Headline of the Week Weak
Filed under: Headline of the Week
"Patient's Insurance Canceled Hours Before Life-Saving Brain Operation"
How horrible! CLICK HERE to read the article accompanying this headline.
Patient's Insurance Canceled Hours Before Life-Saving Brain Operation
A 19-year-old Tampa Bay, Fla., woman is suffering from a debilitating brain disorder that may kill her after an insurance company canceled the family's medical coverage just before she was due to receive life-saving brain surgery, Tampa Bay’s 10 News reported.
Caitlin Jackson recently was diagnosed with the disorder Chiari malformation, which causes her excruciating headaches and fainting spells. The condition eventually destroys motor skills and memory.
"I constantly have to have somebody around me," Jackson told Tampa Bay’s 10 News. "I can't even stay at home for five minutes."
She was hours from getting the necessary surgery for her condition when her insurance company, Aetna, waited too long to approve the operation, giving the green light 15 minutes too late. By the time it sent approval, Jackson had lost the operating room to another patient and her surgery had to be rescheduled.
But Aetna then told Jackson it would not cover the surgery at all, saying her benefits had run out and leaving her to cover the $113,000 surgery.
Jackson told Tampa Bay’s 10 News that while her family is in talks with lawyers about appealing the insurance company's decision and while Aetna reviews her case, she has put her life on hold.
"I just have told myself. I have to get through this. I have to pray my way through it," Jackson told Tampa Bay’s 10 News.
This only happens In the wonderful so call country of the
This only happens in the so called country of the
USA
That never would happen where I live.
I think that we should all email and call the fuckin insurance company and cause some shit.
thats horrible…i hate insurance
AETNA SUCKS, they pulled the same shit on my surgery which was $108,000.00!! THEY BLOW!!
Come to Canada everyone. This shit is free.
Insurance companys are no better then Oil companys. Both slimy.
wow. That's horrible.
We should pray for her.
That is SO wrong…
Seriously, I feel for you Americans with your Health Insurance issues. Especially since you , as the people, can't seem to do much to change it. Here (Australia) If we are sick we go to the doctor and if we can't afford it, the government pays for it. If we need a life saving operation, we get it, even if we have to wait a few months for a bed. They don't let us die. Doesn't your government think you people are worth saving?
She should go to France or Canada and have it done free.
i hope someone helps her.
this displays concretely the inherently flawed medical system in the united states. the right to good health needs to be a universal guarantee. the problem can always be tracked to the deceptive media in the US. media outlets are owned by powerful organizations who want to back their best interests, and their best interests are being put at the top of surgery lists, no wait times, and comfy beds in hospitals with only rich, good-looking, white people.
i've had six surgeries now in Canada and have not paid a dime, one time i walked into a hospital and was on the operating table that night. never once did i need to worry about insurance or medical costs.
straight up, anyone who is against universal healthcare is a selfish, arrogant, prick who doesn't care about the well-being of those who can't afford health insurance. OR they simply don't understand that they can deviate from the party line on issues such as this, they blindly support something that makes no sense.
omg thats horrible. :/
yeah aetna insurance sucks.
that poor woman!
Dumbass insurance company is gonna spend that much on defending the lawsuit. Premiums will rise!!!! piece of shits
we idiot Americans are more afraid of universal healthcare because a lotta boneheads think that if you need surgery you'll have to wait in line. what morons. also, we waste our tax dollars by voting in Repubs (yes, Dems too) whose only interest are big businesses that will ultimately line their own pockets. of course, they don't give a shit - they HAVE great insurance for life that WE pay for!! stop being so ignorant people, HEALTH INSURANCE SHOULD BE A RIGHT, NOT A FUCKING LUXURY - vote for someone who'll bring it to us!!
ThIS GOVERMENT SERIOUSLY DOESNT GIVE 2 $HITZ ABOUT US- WE HAVE LIED TO , CHEATED ON , & MANIPULATED- LOOK AT OUR SCHOOL SYSTEMS- THEY WANT US SICK AND UNEDUCATED- TURN OFF UR TV'S AND READ!
