Your health insurance horror story for today

[KamaAina]

A couple of weeks ago, a speaker at a conference I attended was talking about her back surgery. She had a good job with (she thought) good insurance. She had the surgery all set up at one of the finest hospitals in SoCal.

Then the insurance company found out the injury was related to her prior (many years prior) military service. "Aha!", they said. "That's covered by the VA. So we won't pay for it!"

So off she went to the VA, which proceeded to screw up the surgery in every way imaginable, including putting a bone graft in the wrong place, and -- the coup de grace -- drilling a hole in her spinal cord.

She now must use a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

But hey, an insurance company saved ten or twenty grand! Well worth it, I'd say. :sarcasm:

[flor-de-jasmim]

1. And the Repubs think tort reform is the hottest ticket in town.

[napi21]

2. I hate to say this, but that's SOP. A collegue of mine had been

injured while in Basic, and her hip still bothered her. She will probably need hip joint replacement surgery within the next few years. Back when ins. actually paid your whole bill, (about 10 yo) she was told the ins co would not cover anything related to an injury linked to the military.

I think it's wrong, but every co. of any kind looks to who's liable for a bill, and since the military WILL cover their health care, obviously the ins. co isn't gling to want to spend THEIR $$ to cover something somebody else will.

I don't know where this lady was from, but I suspect she went to the wrong facility. Much of the military care is even better than that of the civilian.

[alstephenson]

3. But I'm sure the insurance company was happy to take her premiums all these years.

The insurance companies prefer to do their "underwriting" when claims are filed instead of upfront when the insurance policy is issued. Is there health insurance reform yet??? Oh, never mind, it's just too hard to do...:sarcasm:

[cutlassmama]

4. Wow, how do they even sleep at night???

[juno jones]

5. They don't.

They obviously spend their evenings transforming into bats and sucking our blood.

It's never enough.