Working for the HC insurance industry in any capacity makes you an evildoer!

[Generic Other]

It should be open season on shaming anyone working for a health insurance company. We need to act like real consumer activists because we can't depend on our leaders to work for our interests. As consumers of health insurance, we are being cheated, ripped off and deceived. Public opinion is a mighty powerful weapon. All the workers who earn a paycheck from the HC Insurance industry need to be given the message loud and clear that they are managing our premiums, not their profits. They don't like that idea, show them the direction to the unemployment office. They should be treated like the worst form of conmen and women on a personal level every single day just for working in the industry. No less than the brokers at Enron or Bernie Madoff. Make every one of them ashamed to ever even mention what they do for a living. Why are we giving these bloodsucking leeches a free pass to play with our health and pocket our money? Why aren't we making them ashamed and afraid to tell us where they work, what they do for a living? I will never have a conversation with one ever again without telling them what worthless vermin they are. When they deny my claims, they will be cursed in old fashioned Irish terms. The banshees from hell will be released. Deny coverage and I will curse you to the tips of your combovers, to the ends of your incredibly small dicks. And I curse you and yours to suffer the same diseases as those you deny coverage to. Tenfold.

Because you have proven that in order to make a living, you are willing to watch others die in a callous and unconscionable manner. You feed off the misery of others. I will even break Godwin's rule here and equate them to the Jewish Ghetto Police in WW2 who were used by the Germans to facilitate the deportation of their fellow Jews to the camps. They were just trying to feed their families too. But they were hired by the Germans because they could be counted on to do the dirty work. I am sick to death of playing with insurance companies who recklessly disregard the health of the American workers they have been hired to protect. Because that is all they were contracted to do. Not to make huge profits by denying us coverage. Not to accumulate vast obscene profits for their own investors. Because those who pay the premiums are the stockholders in these companies. Every American denied coverage by an insurance company is entitled to demand a full refund of all premiums ever paid. They are entitled to give the insurance execs their pink slips. I would give money in support of that plan. Deny us coverage, pay a penalty. It's called acting in good faith. Fail to do it and pay an even huger penalty. That's what happens in many states in the auto insurance industry. Denying claims is not in the companies' interests. Nor in the shareholder/insured's interest either. And our interests are the only ones that should carry any weight. The execs are salarymen and need to be reminded of that fact. NOW.

A class action lawsuit would stop these practices in their tracks. So why aren't consumer advocates launching class action lawsuits? The companies are clearly acting in bad faith when they deny claims for money they already collected. This is called fraud in most industries. Even in the auto insurance industry, the law allows consumers to collect many times over on their claims if the companies are not acting in good faith. Clearly they are not at this point. Who can deny it?

I know many will say, a class action lawsuit has no chance, but look at the retired military people. Under the Clinton admin, they were all denied free medical through the government's disingenuous argument that veterans had never really been promised lifetime care. Well guess what? The retired vets sued, and they won. They have lifetime free care again. If the government is against us, let us rise and fight for ourselves. A class action lawsuit filed in a court with a jury of twelve vs. bribed members of Congress and their evil cohorts in industry. Wonder who would win?

Today, I heard on Air America that people who are calling their insurance companies to get pre-approved for routine procedures are being stalled, being told the paperwork is in the system, that new regulations are in place, etc. etc. Anything to buy time until the companies get the legislation they have paid for from Congress. Why would any of us be willing to put up with this for even another day?

It's our money and our health at stake. HC Insurance executives need to be afraid. Very afraid. We need to show them what consumer outrage looks like--a powerful weapon. I plan to aim it at the next person who tells me they work for the HC insurance industry. That person can expect to get an earful from me. They are thieves and at the very least they belong behind bars or in unemployment lines with no health coverage whatsoever for themselves or their families. Tell them that acting in a criminal manner is a pre-existing condition, and that our insurance plans don't cover that.

We took down Bush and Cheney and the evil GOP. We can take down the giants of industry and their lackey tools in Congress (and even the White House if need be) just as easily. We merely need to use the tools at our disposal. We can be our own change! And about time.

Bottom line: act in bad faith and get shunned, cursed, and sued. Give them a taste of their own costly medicine. Even generics will do at this point.

[stray cat]

1. You quit your job first and then you can judge other workers trying to support their families

[Generic Other]

2. I am a teacher...I do not do evil in my job

What about you Stray? Are you a salaryman for the HC insurance industry? Because you know what I think of you if you are. And you also know what I wish upon you and yours. Try supporting your family by doing something ethical. Then I will judge your behavior by your actions. Otherwise go to hell.

[karynnj]

14. As you are a teacher, you have insurance Are you and your family refusing to use your insurance plan

If not, not only are you a hypocrite, but who will process your paperwork and pay your bills.

The fact is that I have often spoken to people working for the insurance company to straighten out bills, they are usually very professional and usually do a good job clearlng up any confusion.

