Insurer denies teen cancer patient life-saving treatment

This greed again?

We all remember a few months ago when a teenage girl in California died because her insurer wouldn't approve her cancer treatment until it was too late. Something that sounds dangerously similar to that scandal is happening now, only this time it's a 17-year-old boy with bone cancer.

PacifiCare is denying the teenager treatment that he needs to live. PacifiCare has been owned since 2005 by insurance giant UnitedHealth - the same UnitedHealth that was recently rated the worst health insurance company in America. Even hospital execs gave UnitedHealth a 91% unfavorable rating. UnitedHealth's PacifiCare division was also fined a record $3,500,000 by California regulators for incompetence such as repeatedly losing patients' claims.

I know what the excuses are going to be from the corporate-centered "regulation for thee, not for me" cult for the latest scandal. They'll blame the doctors or the hospital or the patient or anybody except the insurer. According to the cult, insurers are never wrong. But America's health care system - like probably no other in the world - revolves around the insurance racket's desire for profits. Physicians and hospitals are in effect being forced to work for insurers, not patients. It's probably the only system where insurers, not doctors, are entrusted with approving treatments.

America's corporate-driven health care system is the same system that seems to spread a new superbug every week through medical facilities, lies about poisons in vaccines and drugs, and consistently blames the public for health trends that were actually caused by Corporate America's greed.

If it's this bad for someone with insurance, think what it's like for the growing millions of Americans who can't even afford insurance. This also shows why insurance companies can't be a part of health care reform.

(Source: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/24/115039/455/421/481639;
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-insure6mar06,1,6933011.story;
http://www.sacbee.com/103/story/672192.html)