Blue Cross Tells Doctors to Report Patients' Pre-Existing Conditions

[The Straight Story]

Blue Cross Tells Doctors to Report Patients' Pre-Existing Conditions

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- If you've got health problems, don't ask Blue Cross for coverage.

Health insurance giant Blue Cross wants doctors in California to report pre-existing conditions it could use to cancel new patients' medical coverage.

The Los Angeles Times says it's a cost-cutting move.

The state's largest for-profit health insurer is sending physicians copies of health insurance applications filled out by new patients, along with a letter advising them that the company has a right to drop members who fail to disclose "material medical history."

http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=38366

[angrycarpenter]

1. Isn't that supposed to be confidential?

Except from a court order? Now we will see if a letter from an insurance company is equal to a subpoena.

Any doctor who complies and cuts patients off of medical care and goes against their oath should not be allowed to practice.

[SoCalDem]

2. This is why the "electronic medical records" thing will hurt patients

as your medical history gets scanned into a database, it WILL be distributed...and the confidentiality goes away..

and as medical giants consolidate & afilliate, they share information..

[TheDebbieDee]

3. Sounds like BC&BS is asking health professionals

to violate HIPAA = Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Major lawsuits could result from health professional ratting out their patients as this is a violation of privacy. Do we have that in this country anymore? Privacy?

[Quakerfriend]

4. Exactly! Funny, I have worked in medicine for many years and

the only time I see HIPAA laws strictly followed is with respect to mental illness, and the patients' rights to privacy from their own family members knowing anything.

[knitter4democracy]

12. Nope. There's a loophole in the law for insurance.

If the insurance co. requests info, doctors usually give it. I think the law is worded such that doctors aren't required to give the info over, but I could be wrong. The insurance companies made sure to cover themselves in that law.

[xchrom]

5. all this tells us -- besides violating rules and regs regarding confidentiality --

is that the insurance industry is going to fight reform tooth and nail -- and they will bend the rules to get around reforms.

[aquart]

6. Which means they need to be removed from the process.

Completely. They do not work and play well with others. And now they are running with scissors.

[xchrom]

7. indeed. nt

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

8. Please Note

Blue Cross and Blue Shield are independent entities by state. Something in cali does not bind something in NY..

[TheDebbieDee]

9. But HIPAA is federal law which means

it is supposed to be binding in all 50 states.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

10. Of course

What I was trying to say is note every BC & BS pulls this pathetic crap. Insurance companies are like *any other companies* there are jerks and good people in all of them..

[TheMadMonk]

11. But once one does it and gets away with it, the rest WILL follow.

Comparisons will be made and "poor performers" will be required to explain said "performance" and their funding levels will be set in a manner that takes the the "better performers" into account.