'Lois Gorwitz, a psychologist with thirty years of experience who went to work for Magellan in California in 2000, said her superiors would tell her: "We are not denying this person treatment, we are denying them their benefit. If they want the treatment they can still pay out of pocket." But, Gorwitz said, "You know that means that the person is not going to get the treatment because they can't afford to pay out of pocket."'

So, there you go, a tidbit of what has caught my attention today and also infuriated me quite profoundly. I have known for a long time how bad insurance companies were, particularly in the health industry as I am sure all of you know just as well, however I did not realize to what extent. Until now. So basically, we, as human beings, are being written off and denied based on having ANY major illness. Obviously, having a major illness, you NEED the coverage, however, the insurance companies figure, its costing them their "greedy dollars" so they deny you. As an example, my uncle is a doctor, earns good money, but cannot afford to stop working or he may not ever be covered for health insurance due to having cancer. Even though that cancer seems to be in remission or better yet, disappeared, it doesn't matter to these awful insurance companies who could simply care less. They barrage you with questions as to why you need treatment when the answers are obvious. Many of the people being denied coverage are DYING or in the hospital with a terminal illness for which they will be dead without the money to pay for their basic medical needs. Many people go bankrupt and lose EVERYTHING over even short hospital stays, not to mention longer ones.

So, tell me why they can still get away with this? The industry is probably the leading cause of death in the US every year, higher then car accidents, aids, smoking, cancer and other death causing illnesses. While it can't be jotted down as "manslaughter by way of denying care," do you think it should be? I definitely do. I wish the industry stopped feeding us what we want to hear and plain lies about how, "we aren't denying you coverage on the basis of being cost effective." Screw that. They blatantly deny coverage for almost everyone with even that smallest pre-existing condition.

Now, having lived in Australia for the past three and a half years I know things are different elsewhere. Australia is still behind many European countries as far as health care coverage is concerned, but they are leaps and bounds past the US. While medicare only covers basic needs and not other medical necessities (which for some people might include dental, eye-care and insurance for long hospital stays, surgeries, therapy, etc), people are still being covered, no matter what their condition is. Because the government covers the people the insurance companies have to give people incentives to gain clients who even want to buy into a medical plan, they also need to provide great service and they can't deny people or they simply would have no on to cover and no money coming in. They may raise premiums on people with pre-existing conditions, but they don't deny them.

I thought the medical industry was one in the business of helping families and saving lives, not robbing you of your money, throwing you on the street and letting you die (while sitting behind a phone, laughing at the fact that they could easily have chosen to cover you, but instead they are lining their pockets full of the money they now do not have to spend on your well-being). How absurd. Its deeply saddening to know people are dying and arn't being covered. They lose their home, have their families put on the street simply to pay for their medical bills. Damn, I'd rather die then see my family in that position. And maybe thats all the insurance companies want. Let those who need the help die, hell, maybe they should even help them along, kill them while they sleep, because in all reality, its what they are already doing by denying people the coverage they need.

Thats my two cents. To read more of this fucked up shit, please read this article: [link]

This is specifically in regards to rape and sexual assault victims being denied coverage due to even having taken anti-AIDs meds (even if they never actually contracted AIDs and only used it for precaution) and those who end up with post traumatic stress disorder from their situations and therefore the companies will not cover them and deem therapy "an unnecessary cost and program which is not needed to help a victim recover."

Pretty pathetic, isn't it?

I think the kicker is the part about a woman whom had disclosed the fact that she was raped when she was 17 to a doctor and nurse who wrote this down for her medical history. Now she had just come in for a second rape that happened to her when she discussed her past. She's 38 and now the insurance company refused to pay for her rape exam and any future therapy or medication based all on the fact that she had been raped as a child and so apparently life situations now also fall into the "pre-existing" catergoy.

So, I think we should all go kick some sense into the CEOs of all these gigantic insurance companies. Maybe they need a wake-up call. Maybe they need a week where the money stops rolling into their own pockets and instead they get to be told about how many lives they are destroying and people they are murdering each year. Maybe if they don't have that scent of cold hard cash beneath their noses they might actually take the time to look around at all the people they are condemning to die.

End of my bitch-rant. Feel free to share your own stories or simply your opinions on the topic.

Ciao. <3

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