[Generic Other]

17. My premiums are deducted from my pay whether I use my plan or not

I have not been to the doctor for ten years that I have not paid. My deductibles have steadily grown too high for me to ever have insurance kick in. And I don't have the option of opting out of my insurance plan. Soon all Americans will be in this position. I keep my insurance because I might need catastrophic coverage, yet in all likelihood it will not be there if I need it because of an evil industry that thrives on finding loopholes to deny ordinary Americans the coverage we are forced to pay exhorbitant rates for. So that makes me a hypocrite. Yeah. I operate in good faith, and I am the hypocrite. They steal my money and give me nothing in return but fraudulent lies and I am the hypocrite.

All I ever wanted was for every person in this country to have an affordable health plan that didn't include a mob of thieves demanding their cut at every step of the way. I expected Democratic leaders to feel the same way because they ran on that platform in 2008, and I believed them and voted for them. I don't like to be lied to. Or cheated. I don't object to insurance company workers earning reasonable salaries for processing paperwork. Beyond that, they are thieves and stealing from those who pay the premiums. And acting in bad faith every time they deny a claim.

[xchrom]

3. As angry and disgusted as I am at the insurance reforms

In congress now -- I am even more disgusted and
feel some real loathing for this OP.

[Generic Other]

5. Sad. I am sick of seeing people denied basic coverage by profit mongers

Loathe me all you want. I and many other workers are paying for benefits we are now being denied. I loathe that fact. Thieves are in my pocket. And in the pockets of every hardworking American who must pay for benefits they are subsequently denied.

You don't like how angry I am. Too bad.

[jtylerpittman]

8. What state do you live in I may be able to help you if you are from Indiana

[Generic Other]

13. Help those denied coverage for pre-existing conditions

Help those who have repeatedly begged for affordable decent health care for all Americans. Help those who can't even afford their meds. DU is filled with their posts daily.

I don't want help from HC insurance industry. That kind of help leads to a tombstone (and I'm not talking pizza here). I am talking about real people who can't go to doctors. Workers with no insurance who risk their health for their jobs. Seniors who can't even go to Canada to buy cheaper meds. People who struggle to survive whiole rich insurance execs play with their lives.

You work for the industry? I can't see why anyone would be ashamed to admit it. Since I am the one with the problem who needs help according to those posting to my thread. Be proud of what you do. Tell us all what great people work in the HC insurance industry.

[rve300]

4. Why do you use them if they are ripping you off?

Pay your premium to yourself, save your money, pay cash for everything, get a part time job with all the spare time you will have after you quit worrying about about the health care industry, live a long and happy, stress free life.

Or you can try it your way. Good luck.

[Generic Other]

9. rve300 what do you do for a living? Anything worth bragging about?

You work for the benefit of others? You perform public service? Or do you just think all Americans are there for your personal profits to be cheated and stolen from? Tell me what you do to earn my praise and I will be first in line offering it to you.

But if you tell me you work to skim profits off of other people's misery, that you work to deny people the coverage they have paid for, to bribe politicians to allow you to laugh about jacking Grandma Millie for her meds, then you are evil and someone needs to come out and say so.

I guess that someone is me.

[rve300]

19. Answer the question.

I served the American people for 6 years in the Marine Corps. I have worked in the aviation industry ever since. I am sure that my work has fucked up your life in someway or another as you seem to hold everyone else responsible for your problems.

But you still have not let me know why you would continue to buy a product from an industry that you hold so much contempt and anger for. I am not defending that industry, I don't even live in the US anymore. Just by paying your premium you are doing more to prop them up than I am. I just want to know why?

[Generic Other]

21. I don't have a choice. It is deducted from my pay before I ever see a red cent!

As it will be from every other American after Congress gets done passing their travesty of a bill. I also have paid cash for every visit I ever make to the doctor because I have too high a deductible to get a benefit unless i am at death's door in which case the insurance company will find an excuse not to pay. Of course your service to America being so much greater than mine means you have free lifetime care at any VA hospital in the country. And I don't begrudge you that or criticize your service. My taxes will continue to subsidize your health care. There's my Cadillac plan in a nutshell.

Furthermore, I don't have any problems that millions of Americans don't also share. I do have the right to express my feelings however. I have kept silent on this issue until now. I will not continue to be silent however. Not when others are told to go home and die. When they are denied coverage they have been forced to pay for. When thieves hold more sway in this country's halls of power than honest hardworking Americans.

Yeah I hold those people accountable. When people die while insurance companies pocket their profits, yeah I do have a problem. And I place the blame firmly where it belongs.

[rve300]

25. Sounds to me that your problem is....

with your union or your employer. If they do not give you an opportunity to opt out then they are the ones stealing your money. Why are you letting them off the hook if they bought such a shitty product? If business quit buying a shitty product then they will go away. If you continue to work for an organization that does this then you need to be held accountable.

I do not get any such free health care from the VA. That is for someone who served in combat or retired after 20 years. Even if I did, I don't live there anymore. Your tax dollars are safe from me. As a matter of fact I paid over $10 grand to the US in taxes this year. Your welcome.

