If Cigna hadn’t put profits before the health of those they insure, they wouldn’t have contributed to the death of an innocent or be facing a public relations nightmare.
Attorney Mark Geragos said he plans to ask the district attorney to press murder or manslaughter charges against Cigna HealthCare in the case. The insurer “maliciously killed her” because it did not want to bear the expense of her transplant and aftercare, Geragos said.
We need a health care system that makes health of patients primary, not the profit of corporations – before more insured patients die because their insurance company refused to pay claims.
Tip: C&L
I well remember when I was an employer in Los Angeles shopping for health insurance. Kaiser actually told me, “Bring us your pre-existing conditions; we love them!” One of my employees discovered during her first Kaiser health screening that she’s had undiagniosed abdominal cancer for several years; even though she’d only been a member for less than 2 months and the condition prexisted the membership, Kaiser treated it at no cost to her. And when I found out I had HCV, the ENCOURAGED me to undergo treatment. Street price: $5K per month; my cost: $125 per month.
Kaiser isn’t perfect, but at least they’re not driven by profits. I wish everyone had the option of Kaiser– now that I live in a rural area, I no longer do, and I miss them!
I envision a nationwide network of regional Kaiser-like non-profit health entities funded by tax dollars. No one would be required to use them,. but if they were run well, most people would want to.
My employer is switching to Cigna in January, and after reading all the horror stories we’re terrified that something similar will happen to us. As a result, my family is looking very seriously at emigrating to Europe.
I’m not kidding. And I think health care will be the deciding factor as to whether the US remains a major economic power or becomes a very large Argentina in the near future.