Expectant Fathers, Firefighters, Police Officers, Those With Toenail Fungus Denied Insurance: Report

This is disturbing, and it shows, as Bill Moyers said recently to Bill Maher, lack of morality in American Society. He told Maher that Universal Health Care is evidence of a "deeply moral society," yet our finest and bravest* are excluded from private health insurance?

Granted, in general those professions, in large metropolitan areas, would receive insurance as part of their job, but what about small, rural communities, or volunteer firefighters? A report released Friday by the California group Consumer Watchdog shows, via the direct underwriting documents of a number of insurance firms, just how focused these companies are on the bottom line.

Of course, if you are looking for profits, these exclusions make sense, right? Other examples of professions excluded from private health insurance include off-shore oil workers, stunt people, ski patrol. Other rather arbitrary health conditions that may cause exclusion are infertility, premature birth (within 12 months), and sex reassignment.

Here's the kicker, from PacifiCare's guidelines:

Currently experiencing/experienced within the last 12 months symptoms for which a physician has not been consulted.

Based on the horror stories of people who have their coverage revoked when an insurance company finds some condition they neglected to tell them about, this could be taken to the extreme: "Sorry, Mr. Johnson, you forgot to tell us about that runny nose you had in March."

It is obvious, that we need a public option, or at least some law that prevents insurance companies from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions, as well as from charging exorbitant fees to those who had them.

Jerry Flanagan, Consumer Watchdog's Health Policy Director said:

“These documents show that just giving the insurance industry an uncontested franchise by requiring Americans to buy policies will not solve the health care crisis. Americans need a strong 'public option' which would not have the tendency to game the system like private insurers and strong regulation to watch over the industry day-to-day."

Carmen Balber, Consumer Watchdog's D.C. Director added:

"These documents show why health care reform must include serious curbs on insurance companies including regulation of rates and practices so insurers can't continue to price gouge or find new ways to refuse customers as part of their business model."

A Harvard study released earlier this week noted that some 45,000 Americans die annually because of a lack of health insurance. So what do you say, America, particularly those in the right (to life) group? Are we a moral society?

* New York police officers are called "New York's Finest," while their firefighters are called "New York's Bravest"