I just received this email from MoveOn.Org....I usually don't do anything but this really made me upset and I could imagine something like this happening to me or my loved ones. To top it off, I have CIGNA. I figured it wouldn't hurt to sign the petition. http://pol.moveon.org/dawn/?id=17404-14657038-HuzPkJx&t=1
Signed. I have CIGNA and my policy is the fantastic. I racked up around $25-$30K in medical and dental bills this year and I'm out of pocket probably $700-800 and they took care of the rest. Even the nurses/billing departments were surprised that my insurance covered so much of the testing/procedures. The company I work(ed) for is based out of Brussels so I think that had something to do with the coverage. I'm sure CIGNA is not that great if your employer is not going to pay for a fantastic policy for its employees.
Lady Di: Weird question - is being deaf considered a pre-existing condition and would it impact your rates for private insurance? Just curious.
According to Dawns personal blog, CIGNA is caving to pressure and beginning to pay. Yay! for Dawn. hopefully she'll begin getting better soon. http://www.itcouldhappentoanyone.com/
No, because it doesn't keep me from doing everyday tasks and I won't die from being deaf like you would die from cancer.
This happens to WAAY too many people, they get sick and then suddenly their insurance companies start to alter their policies or come up with reasons to increase your out-of-pocket expenses and screw you over. This is precisely why there MUST be at the very LEAST a strong "bill or patient rights" type of thing from Congress that will prevent this crap from happening to people. To me, three things are essential and Congress must address it ASAP: 1 - Heavy penalties for insurance companies who try to weasel their way out of paying when their customers actually get sick 2 - Forcing insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions 3 - Breaking down the monopoly of Big Insurance and forcing more competition in an anti-trust type model Anything, and I do mean anything less than that would be a complete and utter failure for the Obama administration. What I listed is I think the bare minimum.
