Even Insured Get Stuck With The Tab

Main Category: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 03 Nov 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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"I thought I had good coverage through the health insurance provided by my employer, Great-West," recalls Loveta Baker of Weaverville, N.C. "Due to our family history of colon cancer, I had a colonoscopy that led to the discovery of a mass. It was followed by a quick surgery that went well, without complications at all."

"In a few weeks the bills started rolling in. I knew I'd take a larger than normal hit because I've never had any luck finding an in-network provider in my area. The closest in-network gastrointestinal specialist provided by Great-West was over an hour away, and when I called the office, it was in fact a psychiatrist's practice and not a gastrointestinal doctor at all."

"But, alas, Great-West is paying just under one-third of my total costs, using 'average contracted rate' as the reason. Health insurance shouldn't be this complicated - these companies should have forms that are easier to decipher. And they should live up to what they promise in their glossy promotional literature that has you believing they're 'there for you.'"

"Right now I feel like I'm in the movie SiCKO - I am continuing to make my insurer explain, and pushing for accountability with the help of a consumer group."

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Sponsored by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee

Eighty-two percent of Americans think the U.S. healthcare system should be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt (Commonwealth Fund, Aug. 7, 2008). America's nurses know that only single-payer, improved and expanded Medicare for all will fix our broken system and the tragedy of our devastated families. HR 676, by U.S. Rep John Conyers, is the most comprehensive, cost effective way to achieve guaranteed healthcare for all.

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