GUYS EVERYTHING WAS RESOLVED! AETNA AGREED TO PAY FOR THE SURGERY. CASE CLOSED. GOOGLE IT YOURSELVES.
That is just sick. Shame on Aetna.
Some of you need to be educated on the subject, read the story, and not rely on this dip shit Perez to give you the facts. He's a hard core democrat, of course he is only going to report a fraction of the story, the only part that fits his agenda. If you would have actually read the story you would see that she ran out of benefits. She went through $1Mil in treatments to date. So for those idiots to say that she deserves all her money back, she paid MAYBE $10K into insurance and received back $1Mil in treatments. Seems fair to me. Also, maybe her doctors should have pre-approved the surgery with Aetna before the day of the surgery. They fucked up. But go ahead, bash the insurance companies, that's what all your liberal morons like to do best.
.
.
BTW, no, we do not want socialized health care. I would like ot go to whatever doctor I want to visit and not have to wait weeks for testing or surgeries. I work my ass off for health benefits, Suzie Q that sits on her ass all day should have to wait, not me.
BTW, all you people saying "this would never happen in Canada", you are wrong. Thousands upon thousands of Canadians come to the states for treatment every year. Get a clue!
Re: Amand –
soooo…since she ran out of her benefits, she shouldn't get the life saving surgery? so because she ran out of benefits, the "cost" is HER LIFE.
GET SOME FUCKING HUMAN COMPASSION, ASSHOLE.
it's terrible, shitty people like you who are ruining this country. WHAT IF THIS WAS YOUR CHILD???
and yes, WE WANT universal healthcare…you're pretty much the only person who, well, wants this poor TEENAGER TO DIE.
ROT IN HELL ASSHOLE (cuz your lack of human compassion will probably land you there anyways…)
Re: Amand –
"suzy q who sits on her ass"
do you think people who don't work are the only people who don't have health care?? get YOUR facts straight, moron…and this girl HAS health insurance.
no compassion! maybe when this happens to your mom you'll think twice about making horrible, uninformed comments. wow, those democrats. they want to save peoples' lives who can't afford it! they are such terrible, terrible people. right. YOU ARE A HORRIBLE PERSON.
Only in America as usual some "greedy" company doesn’t want to pay. I guess money is more important than life. The insurance companies love for you to pay them, they love to raise your rates, and they love to take your money. Because that is what they are in business for, to make money. Now if they have to dish out the money for something they don't like to pay. It would be bad for "business". Everyone lets boycott Aetna and switch insurance companies if you can, and let’s see where that will get them.
Take 'em down perez!!! Just like you did with the Wal-mart case.
Breast implants $8,000, breast cancer tumor removed $80,000. Ahh, the free market, isn't so free, eh? Without a hardship waiver they will also take your home away; they've been dumping poor elderly people onto the streets after operations in LA, California.
Re: Amand – Do you work for an insurance company? You sound like you love the way insurance companies rip off the public. I feel sorry for you I really do. You have been brainwashed into thinking that the American healthcare system is the best in the world. It has great doctors that much is true, but the insurance SUCKS. Everyone needs healthcare, and there are millions without it because they can’t afford it. You have a nice day now.
I don't know how Americans can live without universal health care. This shit has got to stop.
You should re-post this with a link where we can write Aetna and let them know how we feel about this.
Where can we write to compain to Aetna about this gross neglegence? I have a feeling the court of public opinion might have an impact.
Re: Amand – having a primary universal health care system doesn't affect you're right to opt into private secondary health care system - but at least you'd have universal coverage there waiting when you're bounced on a gurney - doped to the eyeballs on sedatives into skid row by your private .provider when your insurance “runs out”..
People need to Stop politisizeing health care.
i have that disease. got the surgery for it in december. fortunately my insurance covers it tho. i dont know what my life would be like now if i didnt get it.
Nationalized healthcare will never happen in the U.S., because politicians make too damn much money from health care lobbyists to considering doing away with the health insurance industry. Hence, the reason my husband and I are considering moving out of country-as much as I love the U.S. (and spent several years in the military defending her), my much-beloved country has gone to shit over the last several years. How our founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves to see what's happened to us!!
