health-insurance

A depressed woman has lost her benefits because her insurance agent found Facebook photos where she appears to be having fun.  More »

The House version of the health care reform bill passed the House on Saturday night. Now it needs to be merged with some sort fo Senate version of the bill and signed by the President to become law. So how does this reform bill actually affect consumers?  More »

One day, a California woman woke up to discover her t-shirt soaked in blood. The source? Her breast. She immediately went to the emergency room, and the cause of the bleeding was eventually found to be a benign tumor. However, her health insurance denied the claim, stating that she "reasonably should have known that an emergency did not exist." Yes, copious amounts of blood flowing from your nipples is really something you want to wait out.  More »

Consumers Union has put together a breakdown of the health care bills in Congress to let you see how they would affect you, based on your age and what kind of insurance you currently have (if any). It's an interesting tool to see what the various proposed changes are.  More »

According to internal insurance industry documents recently released to the press, the reasons health insurers cite to deny insurance to private individuals is limited only by one's imagination: cops. firefighters, construction workers, and war correspondents are among the occupations that some insurance companies have considered deal breakers. Similarly, acne, allergies, ADD, and even bunions have caused companies to deny customers coverage.  More »

Here's a dart to deflate the feel-good dreams of universal health care — those nefarious, profiteering insurance companies are actually hoping it passes.  More »

The past few nights, thousands of people have lined up outside of the Forum in Los Angeles. a venue that usually hosts basketball games or big arena concerts. Who's in town to attract such a crowd? Metallica? Green Day? No, even better—doctors and dentists providing free care on a first-come, first-served basis.  More »

The individual health insurance market can be a scary place for Americans who turn to it for health coverage. If they're accepted to a plan at all, patients often find that their coverage isn't quite what they were promised, and limits and restrictions lead to high medical bills for covered services that aren't really covered.  More »

One way to cut down on all your medical costs is to go exclusively to Dr. Mario, an impersonator of whom is pictured.  More »

CNN reports on insurance industry whistle-blower Wendall Potter who, after working in the machine for 20 years, quit in order to right a few wrongs. Last week, Potter testified before the Senate about former employer Cigna's policy of "purging." In other words, Cigna would drive small businesses with expensive insurance claims to dump their Cigna policies.  More »

An InjuryBoard blog shines a light on one of the more nefarious practices of the ugly health insurance industry — the tendency of insurance companies to deny needed treatment to kids with special needs:  More »

The baby's on the way! You've got a crib, toys, and a rapidly approaching delivery date. So what else you do need? Kiplinger shares the four must-have financial tools that no new parent should go without...  More »

We readily admit that there are places on the Internet other than Consumerist where one can harness the Internet hive mind to solve consumer issues. Ask Metafilter user Jason sought help when his former insurance company wouldn't stop auto-billing him, and emerged victorious, collecting the $10,000 he was wrongly charged...plus interest!  More »

As the federal government debates health care reform, the health insurance industry has some news for us. They're not going to stop canceling people's policies after they get sick. Nope. No way.  More »

No health insurance? The emergency room usually shouldn't be your first stop. Here's where you should go for help.  More »

A recent Harvard study tells us that health problems cause more than half of America's bankruptcies, and that the vast majority of people seeking bankruptcy protection have health insurance. The study paints a hauntingly familiar picture: people get sick, insurance covers nothing, so they're forced to mortgage their homes to stay alive.   More »