California Medical Association not happy about it as well...also reported at the Wall Street Journal....this is really a dirty business....how low can we go...BD
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Citing an effort to hold down costs, health insurance giant Blue Cross wants doctors in California to report conditions it could use to cancel new patients' medical coverage, it was reported Tuesday. WellPoint Inc., the Indianapolis-based company that operates Blue Cross of California, said it was sending out the letters in an effort to keep costs at a minimum.
The state's largest for-profit health insurer is sending physicians copies of health insurance applications filled out by new patients, along with a letter advising them that the company has a right to drop members who fail to disclose "material medical history," the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site.
"We're outraged that they are asking doctors to violate the sacred trust of patients to rat them out for medical information that patients would expect their doctors to handle with the utmost secrecy and confidentiality," said Dr. Richard Frankenstein, president of the California Medical Association.
When I read the article I was outrages. I recently received a packet of information from Blue Cross myself. On the outside of the envelope it said 'requested information' though there was nothing I had requested from my insurance provider. On the inside it was a packet of information concerning heart disease.
ReplyDeleteI have never been diagnosed or treated for heart disease so I don't know why they elected to send the information packet. It was disturbing that they could be reviewing my medical bills and assuming I am being treated for a certain condition.
Why does Blue Cross gets away with their unacceptable behavior on a regular basis?
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice someone stepped in on the publics behalf and Blue Cross was held accountable for their actions and made to pay a monetary fine for asking Doctors to violate Dr. Patient confidentiality.
My Blue cross ins went up $98.00 dollars on December 1, 2007 and a letter that came last week says it's going up another $30.00 on March 1, 2008
Adding insult to injury Blue Cross finds it acceptable pick and choose what medications it will and will not pay for regardless of what a Dr. prescribes.
I can't imagine what it would be if I actualy ever went to the Dr or got sick!