The world is a scary place today…and our country? Home of the free? How ironic. The single most important thing today is money…that's what it's all about, that's the reason behind crime, politics, just life in general. Insurance is nothing but a scam, all kinds of insurance, not just health. When it comes time for them to pay out after you've been paying them month after month, you have to go through Hell and highwaters to get what you rightfully deserve. Maybe if we were all illegal aliens we'd get better treatment.
This is not accurate. As of yesterday, Aetna had agreed to cover it and the girl is scheduled to have her surgery Monday.
LOOK WHAT INS!!!!
most other countries put price controls on their drugs also. Here in the US, we don't which means we get stuck paying higher prices to pay for the Research & Development that countries like Canada, England don't. If it weren't for the R&D there would be far more deaths, etc. The next time you go to the hospital, why not ask why an aspirin costs $8 there? Hospital costs are so expensive here!! Also, in Canada and England you can wait weeks to go see the doctor. Socialized medicine isn't all it's cracked up to be. There are many rich Canadians who schedule surgeries in the US, because they don't want to wait the weeks/months their system makes you wait. Lastly, Canadians pay higher taxes than we do, from GST, etc. I for one, don't want any more than I already do. Here we pay approx 28% in income tax, a friend of mine in Switzerland pays about 70% which includes healthcare, etc, but 70%? Too high. Research topics first kids.
Re: Heidi – With all due respect, that is wonderful, but not the point. Sure, Aetna agreed to pay for the surgery–after the media caught wind of it. Bad PR is bad PR, and they don't want it. But there are millions of people for whom that doesn't happen, and it is for ALL of us–insured and uninsured–that these things need to be publicized for.
For all you know, in two months it could be you (or me, or anyone else) with some terrible affliction that we need treated, and our insurance company who we pay every month, one way or another, pulls the rug out from under us.
Imagine putting money into a bank every month and then one day a bill comes that you need to pay–and you go to the bank to withdraw money and they say, "No, sorry, you had electric service before you opened your account, so we don't cover that bill with THIS money. Take it out of the rest of your money." I agree with the posters who say that the reason we don't have universal health care is because of political coziness with big business and the industry; hopefully someone puts US first this time.
And, for those who don't know, as another poster pointed out, universal coverage certainly does not exclude the possibilty of secondary private insurance (i.e. what you already have); it just ensures coverage for those who have none. Health care should not be a commodity, people.
Re: Celti – Nicely put! Damn money sucking politicians.
I am both outraged and disgusted after reading this. To hear of such a thing as these greedy insurance companies putting peoples life at risk is not only sad for the victims and their families but horrible for the company to do such a thing. I hope they burn in hell and that this young woman gets her surgery in time so that she can live a long and fulfulling life and can then sue Atena's fucking ass!
Dumb ass chic. She should have said, "I don'ta spica no Englush. Que Paso?." Then they would have had her ass on a gurney and presto, operation at no charge. Don't believe me? Go to any hospital and check out the neo-natal ward. 90% Mexicans and no insurance. They leave the hospital with a months supply of Similac, blankets, clothes, bottles and top of the line car seats. Americans are suckers.
that sucks balls
No they didn't! Aetna sucks! You should use your power for good more often Perez by bring shitheads like this to light!
I process sh*t for Aetna. This sooooooooooooo does not surprise me.
so sad. only in america.
I couldn't even buy insurance a few years back, no insurance company would sell it to me due to "medical history problems", when I had no medical problems other than a biopsy which found nothing. But that biopsy made the health insurance companies nervous and no one would cover me. Crazy, but true!!! I know first hand our system is completely broken. The rest of the world has figured this one out. There are different plans around the world, none of which is perfect, but they all beat our INSURANCE FRIENDLY ONLY system hands down. The US system only benefits insurance companies and drug companies. Doctors, hospitals, and patients all get the shaft! WE NEED TO WAKE UP in this country!!!
this is horrible! everyone that lives in the USA need to see the movie SICKO. we need to have this issue addressed!!
