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CIGNA HEALTHCARE
Cigna Healthcare has decided that they have the last word on who may live and who
must die. The case of Nataline Sarkisyan has gained national attention for one reason
only, the family decided to protest the decision of Cigna to refuse a liver transplant that
could have saved her life.
Yes, I used the word "could" because although her bedside doctors from U.C.L.A.
agreed she qualified for the transplant, Cigna used the advice of another to deny the
transplant surgery. Cigna claims that every request for a transplant is reviewed by "at
least one doctor" who makes the decision of whether the patient should be approved.
Cigna claimed the transplant was "experimental" and therefore not covered under the
health plan of the Sarkisyan family. What Cigna didn't expect was the press coverage
that this decision would bring forth, as the family of Nataline gathered as many
supporters as they could and marched to the Cigna office and began protesting for all
to see.
While protesting in front of Cigna, the family was told that Nataline was deteriorating
and to come to the hospital immediately.
At 4:40 p.m. the family made the decision to take Nataline off life support. Only minutes
later at 4:44 p.m. according to a time stamp on a Fax received at the family's attorney's
office, Cigna folded under pressure and agreed to pay for the transplant. The family
could not be notified until 5:20 p.m. which by then was too late for Nataline. In all it
took 8 days for Cigna to reconsider. For someone waiting for a life saving transplant,
that is a very long time.
The whole basis of this situation was that Cigna claims it does not cover
"experimental" procedures and that this was an "experimental" transplant. Nataline's
bedside doctors had approved the transplant and gave her a 65% chance of living at
least 6 months.
Cigna has a policy that the odds have to be a 50% chance of living at least 5 years.
Regardless of the percentage of the chance of how long a patient will live, regardless if
the surgery is considered "experimental", if it is approved by the patients doctor and
has any chance of success, the patient or their family should have the right to make
the decision of whether to proceed with the transplant or not.
It is obvious that Cigna made their decision based on the cost of the transplant. Karen
Ignagni, Chief executive of America's Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade group,
said that the case shows how few employers, and even individuals, want to pay for
experimental care coverage when they buy insurance, but that when people find
themselves in dire health, everyone wants it.
So what else does the insurance industry want us to pay for? I'm sure most
consumers have the idea that if they have health care coverage, and if they need a
procedure to save their lives, that they will get whatever is necessary to do that. I
guess we all have to keep on paying and hope nothing ever happens to us, at least
anything that is expensive to cure.
For the above actions taken by Cigna Healthcare, I would like to welcome them to my
list of businesses that Belong Below.
Cigna Healthcare has decided that they have the last word on who may live and who
must die. The case of Nataline Sarkisyan has gained national attention for one reason
only, the family decided to protest the decision of Cigna to refuse a liver transplant that
could have saved her life.
Yes, I used the word "could" because although her bedside doctors from U.C.L.A.
agreed she qualified for the transplant, Cigna used the advice of another to deny the
transplant surgery. Cigna claims that every request for a transplant is reviewed by "at
least one doctor" who makes the decision of whether the patient should be approved.
Cigna claimed the transplant was "experimental" and therefore not covered under the
health plan of the Sarkisyan family. What Cigna didn't expect was the press coverage
that this decision would bring forth, as the family of Nataline gathered as many
supporters as they could and marched to the Cigna office and began protesting for all
to see.
While protesting in front of Cigna, the family was told that Nataline was deteriorating
and to come to the hospital immediately.
At 4:40 p.m. the family made the decision to take Nataline off life support. Only minutes
later at 4:44 p.m. according to a time stamp on a Fax received at the family's attorney's
office, Cigna folded under pressure and agreed to pay for the transplant. The family
could not be notified until 5:20 p.m. which by then was too late for Nataline. In all it
took 8 days for Cigna to reconsider. For someone waiting for a life saving transplant,
that is a very long time.
The whole basis of this situation was that Cigna claims it does not cover
"experimental" procedures and that this was an "experimental" transplant. Nataline's
bedside doctors had approved the transplant and gave her a 65% chance of living at
least 6 months.
Cigna has a policy that the odds have to be a 50% chance of living at least 5 years.
Regardless of the percentage of the chance of how long a patient will live, regardless if
the surgery is considered "experimental", if it is approved by the patients doctor and
has any chance of success, the patient or their family should have the right to make
the decision of whether to proceed with the transplant or not.
It is obvious that Cigna made their decision based on the cost of the transplant. Karen
Ignagni, Chief executive of America's Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade group,
said that the case shows how few employers, and even individuals, want to pay for
experimental care coverage when they buy insurance, but that when people find
themselves in dire health, everyone wants it.
So what else does the insurance industry want us to pay for? I'm sure most
consumers have the idea that if they have health care coverage, and if they need a
procedure to save their lives, that they will get whatever is necessary to do that. I
guess we all have to keep on paying and hope nothing ever happens to us, at least
anything that is expensive to cure.
For the above actions taken by Cigna Healthcare, I would like to welcome them to my
list of businesses that Belong Below.
