Blue Cross asks CA doctors to snitch on patients

The LA times, today, reported that Blue Cross of California is sending physicians letters asking about pre-existing conditions of their patients. The doctors are not happy about being asked to become informants.

The LA times story describes how the insurance company is looking for reasons to drop customers from coverage. Aside from the basic assault on the privacy of medical records, this money-grubbing, fishing expedition has an even darker side. Upon learning of this, patients may begin to decline to mention specific bits of medical history to their doctors, for fear of it coming back to haunt them. Such information may seem irrelevant to the problem the patient is being treated for, but it could actually be of vital importance to the correct medical diagnosis. It is insane that we let people suffer and die in this country solely for lack of money. I completely understand that medical treatment isn't free, and the services and material have to be paid for somehow, but the profit-motivated insurance companies aren't the answer. Simply put, they make money by denying services. The letter reported on by the LA Times is just one more example of a "rational" business decision made for purposes of increasing revenue. Unfortunately, this is blood money, extracted from the pain and suffering of those who could otherwise be treated. It's disgusting, and we shouldn't stand for it.