Local Couple Says Michael Moore Saved Family

[orleans]

video at link

Couple says home was nearly lost
FLINT (WJRT) - (06/21/07)--A Flint couple is thanking a Hollywood filmmaker for helping in their battle against a $65,000 health insurance bill.

The Redfields almost lost their home until Michael Moore made a plea. And they took a chance.

Clayton and Susan Redfield are proud of their home. They bought it and moved to Flint shortly after he had heart surgery in Florida.

"Everything was paid -- co-pays and everything is fine," Clayton Redfield said.

But apparently, it wasn't.

Aetna, the Redfield's health insurance company, claimed a tumor doctors didn't find until they opened Clayton's heart was a pre-existing condition, and that they owed $66,000 in medical bills.

"I think I said the 'f word' really loud," Clayton said.

The Redfields were shocked and couldn't afford to pay it and claim they couldn't get a hold of Aetna to fight it.

"Tens and tens of phone calls," Clayton said. "They were always going to call us back or send us forms or a supervisor, call us back. They never called one single time."

But that would soon change. One day Clayton saw Michael Moore post a plea on YouTube as he was promoting his new movie "Sicko."

So Clayton attached his story to Moore's site on YouTube.

"You know, I'm just going to test it," Clayton recalled. "I tested it to the site, I get over 100 hits within seven days. With no communication over the last seven days with Aetna, we get this letter back."

In part, Aetna claimed the collection agency made a mistake and Clayton would only have to pay a $500 co-pay.

"I said the 'f word' again, but real smiley," he said. "I was jumping around."

Clayton and his wife now stop to smell the roses. They believes Moore's new movie drew attention to their plight and hope others with similar stories on the site will have the same experience.

"I'm thinking, 'Michael Moore, you just saved my home,'" Clayton said. "I'm eextremely grateful."
http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=local&id=5410435

[Bozita]

1. That flick could be the death notice for the insurance industry

The insurance industry is indefensible.

[canetoad]

2. I bet the actuaries

are scrambling for their Casios as I type. There is no graceful capitulation possible, only a last minute rat-scramble over the spoils while they last. A pox on their Brokerage Houses.

[orleans]

4. a last gasp: raise the premiums! raise the premiums! n/t

[Gabi Hayes]

3. should be a death sentence for those greedmongers. will it?

I wish I could be more sanguine.....

the noise machine grows more relentless every day

[rurallib]

5. I'd like to hope you are right but

as "SiCKO" fades in the fall, all will be back to normal. It has amazed me that all the abuses by this admin and by business seems to be weathered by just waiting them out. The American public can only sustain outrage for a few minutes.

[annabanana]

12. I don't think this one will fade.. Every other person in this country

has an insurance company 'horror story'.. And every new unjustified denial of payment will remind the victim "that guy made a movie about this". . .

[Bassic]

6. It is indeed indefensible,

but until government decide to act and implement a new health care system, no movie is going to bring them down.

[PA Democrat]

7. That "preexisting condition" justification for denying claims seems to be rampant.

I am fighting my insurance company for doing the exact same thing. A simple google search and I find that this company has a history of wrongfully denying claims by falsely claiming that you have a "preexisting condition".

They are under investigation in numerous states, have been fined in several, successfully sued in one and had a $15 million penalty assessed, but it is still more profitable to run the risk of getting caught than to pay the claims that they should. The executives of these companies are making a conscious decision to CHEAT and STEAL from the people they are supposed to be insuring, with disastrous and sometimes deadly results. They are criminals and belong in jail.

I am outraged that so many people in government look the other way. There are too few people going after these thieves. The Attorney General of Connecticut, Richard Blumenthal, seems to be one of the few good guys out there.

http://insurancetransparencyproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/blumenthalrelease.pdf

[orleans]

10. let's play NAME THAT INSURANCE COMPANY!

which one is pulling that shit with you?

it's outing time--and i wish people would name these companies along with their crimes

[PA Democrat]

11. Assurant Health, a subsidiary of Time Insurance Co.

formerly known as Fortis Insurance.


Here are some links:

http://insurancetransparencyproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/blumenthalrelease.pdf


http://www.ct.gov/cid/cwp/view.asp?a=1269&q=335734

What totally infuriates me is that this company has had action including penalties taken against it in at least ELEVEN other states for the way it handles claims (refusal to pay, delay of payment) and for wrongly terminating policies. The only information readily available is out of the state of Connecticut which has an attorney general who does not tolerate this type of corruption. He has apparently been butting heads with the state's insurance commissioner, a former insurance company executive (SURPRISE, SURPRISE!) who has after months of delays, basically given Assurant what amounts to a wink and a slap on the wrist.

Our government is supposed to protect US from corrupt insurance companies, not protect the profits of corrupt companies. It's sickening.

[rosesaylavee]

8. God bless Michael Moore.

Hopefully others will benefit from this movie before it fades away. I had thought that Farenheit 9/11 would have been a wake up call re this admin. It too faded away and these fools were allowed to steal another election.

[Javaman]

9. It's so sad that these bastard health insurance companies only react

when they are threatened with bad press.

Such a totally fucked up system.

[fed-up]

13. kick/rec nt

[SoCalDem]

14. EVERYTHING is a "pre-existing" condition until it's discovered.

And who remembers everything medical that's happened to them since they were born??

The forms used to say "have you ever been treated for.... in the last...years"

Now some say have you EVER EXPERIENCED ... with ...and then they list pretty much evrything that a human could/would have during their life..