[Generic Other]

53. The VA provides free healthcare to any veteran for life

My Cadillac plan is costly and will soon be taxed as income. It will cost me more for benefits my union negotiated, benefits that I don't even ever get to use because my deductible has increased exponentially in the past few years. Today, those benefits increased substantially once again. Do you really think I am the only person who was given a pay deduction for my first paycheck of the year? Am I the only one who knows someone who was sentenced to go home and die because the HC insurance person on the other end of the line won't pay for a life saving procedure but will gladly pay for a "dead peasant" policy on her life?

It costs you nothing to have the benefits you don't use. It costs me plenty. And I don't care. I am willing to be taxed to help the uninsured have basic care. And I pay more taxes than you do by a long shot.

And I am proud to do it. But I will be damned if I watch people die for denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions, for arbitrary and immoral corporate theft and say nothing. If others feel some sense of pride working for evildoers, it's time to remind them of the price they pay. A person is entitled to hold his head up proudly even while he kills for money, but other people aren't required to praise his actions. And they are within their rights to condemn them and wonder how these people can sleep at night when they do.

I don't sanction theft, deceit, and murder just to make a buck. In any industry or organization or state. I think if one's defense and rallying cry echoes the famous "I am just following orders," defense made at Nuremberg or My Lai, one is just as evil asa those who make the policies. We all make choices in this life. Justifying them is easy. Suffering the consequences is not.

[cherokeeprogressive]

88. Who told you that? I want to believe you're misinformed rather than flat out lying.

The VA only provides healthcare to those who've RETIRED from the military.

You're a hoot!

[Generic Other]

95. Your claims are news to the Department of Veteran's Affairs

"A person who served in the active military, naval, or air service and who was discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable may qualify for VA health care benefits. Reservists and National Guard members may also qualify for VA health care benefits if they were called to active duty (other than for training only) by a Federal order and completed the full period for which they were called or ordered to active duty.

Minimum Duty Requirements: Veterans who enlisted after Sept. 7, 1980, or who entered active duty after Oct. 16, 1981, must have served 24 continuous months or the full period for which they were called to active duty in order to be eligible. This minimum duty requirement may not apply to veterans discharged for hardship, early out or a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty."

http://www1.va.gov/opa/publications/benefits_book/benefits_chap01.asp


I think you are thinking of benefits for retired personnel. They have a different plan which includes access to military hospitals. The VA is a different entity entirely. So whose "misinformed" or "a flat out liar" now?

[cherokeeprogressive]

97. Is it possible you didn't notice the word "may"?

This Veteran who served 9 years and enlisted after 7 Sep 1980 isn't eligible for squat, and I have a Navy Expeditionary Medal.

I also have a reconstructed ACL in my left knee courtesy of the Naval Hospital in Bremerton, WA.

[Generic Other]

101. Apparently, I am misinformed as you stated

Most of the veterans I know who go to the VA enlisted before 1980. I had no idea that they changed this policy. I thought the VA's mission was to provide care for all honorably discharged veterans for their service to this country. I have to admit I am totally taken by surprise. How many veterans are no longer served by the VA? Because that seems a very unfair situation to me.

I apologize. And thank you for your service. You deserve much better treatment than you are apparently getting IMO.

[Hugabear]

48. You do have a choice. You could always quit your job.

Stop taking a paycheck. Quit your job. Find a job that doesn't mandate health insurance. I'm sure you could get a part-time job at Wal-mart or McDonalds and not have to worry about being forced to pay for evil health insurance.

[Generic Other]

54. My taxes pay for Walmart workers to get foodstamps and medicaid

I don't see your point.

[Hugabear]

58. You said you do not have a choice.

You said that although you are 100% opposed to the health insurance industry, you're being forced to support them through premiums that are taken out of your paycheck.

If you were absolutely against having any of your money going to the health insurance industry, you could quit your job and look for another one where you don't have to pay insurance premiums.

[Generic Other]

98. I didn't say I was opposed to health insurance

I am not opposed to companies making a profit managing my premiums. I was even willing to pay for a public option I would not personally benefit from. But they are stealing from millions of Americans. And I object to paying premiums and being denied coverage. That is fraud. Bribing Congress to support that system is evil. I enjoy good health, but it makes me sick to hear how people have been treated by these companies. Millions of Americans have experienced such treatment from HC insurance industry. It doesn't happen in the auto industry. Why? Because they are fined by many states for acting in bad faith. They are not allowed by law to simply look for reasons not to pay claims. And they don't do it in many states because they fear paying out huge settlements from lawsuits.

So even this industry can be regulated. Imagine that. Take it out of the hands over fist for-profit HC insurnace companies in the same way. They are engaging in evil corrupt practices in order to make money off others' suffering. How does quitting my job change this?

Again this is a senseless argument that ignores the main issue. Thieves are stealing our healthcare premiums and making excuses about why they will not provide coverage. It is happening to millions of Americans, not just me. They have paid off politicians to buy their votes. Whose money are they spending? They are spending our premiums to enrich themselves while refusing to pay our claims. No different than when Ken Lay and Enron stole from Grandma Millie in California and laughed their asses off. Why would anyone support that unless they stand to get a share of the loot?

[tritsofme]

22. Do you think that poster is one of your students?

Rarely have I seen such arrogant self-aggrandizing tripe here.

