THEIR RULES, OUR PAIN
Real stories of people trampled by the insurance companies
"My mother was diagnosed with leukemia. She had health insurance because of my father' employer. Because it was an expensive treatment, the insurance denied my mother coverage at the hospital where her physician wanted her to be treated. While trying to find a hospital that would accept my mother's insurance, valuable time was wasted. When she finally found a hospital that would treat her, the cancer had spread and even with treatments, it could not be stopped. She passed away.
"After her death I received a letter from her physician telling me he had retired on account of the fact that he had taken an oath that he was unable to fulfill because of the insurance carriers and someone sitting in an office making life and death decisions."
What are the insurance companies not cheap about? Find out in this week’s Foul Play.
Read other stories in the "Their Rules, Our Pain" archive.
LATEST SCORECARD
Fifty-eight percent of primary care doctors in the U.S. report their patients often have difficulty paying for medications and care, and half of U.S. doctors spend substantial time dealing with restrictions insurance companies place on their patients’ care, according to the 2009 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey.
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Families saw their premiums for job-based health insurance rise to an average of $13,375 annually in 2009, with workers paying an average share of $3,515 and employers paying $9,860.
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