because he needs stem cell transplants to get a handle on his cancer. In other words, he was a potential liability.

If this latest outrage proves anything, it's that HMO's, even Cobra programs like Ceridian Cobra, are such rapacious, money-grasping, bottom line-driven cocksuckers that will actually risk bad PR by dropping a cancer patient and putting his very life at serious risk over two fucking cents.

So when's that fabulous Obama health care reform bill going to start preventing things like this from happening and even if and when it's fully implemented in the distant future of 2014, how will it stop avaricious HMO's that are bound and determined to drop people on the very flimiest of technicalities from getting around the provisions of the HCR such as dropping those with pre-existing conditions?

And, it only stands to reason, with Darwinian capitalism mania sweeping the nation, the Flanagans' story is just a mere synechdoche of what evil state insurers are capable on a state-wide scale, such as this story out of Minnesota in which the state's budget will be balanced by Minnesota's seven biggest HMO's, Allina, Blue Cross, Fairview, HealthPartners, Medica, Park Nicollet and U Care, will slash services for the disabled, poor and elderly and hike taxes in the name of fiscal responsibility.

So give Ceridian your own 2¢ by writing or calling them here and tell them what you think of them dropping the Flanagans over the tiniest innocent mistake.