Or is that just how you talk to everyone? Many don't have the luxury to choose how they might put food on the table for their families, I don't think people processing claims are evil, I think it sounds pretty stupid to claim they are.

[Mr Generic Other]

28. everyone has the option to not work for thieves.

[tritsofme]

59. That sort of black/white good/evil thinking

feels more like a George Bush type of thing to me.

There is more than enough room for nuance, you cannot reasonably compare the front line worker to the bonus-baby CEO.

[Mr Generic Other]

63. the front line worker is the pawn on the chess board.

they are there to protect those more important pieces who hide behind them.

[tritsofme]

69. They are there to collect a paycheck.

Pay the mortgage, put dinner on the table, take the kid to the doctor if they get sick.

It is nice to live in a world where these are not immediate concerns.

The good/evil "with us or against us" dichotomy was just as flawed when employed by George Bush.

[Generic Other]

78. If you are supporting killing others to put food on your table

I don't see how you can hold your head up proudly. You are a good provider at other people's expense. If you can take your kid to the doctor when he's sick while Johnny down the street can't go to a doctor at all because your industry says his pre-existing condition is too expensive to cover even though you have been taking his hardworking mother's premiums which she pays in good faith, then you are stealing other people's benefits. You have decided arbitrarily that he must die for your paycheck. I have no objection to you earning a living selling insurance or processing claims. What I object to is when you take other workers' money and then refuse to give those workers what they paid for because you have already spent it on your own needs. We consumers of health insurance can't afford you. Don't you understand? In most other industrialized nations, your jobs don't exist because they have outlawed for-profit insurance.

Because it is theft and immoral.

[Hugabear]

81. "I have no objection to you earning a living selling insurance"

You have no problem with someone SELLING insurance?

You're either a hypocrite, idiot, or troll. :eyes:

[Generic Other]

99. I stand corrected I would support single payer

but I do not object to paying the premiums or buying a policy. If I get coverage. Denial of service for trumped up reasons doesn't count. That's acting in bad faith. You sell me insurance, shouldn't I be able to make a claim if I need to? Isn't that what insurance is? Not stalling tactics, denial for arbitrary reasons, cancellations for making expensive claims? You can't do that in the auto industry. You bet on whether yo0u could make money on me and maybe you won or not. But refusing to pay is acting in bad faith. And if you always knew that's what you would do, then you are thieves. Is that really such a hard idea to grasp?

BTW, I have been a troll on DU since it started. You are the first to out me! LOL.

[jtylerpittman]

6. I am a Agent and my company Physicans Mutual is a great compnay that offers great products and treat

people fairly

[Generic Other]

10. You also know as well as me that this is not the norm

Right? Or do you plan to call me a liar too?

[jtylerpittman]

12. I will not mention them by name but yes their are crooks out their.

find a sick person who is happy with their company. Buy it from their agent. that is my two cents.

[Generic Other]

15. This is the first honest words I have heard from someone in your industry for months

And I appreciate you saying so to those here who cannot afford health care of any kind because of the greed of your companies.

The first step to recovery is admitting there is a problem.

[WeDidIt]

36. But under your OP he's still an evildoer

That's some fucked up shit right there.

[old guy]

20. It also denies coverage to those with preexisting conditions.

I speak from experience.

[Generic Other]

24. Anyone who can treat you this way is evil

They can call me any name they like. I am outraged that you and so many hardworking Americans find themselves in this position. It is reprehensible.

You are one of the few people on this thread who hasn't stated the obvious by telling me I had an anger problem. I suspect you also share my anger is the reason.

[pipi_k]

7. Wow, I really hope that curse isn't retroactive

If it is, I'm probably going to hell just for being a lowly data entry clerk at a small HMO in the 80s.




PS...I hope you get help for your anger problem.

[Generic Other]

11. "I was just a little Eichmann," as Ward Churchill would say

And yes, that attitude makes me very angry.

[pipi_k]

16. Yeah, so anyway...

my apologies for having fucked up the lives of so many people 24 years ago when I sat there in my little cubicle entering numbers onto my computer.

I should have known that they'd all be suffering the tortures of Hell in 2010 because I thoughtlessly got a decent job instead of staying on welfare where I belonged.

[Generic Other]

18. Nixon and Bebe Rebozo came up with the idea of HMO's

So you made a wise choice to move on. I hope you have a better job today. One where you can actually be proud of what you do.

I am not faulting you for your choices 40 years ago. I am, however , condemning all of those who continue to do the dirty work today. They know who they are. You don't need to defend their actions if you are not one of them. Let them defend themselves.

[Mr Generic Other]

52. is a job in the health care insurance industry a decent job?

doesn't matter the pay. is it decent to work in an industry that is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent and sick people each year?

[Hugabear]

64. It's so easy for you to say that, isn't it.

You have a secure teaching job. You aren't being forced to decide how to pay your rent, feed your family, put clothes on their backs, etc. No, you have the luxury of sitting in your ivory tower and telling other people that their jobs are evil, even if their only contribution is cleaning the bathroom or entering data.