This disease was featured on Extreme Makeover home edition, it's apparently an excrutiating disease…how sad
I too am glad I live in Canada!!
Re: robin –
ok!!! That makes no sense at all you IDIOT!
sad. Insurance companys are such fucking ripoffs anymore!
IT'S CALLED HEALTH CARE.
WHY CAN'T YOU YANKS GET THAT THROUGH YOUR FUCKING HEADS?
PEREZ, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO PUT YOUR PICTURE ON EVERYTHING ~ YOU CLOWN !!!
The hospital needs to go ahead and operate, then sue the shit out of Aetna. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, step up to the plate. Or how about Jimmy Buffett, who lives in Florida?
NICOL says: ITS QUIT NOT QUITE YOU RIGHT WING IDIOT U CANT EVEN SPELL AND YOUR TALKING SHIZ. ITS ONLY A 4 LETTER WORD? IF U PUT UP YOUR OPINION AND WANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY SPELL RIGHT RETARDO!
):-
HEY NICOLE, DID YOU MEAN TO SAY…… "SPELL [CORRECTLY] RETARDO!" ALSO, RIGHT-WING IS A HYPENATED WORD. ALSO, NUMBERS BELOW 11 WITHIN TEXT ARE WRITTEN IN WORD FORM. ALSO, IF YOU WANT ME TO TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY, THROW A FEW COMMAS INTO YOUR SENTENCE STRUCTURE, AND DON'T CALL PEOPLE UNKIND NAMES. IT IS VERY IGNORANT, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU MAKE FUN OF MENTALLY-HANDICAPPED PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME. YOU NEED TO TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THE ASS IN THE MIRROR.
I just read something in People about Aetna, and how they didn't cover someone's treatment for anorexia. They suck. What a horrible insurance company. I wish everyone there would switch and they would go out of business. Insensitive criminals.
You pay your tax to a government and they piss it all away.
Don't any of you give a shit enough to find a collective voice and not allow that voice to shut the fuck up untill you get what most other countries consider the basics like paid annual leave and healthcare. ffs
That is ridiculous. I guess I'm not that suprised your government did after all leave thousands of people to die in new orleans. You must be the only first world country that allows capitalism to be involved in the general healthcare of its citizens. Jesus even some developing countries have better governing for the people than you.
If I lived in America (thank fuck I do not) I would move. continually protest untill some form of free healthcare was made available in acute or life threatening situations at least.
Maybe try a terrorist approach your government seems to only listen to threats of terror. god the world is laughing at your government, and feeling sorry for the people.
God bless her and may her surgery go well.
Q: WOULD NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE EVEN COVER BRAIN SURGERY?!
That is disgusting… Insurance companies are so greedy and disgusting
That is horrible. Seriously, how the *F* can they do that?
Perez, you should start a fund for this woman so she can get her surgery. I'd definitely donate. You could so raise 100K easily even if people just donated a few bucks.
Re: NICOL – Fuck you….you liberal freak show!
Excuse me for a little typo….I guess that you must be PERFECT….get the fuck out of America…FREAK SHOW LIBERAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rot in hell!
Although I agree with the fact that insurance companies are a big part of the problem and not the solution, I find it amusing to read the offbase comments on here saying that we need universal healthcare. If healthcare in other countries is so fantastic, why to many of their wealthiest citizens come to America to receive their healthcare from institutions like the Mayo Clinic? Food for thought….
Additionally, for those "Americans" talking about how much America sucks, it may suck a little less with an improved attitude. Instead of complaining on an entertainment blog, be proactive and GET INVOLVED in your local communities. When you're busy doing good and helping others around you, you'll find that you have a lot less time to complain. Making the world a better place begins with each and every one of us.
UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE!!!!!!!!!!! This is what Obama needs to change!
UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHEN WILL THIS BE IMPORTANT ENOUGH???????
