So I am still getting a lot of comments on my blog about BCBS horror stories and recently this one was submitted, which seems particularly horrific:

I had an accident in June. I was rushed to the emergency room on a Saturday afternoon. An Orthopaedic surgeon that was on call came in to set my bones. BCBS says that the physician was out of network and they paid $3900 of a $21,000 bill. I had NO choice and I was not in any shape to find out if the doctor was in-network. Seems illegal to me.

Wow. I also got an email from someone else also undergoing some horror who has asked me for the email of the public relations director who had emailed me many moons ago. Normally I would feel somewhat guilty giving it out, but given that BCBS is seriously causing a lot of problems for people all over the country, I think it is important that top executives in the company know they are causing havoc and financial problems for scores of peoplethis one is pretty horrible as well . Second, the information is already public and so one can easily find this person’s name by googling BCBS Horizon public relations director (You will get his name) and then google his name and you will get his email and phone number.

Good luck. If I were not a professor and were financially secure, I would definitely spend all my time on health insurance reform activism (and kick some serious ass, since I really enjoy that type of political work). In the meantime, I will help in the little ways I can and hope that this administration, which is a vast improvement over the last, will also rattle the health insurance industry as well. There are also groups out there doing great work, so if you are into reform, do lend them a helping hand if you can!