Except that you're still supporting the health insurance industry through your premiums!

[WeDidIt]

34. You are just the epitome of why South PArk was so right

in their Hippies episode.

That's some fucked up shit right there, little Eichmann dude.

[Generic Other]

56. You an insurance executive...or is that your daddy?

n/t

[WeDidIt]

109. I am a front line IT manager

But your broad brush painting of all people working for insurance companies makes it some fucked up shit right there.

I hope to hell you don't teach children this bullshit in classrooms. If you do, I hope one of them has an insurance agent as a parent.

[proteus_lives]

46. Quoting Ward Churchill?

Your creditability just went bye-bye.

[Generic Other]

79. I don't have "creditability"

You'd need to talk to the thieves about that nonsense.

[proteus_lives]

80. You've made that abundantly clear.

Hateful non-logic and quoting frauds.

If you said the sky was blue I'd go to a window to check.

[WeDidIt]

23. That;s some fucked up shit right there

Fuck that shit. No way do I go down your fucked up road.

[Generic Other]

29. So you will cheerfully pay for insurance Congress mandates you to have

that will not cover your needs but will line politicians' and executives' pockets? You will stand by as thieves pick your pocket and skim off your healthcare dollars while denying you basic coverage? Who will force you to pay for the priveledge of being robbed?

And you call my road fucked up? Who made it that way? Me? By paying protection money to corporations that put organized crime to shame? Yeah that's it. Blame the victims. I'm sure it makes it easier to sleep at night. I don't suppose many insurance execs lose much sleep. I saw the workers in Michael Moore's film SICKO crying though. Seems it cost them dearly to ally themselves with evil people. Good luck on the road to perdition.

[WeDidIt]

31. Damned straight I will

You're posting some fucked up shit right there.

Broad brush painting all employees of health care insurance companies as evil makes me absolutely 100% certain your shit is some fucked up shit.

[Hekate]

26. Down to the lowliest clerk trying to feed her kids? That's a pretty broad brush there. nt

[Generic Other]

32. No one has to work for a thief

We all are forced to take responsibility for the evils of the Bush years. No the brush isn't broad enough as this thread proves. We are all judged daily whether we like it or not.

[IndianaGreen]

27. A job is a job

Workers have no say so in how their employer conducts business or lobbies Congress. Are we going to harass the bank clerk for the CEO's bonuses?

[Mr Generic Other]

35. everyone makes choices about what they do.

work for an evil industry you share the blame for the evil.
workers are responsible for the problems associated with the work they do.
i could have made lots more money doing things my integrity would not allow me to do so i work for less doing something that improves my community and the world.
not all jobs are equal.

[Generic Other]

38. IndianaGreen I respect your point but a job is not just a job

Ones that allow you to profit over other people's pain and misery are not jobs decent people should choose. If they do they should not expect to be praised for their choices.

Have you ever watched SICKO? Did you see the lowly workers in the HC industry confessing in tears to their vile practices? Why would they need redemption if a job was just a job? Why would they feel the need to confess how ugly they felt over what they did to others?

No one asked HC insurance workers to work for nothing. No one said they weren't entitled to make a living. I never have. Until they started routinely denying people lifesaving procedures. Until they committed legal murder. Until their greed became more important than the lives of people in this country. Until they bought off the politicians, and took my money to deny others' basic care we are all entitled to. My taxes and yours paid for at least that much.

The worker who claims he or she has no say in their company's policies killed other workers today, pronounced death sentences for people who paid for coverage all their working lives today. Some of them did it by refusing to answer their phones when people tried to pre-approve procedures. Some by pretending to lose the paperwork. By stalling. By lying. By claiming the people were not entitled to the money they paid the very company that issues the paycheck of the thieves' cash each week. Who the hell should I have sympathy for?

A bank clerk may steal my money. They typically spare my life. It may make me mad, but it isn't the same kind of mad. Money is just paper. HC insurance industry deals in blood money. Big difference.

[REP]

30. The most vile bitch I ever encountered was a teacher

[WeDidIt]

33. +1,000,000,000,000

[Generic Other]

40. Yes I am a vile bitch because I believe in something beside $$$$

because I believe people who allow others to die are evil. Because I believe those who pay premiums should be entitled to make claims. Because I believe that when you contract with a company in good faith they should not respond by lying, cheating, stalling and refusing to honor their commitments. Because I believe those who profit off of killing others no matter how innocent they claim to be are morally reprehensible.

And yeah, I am a bitch. What are you?

[Hugabear]

76. And yet you're working in a secure job, making $$$, and still paying those insurance premiums.

You believe in something besides $$$$ MY ASS. You're a hypocrite! If you truly believe in something besides money, then QUIT YOUR JOB. See how life is like for the unemployed.

[Generic Other]

84. Great critical thinking skills

I pay for insurance coverage like millions of Americans. We are customers who are then told to go fuck ourselves when we try and make claims.

You think that makes sense? You don't think anyone has a right to call the industry that treats us this way thieves?