Re: robyn – i personally am against socialized medicine it would make it harder to be seen by doctors and there would be more shitty doctors because why would you go through the expenses of school to make less money? plus we have insurance for poor people for free and most of them not all but most abuse the hell out of it. i work in a emergency room and seriously people who have free government insurance come in for the dumbest things like pregnancy tests, std tests, a runny nose, a head ache, and so on. so that 1000 plus emergency bill for their pregnancy test that could of been purchased at walmart for 5 bucks or even done at a free clinic will now be payed by tax payers great. i think americans will abuse socialized medicine. its unfortionate for the people who need it and i do think people who do need it should get it but i think one rule for it would be you have to pass a piss test drugged out losers do not deserve it if they can afford drugs they can afford their medical bills…. thanks robyn for giving me a chance to rant ha ha
I don't know why anyone would live in the U.S it is becoming the most backwards nation in the world. What kind of country allows that to happen to its citizens? This is a great example of what happens when a group of people are motivated by money.
Hey Perez, raise some money for this!! WTF. Have your readers donate a couple bucks.
Re: anony –
Agony how would you have any idea what goes on in Canada if you do not live here. I have had many family members with cancer, I personally had to have an MRI myself. My family and I have always gotten our care promptly. Who gives a shit if a country can provide speedy medical care if some of its people cannot have access to it? I think its disgusting.
SAD HOW INSURANCE IS IN AMERICA. DON'T WE ALL WISH WE LIVED IN EUROPE OR OTHER COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD WITH MORE ADVANCED SYSTEMS? IT SEEMS LIKE US WESTERNERS ARE MUCH MORE BEHIND THEM SOME OTHER EASTERN COUNTRIES.
YOU'RE SO IN DENIAL IF YOU STILL BELIEVE AMERICA IS THE BEST. YEA RIGHT!
Way to Go Team Mario !!!!!!!!!!!!! You Tube: Team Mario - Choose Life
i am, BEYOND disgusted reading this. this is just terrible, wtf has this country come to? WTF. WHAT THE FUCK. i feel even more shitty that aetna is my insurance company. i came close to tears reading about this.WOW
God bless her and her family. i will be praying for them all.
INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE TRUE SCUMBAGS. MY MOM HAD LIFE INSURANCE ON MY DAD THROUGH HIS JOB WELL WHEN HE DROPPED DEAD OF A HEART ATTACK THEY SUDDENLY DECIDED NOT TO PAY AND THE NEW LAW BUSH PUSHED THROUGH MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SUE OR APPEAL. SHE GOT NOTHING AFTER YEARS OF PAID PREMIUMS. FUCKING SCUMBAGS. HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE EVEN WORSE, EVERYTHING IS A "PRE-EXISTING" CONDITION THEY REFUSE TO PAY.
I would SUE the shit out of them!!!!!
The problem with America is that you have all these greedy rich people who don't want the rest of us to have what they have. they think if you aren't rich like them that your life isn't worth as much as theirs so you should just DIE. Look at that poor woman at Kings country hospital who was left to die on the emergency room floor because she didn't have insurance. Sick. Anyone can be without insurance from job loss or being in a low paying job that doesn't offer it and even with insurance there is no guaruntee you won't lose your home because of copays. If you have cancer or a heart attack your copay can be as much as $30,000 dollars!!! Who the eff can afford that???? If you don't pay they steal your home!!! America SUCKS.
I have worked in medical insurance for over 15 yrs, it depends on if she was dealing with group or individual insurance, but the reality of it is there is a calander year max. I know its sad but insurance is a buisness to, you cant expect them to donate the money.
Let me put in this way if you work for a company and they offer insurance, but its self funded, that means there is a pool of funds from the premiums you pay , if someone in your office has a major illness they can drain those funds before you have a chance to use them, thats how most companys use there insurance, if the funds that are going out exceed the priemums coming in they go up, so companys are trying to stop employees from abusing the insurance, rushing to the ER for a sore throat, or going to the doctor for stupid stuff.
I am not for insurance companys but damn they only have so much funds and most people dont follow the pre certification rules.
that's fucked up.
We live in a vicious corporate fascist country that places no value on people's lives. When will Americans wake up and start fighting back?
