Rescind and Extinguish

by poputonian

Remember the exploding Firestone tires? This is worse (from Lambert via Drum), in the sense that the cancellation of health insurance policies of pregnant women and the chronically ill was done illegally and intentionally through an organized program. There are no spectacular car crashes, but as Lambert points out, you can be sure that people have died. Babies too. Who it is that gets extinguished is random, because (as with the exploding tires) it’s difficult to predict when the fatal blows will occur.

But they will happen.

The state report said the legal standard for cancellation was high because it put plan members at great risk — financially and medically — and because it left physicians and hospitals holding the bag for services rendered in good faith and often with prior authorization from the insurer.

“Rescission is the harshest possible punishment,” Department of Managed Health Care Director Cindy Ehnes said. “It leaves providers unpaid and it leaves the enrollee uninsurable.”

As Lambert notes, Blue Cross of California’s corporate charter should be rescinded … permanently.

Wish I knew who sat on the Board of the company that owns them.

Oh yeah, I do.