Hagit Limor Discovers Anthem Is Cheap

My good buddy Hagit Limor of Channel 9's I-Team has just discovered [[GASP]] - Anthem doesn't want to pay for mental health care.

As a matter of fact, for a very long time they outsourced their mental health administration to a company called "Magellan". Earlier this year they decided to take administration of their mental health benefits in-house and, as Hagit Limor discovered, right about the same time Anthem decided to cut what they will pay mental health providers 15-20%.

The net result was that what few therapists and psychiatrists that were still on Anthem jumped ship - including a whopper - Bridgepointe.

Yes, increasingly, if you or any of your dependents is in need of mental health care you're going to have to go out-of-network and pay through the nose.

For all of you who are criticizing Michael Moore's Sicko for not properly documenting the wait times that some Canadians experience for some procedures, pay attention.

There are medical queues right here in Cincinnati.

AND, even if you HAVE "good insurance" sometimes you are talking about co-pays in the $25 - $40/hr range and, particularly when you are getting established with a psychiatrist or therapist, you can sometimes be in several times a WEEK. It doesn't take very long at that rate to wind up on the doorstep of a Chapter 13 or Chapter 7 filing.

At very least the Channel 9 story has prompted Hamilton County to investigate if Anthem's actions constitute a breach of contract.

YES!

It's about time someone takes on those rotten ...

If you know of any other stories of abuses by insurance companies (or any other mega-corporations for that matter), please drop me a note at axinar@gmail.com or leave a message on The Gripe Line: +1 (513) 322-2452.

Related:
Uninsured need attention, too - MichaelMoore.com