Why was Caitlin White’s $113,000 brain surgery delayed for more than two months? Would she ever have had the surgery without the intervention of TV news?

It’s really not clear from the linked story, but this much is clear: Caitlin’s mother believes the “claim came in too late” for her to have the surgery scheduled for May. She also believes that the insurer denied coverage altogether when she rescheduled the surgery. The insurer, Aetna, disputes the circumstances, but according to the story it took pressure from a local TV station and a four-day investigation to get Aetna to “change its tune” and “partner” with Tampa General Hospital to fully cover the costs.

We can’t really tell what kind of coverage Caitlin had, or whether her claim was outright denied, or what. And she and her mother couldn’t tell either, apparently. How convenient for Aetna! It sure is easier to avoid paying for expensive surgery if your “beneficiaries” don’t understand their rights and no one else seems to either. Caitlin was lucky this time, but it’s not everyone who can enlist a TV station to get their insurance “provider” to actually pay for their medical care.

Wouldn’t it be great if we all had the same clearly understood, comprehensive health benefits? Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to pay premiums to an organization that stands to profit from denying us care? Wouldn’t it be great if Congress would pass H.R. 676?

(h/t DCblogger for the adopt-a-parasite concept)