Face to Face with the Faceless Bureaucrat (Form letter number L 24)

[Joanne98]

By David S. Martin
CNN Medical Senior Producer

President Obama is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress tonight in an effort to breathe new life into his health care overhaul. Critics have gone after the cost of his proposal and claimed the president’s plan is a first step in a government takeover of health care. Central to this second charge is the specter of a faceless government bureaucrat standing between you and your doctor.

I thought of this the other day when a neighbor approached me, his voice shaking with frustration. He had just received a letter from Blue Cross Blue Shield, rejecting his application for health insurance. The letter was signed, if that’s the word, “Sincerely, Underwriting Department L 24.”

What makes this case curious is that Blue Cross Blue Shield had been insuring my neighbor and his family for the past 15 or so years through his wife’s state job. When she resigned to stay home with their 1-year-old, he never dreamed Blue Cross Blue Shield would not accept his application to purchase private insurance. After all, he thought, the insurance company was familiar with his family’s medical history. There are no expensive chronic diseases such as diabetes or expensive life-threatening ailments such as cancer on their record. My neighbor says he occasionally suffers from allergies. That’s it. His 1-year-old is healthy. To further confuse matters, Blue Cross Blue Shield accepted his wife and teenage daughter for health insurance.

The whole story sounded strange. I asked him if he’d mind if I called Blue Cross Blue Shield. Here is the response I got:

To protect the privacy of our members and their medical information, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) does not comment on the specifics of individual cases. In general terms, however, each individual application for medical coverage is reviewed thoroughly and carefully, based on standard criteria which differs between individual and employer group business. BCBSNE accepts most applicants, but there are occasional denials based on health conditions and eligibility requirements.

I asked Blue Cross Blue Shield about L 24 and was told that’s not a person but the code for the form letter my neighbor received. As we listen to the president make his case for health care reform, we should remember “L 24” and know that the government does not have a monopoly on faceless bureaucrats.

Has a faceless bureaucrat ever stood between you and your doctor?

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09/09/face-to-face-with-the-faceless-bureaucrat/

[Frustratedlady]

1. I've dealt with BC/BS before in the same type of situation.

When my husband retired and I came off COBRA, I applied for private insurance thru them. Big mistake. Even though we had a "contract" I had to adhere to, they apparently didn't. They raised my premium twice before I ever made a payment. I should have walked away.

They used to be a great company, but they are awful in my estimation. They had me so frightened, I held off on some procedures until I finally went on Medicare. Evil people.

[MineralMan]

2. I have an individual policy with BC/BS...

When I moved from California to Minnesota, I discovered that they would not honor the alumni group policy I had, nor convert it to a similar policy in Minnesota. However, they did convert it to a "Portability" policy, with the same no-cancel clause in it.

That was five years ago. The premium then was under $500/mo. Now, five years later, it is $715/mo. At age 64, I have no choice but to keep paying the premium. They keep saying I can apply for a different plan, but always include the "You'll have to go through our normal qualification procedure." Fat chance, so I'm stuck.

They've started sending me Medicare supplement information. As if I would even consider them for that. On my 65th birthday, they are going to get a serious nastygram from me. Between Medicare and the VA, I'll do much better that with BC/BS. I will get a supplement, too, but not from them.