I use to work at a Dr.'s office in St. Petersburg, and AETNA always pulled this crap!! I hated it for my patients so many of them needed certain procedures done and couldn't afford it, they thought that was why they had insurance. There has to be something better out there for people.
This makes me ill. I really appreciate that this site has started reporting stuff like this. Not everyone reads the "socially conscious" types of websites, and PerezHilton.com reaches a younger audience.
cheap azz insurance company. They are all money hungry its disgusting!!!!!!!! I hope ( pray ) this woman gets the help she needs. I feel so sorry for her.. No body should put money in front of life.
Shes in my prayers!
Dude kinda looks like Patrick Dempsey! Just saying…
She is getting the surgery. This article is old. Aetna's paying after the governor of FL, Charlie Crist, reached out to the company.
This whole comment thread freaks me out… I just wanted to say a couple of things from an 'outsiders' point of view (and I don't work in health care by the way
)
1. Why are people making this a political issue? Having millions of citizens with no medical coverage who are at a HUGE risk of death or lifelong pain and suffering as a result, and a private system dependent on profits is not a conservative/liberal issue. I really think you guys need to stop drawing a Red/Blue line down the middle of yourselves and shouting abuse at the other side. This is a HUMAN issue, like Katrina. At moments like that, no one asks you who you vote for. As an Aussie, I think it's so strange that there is such an emphasis on party lines - I don't ask anyone who they vote for - and I'd say 95% of the country would be horrified if they heard someone being abused for who they voted for. Nuts.
2. No one is saying government funded health care is perfect. Yes, sometimes people need to wait for procedures. Yes, in a public hospital you may not be able to choose your doctor. But there are heaps of models that include a private sector as well. In Australia, if you choose to pay for private healthcare, you get all the benefits of your (U.S) healthcare system, choice of doctor/hospital, bonuses such as alternative therapies, physio, health and fitness rebates (you can claim your kid's swimming lessons for example) - a bunch of stuff. If you are able to pay for this sort of thing, great. But no one should pay for their life because they can't afford it. No one should lose their HOUSE to pay for medical bills. No one goes bankrupt in Australia because they had to pay for their surgery.
3. Public hospital does not equal shitty doctors. Australian doctors in Queensland came up with the cervical cancer vaccine. America does not have the monopoly on medical research.
I know some of you are resistant to something different, cause who knows if it will work? The rest of the planet knows. Take the hint and make your government get it, cause really, human life is more important than any company's bottom line.
Peace.
who the hell cares if Aetna resolved this issue?!
she should have never been dropped in the first place!!!
and i'd be willing to bet the ONLY reason Aetna finally agreed to help was because the media (yes people like PEREZ) brought this situation to light, and they didn't want there name smeared in the dirt. (that means they would lose precious dollar bills!!!)
why do we, as American citizens, allow ourselves to be taken for granted?!
we ALL (republicans AND democrats) deserve to live in a country where we can get the medical attention we need, when we need it, no questions asked.
HEALTHCARE REFORM NOW!!!!!
perez….I AM OUTRAGED! i am 22 and bout to tun 23 & i had a fatal heart condition. i had 1 surgery but it did not correct everything….i have to have A 2nd surgery once my health insurance kicks in once i am working full time for 4 months! i have aetna and they suck! i almost died because they insisted i was crazy until i had an attack in the hospital once i was admitted! they even had me see a psychiatrist! i almost died until they had my surgery! perez call them out!!!!
Insurance is not unlimited funds, damn people it seems like the ones that are pissed dont even have insurance, I have had Aetna and they were fine. payed for my surgery . Health Care is not Freakin free. Lets say we get Goverment sub. health care, welcome to day long waits just to see a doctor, and the ER hee hee would be swarmed with bullcrap cases of sore throats and earaches, I like being able to go to my doctor when I need to and being seen within 30 minutes, I had to go to the ER with severe wounds to my face due to a dog attack and they lady in front of me had a reaction to Proactive she was seen before me, needless to say do to my wait(I was not at a community hosp and I do Have ins) They could only repair my face so much, it wasnt my insurance it was idiots who abuse the fuckin system. Stop bitching about insurance, get some and then you have a right to comment on it.