Having a productive job has zero to do with the fact that workers are being ripped off by the insurance industry working hand in hand with Congress. You are basically saying STFU, don't complain, or you are a hypocrite because I object to a den of thieves jacking me and millions of others by refusing to provide a benefit we paid for. My employer isn't the one denying me my paid benefits.

Of course by your logic, I could sit unemployed in my mom's basement, that is if she wasn't losing her home. I am not sure how that would help anyone.

I hope you still feel the same way when you have paid twenty-five or thirty years of premiums and are denied healthcare for your pre-existing conditions. After all it would be hypocritical for you to complain.

[Mr Generic Other]

39. as vile of a bitch your ex-teacher may have been

she did not routinely work to deny people needed (and paid for) care.
but she probably put up with many students who couldn't think their way out of a paper bag.
you may hate teachers but they are not responsible for thousands of unnecessary deaths in this country each year.

[dflprincess]

37. 40% of the jobs that get listed in the daily "job alert" I get from Monster

are at United Health Group. Fortunately, I'm employed and just keep the alert going to see what's out there - but if I wasn't working would I go back there? Yes - if it's the only way I could pay the rent.

Most the people who are employed at insurance companies are just working people who aren't being paid in stock options and, if the other companies offer benefits like UHG, have lousy insurance coverage just like the rest of us.

I've been out of UHG for 5 years, but you (and the executives) would be shocked how many people who did work there back then thought single payer was a good idea. That number is probably higher now.

[Generic Other]

41. Then we need to hear from the good people in your industry

All I hear is the evil rubbing together of greased palms. Why aren't HC insurance workers standing up for their customers? Why do they cry about the evil deeds they perpetrated? Did you watch SICKO? I was moved by the humanity of the ex-inusrance industry workers whose consciences told them they could not live with themselves day in and day out doing what they were doing.

So why so many job openings in such a tight economy? Perhaps there are jobs you can't pay decent people to do, starving or not.

[dflprincess]

44. It's not "my" industry

I haven't worked there for 5 years.

One of the reason UHG has so many jobs open is that the subscribe to some of Jack Welch's ideas - like you periodically lay off employees for no particular reason because a work force that lives in fear is more productive.

[Generic Other]

57. So in other words they treat their own workers even worse

So why is everyone rushing to defend them?

[Hugabear]

60. Nobody in this thread is defending the insurance industry.

However, there is a huge difference between someone who takes a low-level job for a health insurance company because they need to feed their family, and someone who makes decisions regarding coverage or policy. You, however, seem to want to paint everyone with as wide of a brush as possible. However, when called upon YOUR contributions to the insurance industry via your premiums, you hide behind your "well I don't have a choice because it's taken out of my paycheck" excuse.

Not everyone who works for the health insurance industry is evil.

[Mr Generic Other]

42. is paying the rent worth someone else's life?

i have read a number of stories lately of bank employees who were fired for offering customers pay down plans that they were not technically qualified for. the banks offer plans to get out of debt but not to those who need the plans most.
these employees chose to do the right thing not to justify doing harm to others.
i, for one, applaud their actions.
this is the way that people can force change on those who would drain the life's blood from all of us.
this is a war and no one can be on both sides.

[dflprincess]

45. In this economy I cannot fault someone who has been out of work

for taking any job they can get. Most people who work for an insurance company don't deal with claims and they sure don't make policy so they don't necessarily see what the company is doing. When I worked there, the insurance wasn't all that good and we had as much trouble getting claims paid as people insured by the company but not working there.

I was in IT but I was still smoking then so I did sometimes run into people from the claims department outside. Many of whom would try to get around rules but would, more often than not, get overruled by someone up the food chain, but there were times when someone would be celebrating getting something pass the suits.

Look at it this way, being a minor functionary at an insurance company is a great way to turn someone into a single payer advocate.

[Generic Other]

62. Most people who work for evil entities don't do the evil

but they make the evil possible. That is the crux of my argument.

I have felt the same sense of guilt for my own culpability in America's imperialist policies. My whole life. But this is a completely different argument, isn't it?

[Hugabear]

55. You should start another thread about how anybody who works for a bank is evil

Using your logic, that would mean that anybody who works for the banking industry is culpable, regardless of what their job is.

[Generic Other]

71. They support corporate welfare, theft and greed

but do they kill people daily by denying them coverage for lifesaving procedures or pre-existing conditions?

Why do I care about those who treat their fellow workers this way in any industry? Defend the policies of charging people money for coverage they are then denied. I don't happen to think the policies are defensible. And I have a hrd time suppressing my anger when people are dying because of the actions of this industry.

[Hugabear]

75. You are the very definition of someone living in an ivory tower

By labeling anybody who works for a health insurance company as "evil", you're only doing yourself a disservice and hurting your cause. Look at this thread, you don't seem to be getting a whole lot of support, do you? And this is a board that isn't generally very friendly towards the health insurance industry. Why do you think that you haven't gotten much support?

Like I said in another response, it's easy for you to sit in your ivory tower and look down your nose at other people. Your job is secure. You don't have to worry about paying your rent, groceries, or clothing. Guess what? There are a lot of people out there who do. And for some of them, the only job they can get is some low-level job working for a health insurance company. But you'd rather have these people unemployed, not making any money, than taking a job that YOU define as "evil".

