[rescue] SparcCenter 2000E on Ebay

[Phil Stracchino]

On Wed, Jun 25, 2003 at 03:02:38PM -0700, N. Miller wrote:
> I won't say that the American healthcare system is perfect--there needs
> to be some alternative for people who have no job or healthcare coverage
> at their job.  But at least with the private insurance system you have an
> opportunity to find a doctor that fits your way of thinking and deal with
> him or her, and pay for expertise when you need it rather than being
> forced to wait because your case is not considered "critical" enough.

Sometimes.

My wife lost her favorite OB/GYN weeks after our second child was born
because the OB/GYN got sick and tired of CIGNA forcing her to jump
through three or four times as many hoops as any other insurance
company.  And when my GP in Tracy switched medical groups, he was
re-contracted with every other company except CIGNA within 48 hours ...
it took 3 months with CIGNA.  It was also CIGNA who declared further
medical treatment of my left foot and ankle medically unnecessary, when
my foot bled every time I walked.

And it's not just CIGNA.  A previous employer of mine, Cardima, was
forced to switch from New York Life's NYLCare when Aetna borged New York
Life.  We contracted with them for two years, and they screwed over so
many Cardima people so soon that Cardima cancelled the contract after
four months and went to Lifeguard instead.


The medical *providers* are good.  They do a damned good job, if the
accountants and managed-care directors will just get out of the way and
let them do it.  But the whole system is monkeywrenched by accountants
and administrators who are making medical decisions on the basis of
maximizing profit margin instead of medical need, basically practicing
medicine without a license.


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