Careful who you screw – he may become president

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Watching President Obama’s town meeting this morning, I was again reminded about the unintended consequences of American business practices. Only this time, it wasn’t Wall Street that was on my mind – it was the health insurance companies who, far too often, do things that make the financial sector look like a pack of boy scouts.

The President reminded the audience that his mother, Ann Dunham Soetoro, had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer six months before she died. This is a cancer that is difficult to detect at its early stages and, once discovered, is often too far along for treatment to produce a positive outcome.

When Obama’s mother was stricken, she had health insurance coverage. Yet, as often happens, her insurance company sought to avoid coverage by arguing that her ovarian cancer had, somehow, been a pre-existing medical condition. Eventually, the insurance company accepted responsibility and paid the bills – but not before the President’s mother was forced to spend endless hours worrying and battling the insurance company at the very time she was battling for her life.

I suspect letters from Mrs. Soetoro’s son, written on law firm letterhead, had some impact. I know the effect my own letters on legal stationery have had when my insurance company has attempted to avoid payment. But this was nothing compared to the ultimate result of the insurance company’s bad behavior.

Who knew that Ann Dunham Soetoro’s son would  become President of the United States?

It is hard to believe that the President does not have an axe to grind with insurance companies who do everything they can to avoid insuring those who most need it and, even when provided, often do everything possible to avoid paying up. The President can argue that his strong belief in health care reform is the result of his concern that our present system threatens the future survival of the economy, but it is impossible to believe that his mother’s experience can be far from his mind. He must feel the need to settle the score. I know I would.

While the loss of a loved one to cancer is a terrible event for anyone, imagine the anger you would feel if this horrible experience were compounded by an insurance company’s denial of benefits simply because the insured is too sick to fight.

Health care reform, in some fashion or another, is likely to pass this year. When it does, curing the bad behavior of our health insurers is going to be right at the top of the list of improvements.

When it happens, I hope everyone will stop and give a moment’s thought to Ann Dunham Soetoro and the debt we will owe her.

You can bet it will be at the top of the president’s mind.