Orshe

After Brianna Rice, a 17-year-old in the Chicago area, was diagnosed in February with a digestive disorder called celiac disease, her insurer went through the teen’s health history and canceled her coverage that started in November.

The reason? There were reports of dizziness, elevated cholesterol, fatigue and cough in her file, according to the Chicago Tribune.

“The coverage you applied for would not have been issued for Brianna if we had known this medical history at the time of application,” according to a letter the insurance company, American Community Mutual Insurance, sent the family in May.

Insurers say the practice, known as rescission, is necessary to culling out those who have lied about their histories and whose costly care could raise premiums for everyone. But recission practices have long been under fire, with the latest salvo coming yesterday in Sen. Max Baucus’s health overhaul bill, which would bar insurers from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

Dale Rice, Brianna’s father, told the Tribune that hus daughter’s insurer just doesn’t want to cover her now that she needs care. His daughter, he says, had no serious medical history and nothing came to mind when he was filling out the application for her coverage.

In addition, Brianna will now have a harder time getting future coverage. Brianna “is tattooed with a new pre-existing condition, along with an unfair and unrelated insurance rescission that other insurance companies don’t want to touch,” said Dale Rice.

For another tale about rescission, read this WSJ story.

Photo by greefus groinks via Flickr

See original here:
Dizziness and Cough? We’re Dropping Your Insurance