Talk about your textbook examples of bad PR. I haven't seen this kind of bungling since those online videos surfaced of pizza workers "playing with the pies" earlier this year. Hard to believe anyone ordered from that place again.
You've heard the stories. First, Rocky Mountain Health Plans – based here in Grand Junction, Colo. – denied a newborn coverage for being too fat. A pre-existing condition, they called it. Seems the 4-month-old's weight, which tipped at the scales at 17 pounds, sent the actuaries in a tizzy and they slammed down the "coverage denied" stamp faster than that kid could say "Some more Similac, please."
After the media backlash, the carrier recanted and extended coverage to the portly papoose. Lesson learned, right?
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Not so fast. Just this morning, a couple on the Today show were sharing another horror story. Seems United HealthCare (again in Colorado) denied a 2-year-old coverage because, get this, she was skinny. Seems the waif weighed in at 22 pounds, which might nab her a gig with Ralph Lauren but is far too unseemly for the pencil pushers here in Colorado.
And, as far as I'm concerned, these are private companies. And they can choose to conduct their business however they see fit. Thing is, the timing really sucks. Because I can assure you, even way out here in Colorado, we've heard of this health care reform debate. How much are the carriers forking over to lobbyists on the Hill to get their side of the story heard?
Well, it doesn't really matter, because every time one of these stories hits the airwaves, all that work comes undone. So, carriers, heal thyselves. You don't want Washington to tell you how to do your job? Then do it better.
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