[Waiting For Everyman]

43. This reminds me of when I worked for Wells Fargo (briefly).

I got fired after two months for the horrible affront of trying to help a disabled customer, who got a late fee every month for years because his mortgage payment was due before his disability check arrived - nothing he could do about it. WF was tremendously offended that I even put in an official inquiry asking what could be done to change a due date for him. (Needless to say, they wouldn't change it.) Anyway...

For some reason, EVERY morning as I parked my car there, I'd hear in my head Van Halen's song "Runnin' With the Devil". LOL! I wonder why?


To this day when I think of WF, that song plays in my head.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bl4dEAtxo0M

[Mr Generic Other]

47. thank you for sharing your very human experience.

no job that harms innocent people is worthy of doing.
if no one was willing to do those jobs they simply would not get done.

[Generic Other]

85. Another honest poster and to you r credit you could see the cost

to you was far greater than any perceived benefit you would gain working for those who treat others like this. I think your actions speak volumes about your character.

[proteus_lives]

49. My father worked in insurance. For 25 years.

He helped more people and bettered more lives then you could ever dream of in your little life.

You wish pain and death on people's family.

You're a teacher? I pity your students.

I also pity you.

[Mr Generic Other]

61. save your pity for those whose lives the insurance industry is bettering.

those who bring pain and death to others deserve to reap what they sow.

[proteus_lives]

77. I pity small and simple people like you and the missus.

You're not helping anything or anyone.

You're just spewing hate and wishes for death and pain.

The reason for this OP is the shame and bitterness you feel over never helping or doing a damn thing.

People like my father? People who made a difference in other's lives?

Neither of you are fit to hold their coats.


(BTW, I'm not convinced "Mr." exists. This smells like sockpuppet tactic.)

[Mr Generic Other]

83. i exist whether you believe it or not.

and you don't have a clue what either of us has done to help others. don't be so sure that you or your father has done more.

[proteus_lives]

91. PM me a list and I'll shoot one back.

Mr. Sockpuppet.

[Generic Other]

86. Well he does exist and he's gone to bed so you will have to hear Mrs GO now

I would be glad to hold your father's coat. But I better not find money in it that belongs to hardworking Americans he is purposely ripping off. If he didn't do this, I don't know why you are angry with me. I was not addressing honest people.

[proteus_lives]

92. You said ANY person working in insurance was an "evildoer".

:eyes:

Your lowbrow spitefulness and broad, bigoted brush ticked me off.

[Generic Other]

100. I basically said workers in this industry are evil for supporting its evil practices

I stand by that statement.

Spiteful? Certainly, but those who treat hardworking Americans as I described in the OP are deserving of spite.

I don't believe it's moral to make obscene profits by denying coverage to people who have paid premiums. The insurance companies took the risk betting on our paying out more than we ask back. Now they balk at paying the costs. They are acting in bad faith if they do this. It is consumer fraud. And theft. And they buy politicians by the handful. Those who are involved in such behavior should be ashamed. Several of the posters on this thread did express guilt for the actions their companies asked them to perform. One was fired for doing the right thing. I think they had consciences. I think they also recognized that evil.

Watch SICKO. The insurance industry people Michael Moore interviewed were reduced to tears over the things they were routinely asked to do. They seemed deeply upset by the evil actions they had been asked to perform. You should watch it if you haven't.

I called the HC insurance industry evil just as I would call the GOP evil, or even Americans when we support evil policies. I think we all should be ashamed of a lot of things.

[proteus_lives]

106. Just words.

Hateful, empty words.

Evil? You're like a bigot who hates all blacks because you got mugged.

I'm standing by my statement. The industry is filled with people like my father who stuck their necks out for their customers and policy-holders.

There's a lot of people who got medical coverage, loans, worker's comp, got to keep their businesses and get treatment for their kids because he worked from morning to night to protect them. Why? Because he said he would. Not to mention the hundred+ people employed by him.

Yet, you're lumping him in with thieves and bastards.

By your bigoted, non-logic all cops, doctors, lawyers, judges, social workers are "evildoers".

You lost the moment you pronounced entire groups of men and women guilty.

How can you discuss evil? You're feeding the beast with your hate and ignorance.

[bvar22]

50. I will agree in principle...

...that For Profit Health Insurance is an immoral concept.

I balk at blanket condemnation of everyone who is employed by one.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

51. So you'd take it out on the janitor?

[xchrom]

65. Actually yes -- but the OP will never admit it. Nt

[Hugabear]

66. According to post #42, anybody who works for a bank is equally evil

Perhaps the OP should do us all a favor, and draw up a list of occupations to avoid. I sure as hell don't want to be considered evil!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

67. Good thing she teaches at a clown college.

I'd hate to be one of her students.

[Mr Generic Other]

70. why? you might be forced to think?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

72. Your wife's a joke.

Think about that.

[Generic Other]

87. And you are as always the punchline

:)

[Starbucks Anarchist]

73. Who thinks at a clown college?

[Starbucks Anarchist]

68. dupe

[HuckleB]

Are you including MDs, nurses, PTs, OTs, MAs etc...?

