They still dodged the bullet.

I just read a news article about a woman in California that was awarded $9 million froma lawsuit against her insurance carrier.  I won't go into details, you can read them at http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCallPlusBreastCancerNews/story?id=4338818.

As I read the article it amazed me the heartlessness of the corporations in America.  Here is a woman that has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  Now, along with having to deal with this devistating news her insurance carrier decides to drop her in order to protect their profits.  Remember, corporations will allow NOTHING to stand in the way of their profits and their ability to gouge you of your money. 

But based on what I read in the news article, $9 million as an award was really lenient.  I just don't know what would be an appropriate award against a cold-hearted, uncaring corporation who's only (absolutely ONLY) concern is the amount of money they can take from you without having to give you anything back.  And I'm sure that there were complaints from other people when the insurance carrier dropped them, but nothing was done.  Why?  Probably because they were not in a life-threatening situation...at the time.  Does it make the situation right if there is no life-threatening illness involved?  Why did it take a lawsuit to have the practice stopped?  I'll bet that the insurance carrier didn't stop the practice because they felt some type of responsibility toward the insured.  After all, the insurance carrier said that it was going to change the practice to allow a "third-party review" (translation - a legal team will review each case to determine if the saving will outweigh any potential liability).  Trust me, this insurance carrier will continue to rape their customers. 

Now one last thing that I caught in the news article and I wonder how amny other people have or will catch.  After the insurance carrier rescinded her coverage, while she was in the middle of her medical treatment for breast cancer, her treatments were stopped because her bills were not being paid.  Wow!  Is there something in the Hippocratic oath about not doing harm...unless you don't get paid?  In the news article it did say that she finished her treatment through a state-funded program.  But I wonder who helped her find this state-funded program.  Was it any of the doctors that stopped her treatment for not being able to pay her bills?  Was it her lawyer?  I'm almost sure that it wasn't anyone from the state.  What would have happened if this state-funded program wasn't located (by whoever)?  Would the woman have been allowed to just die? 

So, I pose this last question to you....we already know how heartless the insurance corporation is but how heartless and uncaring are the doctors?  Do they have any responsibility at all in this situation?  Would they have redeemed themselves if THEY had helped the woman find the state-funded program?