Health insurers defend coverage decisions at Dennis Kucinich congressional hearing

[AnOhioan]

Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer

WASHINGTON -- Insurance company executives on Thursday, Sept. 17, assured a skeptical congressional subcommittee chaired by Cleveland Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich that their coverage decisions are motivated by patient care, not profits.

One after another, representatives of Aetna, United Healthcare, WellPoint Inc., Humana, CIGNA, and Health Care Service Corp. denied their companies cut costs by routinely rejecting claims, or that they rescind insurance coverage for patients and employers who incur major medical expenses.

"Private health insurers are insuring fewer people and earning higher profits, by avoiding providing coverage to people who get very sick and who have very high medical bills -- that's what Wall Street wants to see," insisted Kucinich, whose Domestic Policy Subcommittee heard testimony Wednesday from former insurance company employees and relatives of patients who maintained that was the case.

Insurance company officials summoned for Day Two of Kucinich's hearings explained it differently.

Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2009/09/health_insurers_defend_coverag.html

[dflprincess]

1. I gather they weren't under oath when they said

"...their coverage decisions are motivated by patient care, not profits."

If they were, Kucinich should have had them cited for perjury.

[wroberts189]

5. Article does not say. But they (Big INS.) lied out their donkeys. nt

[Roland99]

8. I gather they don't read news headlines. At least not LBN up here.

fuckers.

[irislake]

2. Just like the tobbacco liars.

[wroberts189]

7. We think alike +1. nt

[Aragorn]

3. why shouldn't they lie?

They're getting away with it so far, after all.

[FREEWILL56]

12. Yes, they have been getting away with it along with many corporations.

Maybe they feel slighted and want a big bailout too. All I know is I am getting screwed and I doubt Obama's plan will get me unscrewed from these corporations and their greed as he's forcing them on us. At this point my ass will still be hurting even if things are straightened out the right way, but everybody ignores DK's plan and instead ramrods more crap. Did the corporations get a freeze like is being shoved down senior's and the disabled throats? I see this as one big continuation that bush started. Is the change Obama promised to escalate what bush started as that's what he's doing and is not the change I want? Hey Obama, try bailing out the people. I guess I'll make his dissenters list too with my opinion.

[bertman]

4. GEEZ!! What a surprise!! Did ANY mentally competent person in America expect even one

of these assholes to admit to their inhuman and totally profit-driven practices?

At least Congressman Kucinich has made them LIE PUBLICLY about this. Now it's up to the progressives to use the testimony on teevee ads showing the LIARS to be the LIARS they are.

[dflprincess]

6. Use their testimony and splice it with comments Wendell Potter

(former Cigna wheel) has made in the last few weeks.

[DKRC]

10. On the record just like the tobacco LIARS

Great idea to put clips into spots for TV, nothing like seeing them telling baldface lies in sworn testimony to make the point.

:thumbsup:

[earcandle]

9. 90% of what a person says is non-verbal, but if it is 100%, they are paid actors.

[thelordofhell]

11. I would hazard a guess and say

All these insurance companies have made much more profits than losses in their years of operation.

[Ruby the Liberal]

13. I watched some of this

They were all talking about how their databases aren't "set up/capable" of filtering for patient data (only generic community statistics) and bragging about their .0003% denial rates. The latter was based on an inability to define "claim" as they each had their own definition of the word. Rep Cummings tried his best to make sense of the word salad, but he was visibly frustrated.

[Kolesar]

14. thanks...I got called away and could not watch it...eom