:shrug:

[Generic Other]

89. Do they routinely rip people off?

Don't most of these folks support reform? Weren't doctors arrested demanding single payer be put on the table? Why do you suppose so many health care providers favor singlepayer? They too seem to believe the HC insurance industry to be little more than a racket.

[HuckleB]

107. Are you saying that no employees of the HC industry are in the same boat?

Or that no health care providers like the status quo?

[HuckleB]

74. duplicate

:shrug:

[apocalypsehow]

82. I only Unrecced this OP once because I couldn't do so twice. n/t

:thumbsdown:

edit: formatting.

[Generic Other]

93. Doesn't change the fact that HC insurance industry is vile and corrupt

They can buy Congress. They can kill people by delaying and denying coverage working Americans paid for. I find those who engage in such tactics to be evil. I curse them to suffer as they have made others suffer.

Those who are not guilty of such deeds have nothing to fear.

I am blunt person. I say what I think.

[apocalypsehow]

103. "Those who are not guilty of such deeds have nothing to fear" - Listen to yourself. Then snap out of

it - after you've quit blushing in complete, utter embarrassment and shame that you ever typed such an absurd sentence as an adult.

[Jennicut]

90. The little people at the bottom of the totem poll is who you usally speak to with insurance issues

As a diabetic I have had nothing but good things to say about the people at Cigna who have helped me in the past. I cannot say the same for the CEO of the insurance company or anyone high up. But everyone needs a job. And basic customer service people get paid practically nothing anyways.

[Generic Other]

102. Have they denied you treatment? Raised premiums?

Used your money to bribe Congress to pass legislation to make things worse for you? Will they? This is the issue, isn't it? They keep telling us for-profit is better than single payer. That's a lie, isn't it? They are denying claims after people pay premiums. That's acting in bad faith. These are the things that make the industry as a whole evil whether workers wish to acknowledge that fact or not.

We don't know what they will do with their new powers, do we? According to Ed Shultz on Air America, he is hearing from great numbers of people who are being treated very badly--stalled, unable to contact company reps, lost paperwork, not enough documentation, computers down, any excuse to not pay because the industry is holding their breath waiting to see what they will get from Congress. They are committed to removing anything in the bill that will benefit the consumer. I find that evil. Playing with people's lives and health for profit.

If the CEO orders that basic worker to deny you coverage, will they fight for you? We probably know the answer to that question, don't we?

[Jennicut]

112. How would they fight for me? Their power is so limited.

This exists in almost every big corporation in the United States. I worked in customer service for a telephone company. I hated the owner of the company and he was a total ahole. But I had to make a living in the US, where capitalism rules. Basic needs or quit your job in protest. There is no safety net for people here. You want a revolution but it hurts the people who need help the most by doing what you want done. Blame the politicians and conservative Americans or naive Americans who keep voting the bastards in.

[apocalypsehow]

104. You have your answer from the OP in #102: that single mom working to feed her kids while she enters

your info at a computer for Cigna?

His shameful answer reinforces his shameful OP.

[WillowTree]

94. It's just so easy for someone who probably has tenure...

....or is working toward it, including benefits, to condemn others for taking the work that they can get with whatever skill sets that they have (or don't have) in the job market that exists in this country today. Or for the last several years, for that matter.

If you think that it's all that easy these days for most people to just up and quit their jobs and find another one that would support themselves and their dependents, then you're not smart enough to be teaching anyone anything.

[Common Sense Party]

96. Do you honestly think that the ONLY reason health care costs are sky high

is because of insurers? Really??? Really?

I hope you don't teach economics.

[Generic Other]

105. I am not talking about the high cost of healthcare

I am talking about corrupt practices in the insurance industry. Do you not believe that Americans who pay premiums are entitled to care when they make claims? We pay premiums for this reason. The companies assume the risk. It is acting in bad faith to make up BS reasons to deny the coverage? If you take people's money you should deliver on your promises. And as the price of doing business, you take the high risk group too. No denial for pre-existing conditions. Otherwise you are placing profits before people's lives. That is evil.

The auto insurance industry doesn't get away with it. They can't deny high risk people insurance in my state.

I concede the high cost of medical care has probably made insurance companies' profits shrink; however, I seriously doubt a real economist would argue for-profit insurance plans being more cost effective for consumers than single payer.

[cali]

108. you couldn't possibly be anymore full of shit.

take your sanctimony and shove it. Hundreds of thousands of people just trying to get by work for insurance companies.

[One_Life_To_Give]

110. Must confess what an evildoer I have been

Yup preratty sure I plowed an Ins Co or two's parking lot one year. Guess I am now destined to burn in hell for it. :sarcasm:

[crispini]

111. You know what? I'm adding you to my ignore list.

In this OP and in your responses in this thread you've revealed yourself to be exactly the kind of absolutist, black and white thinker that there's no point in even having a conversation with, because you're sticking your fingers in your ears and singing "LA LA LA I'm right and it's my way or the highway." And as my momma always said, Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.