Only in the great country that is the U.S.A.
Poor girl! And count my blessings I don't live there..
Yet again…this is one of many instances in which U.S. Citizens have lost…have became puppets to our joke of "health care" in the United States. Insurance companies across the board are constantly analyzing cost and benefit factors to see if any given patient is worth living or not. It all comes down to money. If someone costs a company too much, then they are simply written off and neglected by the insurance company. Perez, thank you for covering this story. With your amount of readers in the U.S. and worldwide, maybe you could change healthcare in America. Just an idea. None of our sorry members of Congress, etc. are doing anything to gravitate the U.S. to a unified health care system. We pay so much in taxes to support a nonexistent war on terror, yet we cannot have health insurance. What a joke.
Thank god I live in a country that takes care of me. We still have private clinics and we can go abroad and get the treatment we want if there is none available in Norway. Check out the extra on Sicko, they couldn't profile Norway, because Americans wouldn't have believed it.
Americans don't understand that the state should be working for them, not them working for the state. You poor things, soon living in a third world country, and still not getting anything.
insurance is one of the biggest scams in america. all that money is paid to insurance companies and look at what happens.
In 2005, Aetna had $1.1 billion in earnings.
Mr. Ronald Williams is the current CEO. I think he needs to hear our thoughts!
Other members of seniority include:
# Mark T. Bertolini - President
# Meg McCarthy - Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer
***MEDIA CONTACT: Mohit M. Ghose, GhoseM@Aetna.com***
"Aetna will pay for a woman to receive an abortion for any reason at any time during her pregnancy. Whether she is 6 weeks pregnant or 6 months pregnant, whether it is her first or her tenth abortion, the company imposes no restrictions whatsoever." OH! SO THEY WILL PAY FOR "ANYONE'S" ABORTION, yet they can't pay for a critical brain surgery?! I say we all let these people hear our opinions. If we don't speak, then who will?
Aetna is beyond repulsive…I'm dropping my policy with them tomorrow. There are many sites online in which I encourage other readers to search for health care at reasonable rates with equal and/or better benefits than Aetna! Let's hope your insurance company has better coverage than Aetna. My thoughts go out to this girl that Aetna denied coverage to. Disgusting is not the word for Aetna.
All I can say is…I feel her pain. Literally. Having been diagnosed with something similar–really, I do. At least she has an insurance company to fight with. I don't even have that.
It's all bull crap.
This is why we need to nationalize the US healthcare system. It works in Canada. It works in europe. The US has the most expensive healthcare system in the world but only ranks 35th in quality. Thats like buying a Kia for the price of a Rolls Royce. It makes no sense to continue a system that is clearly designed to take your money and then deny your coverage.
Re: jami– "i personally am against socialized medicine it would make it harder to be seen by doctors and there would be more shitty doctors because **why would you go through the expenses of school to make less money?**"
bit of a tangent… but have you any idea how many adjunct college professors, many with Doctoral degrees, have no choice but to seek government assistance due to how little they are paid?
it's all about the money… fucking money.
That happens ALL THE TIME, in America where i reside. Its sad, and You know that this family was paying hundreds a month for insurance, and for what/?? NOTHING! The new president needs to address insurance fraud like this. Not fair to dying patients
v
Re: Bee – really???, " beggars can't be choosers", do you think these folks are beggars? The problem starts when we (yes you and me) decide that a 40 hour a week job (whether it's TSA workers, child care providers, or running a mortgage company) should still leave the workers (ahem, residents of the worlds 'richest' nation) either starved or unhealthy due to inadequate wages or lack of health insurance?
Shouldn't we figure out how to value every necessary job with the basic human rights of health, education, and safety?, really!! In the long run we will reap what we sow. what does it mean to be the "richest nation"when potentially 35% of your neighbors kids go to bed hungry due to inadequate wages, lack of health care, and lack of child care? Prisons cost a lot more than food and health insurance per resident per year.
Welcome to America! This is how we do it!
why can health insurances is the US do this? i mean canceling the insurance?
damn….this is one of the reasons i´m glad i live in europe