This sort of thing is outrageous enough to be exposed by local news, and remedied. A Florida-based insurance company, Ceridian Cobra Services, is the administrator of COBRA-based insurance for people who have lost their employment but are still allowed for a period of time thereafter to carry their insurance and pay their own premiums. From Forbes Rick Ungar:
Ronald Flanagan, a veteran suffering from Multiple Myeloma – a particularly deadly form of blood cancer which Ronald suspects may be the result of his exposure to Agent Orange when serving in Viet Nam – was in the doctor’s office getting ready for a bone marrow biopsy when his wife rushed into the room and announced, “Stop. We don’t have health insurance.”
While Ron had been preparing for the procedure, the office staff had informed Mrs. Flanagan that the family’s health care coverage had lapsed. Confused, Ron’s wife, Frances, got on the phone with an administrator at Florida based Ceridian Cobra Services to get an explanation.
It turns out that Mrs. Flanagan had made an error in her November premium payment, shorting the insurer two cents.
Not everyone who is mistreated by their insurance company has the benefit of a story that receives national attention and goes viral. Most just have to eat it. Remember that once they have a condition, it is a preexisting condition, so changing insurers is not an option. Without some worthy news reporting, Flanagan was totally hosed.
People will say “bad apple,” and that might be true.
People will say that they did the right thing in the end, and that is true as well, though only due to bad publicity that they determined would be costlier in the long run than paying the claims.
People will say that most insurers are good and try to do the right thing. Not true, or only partially true. While most people are good, and the army of bureaucrats that works for the insurance companies are just like the rest of us, bad behavior is incentivized within these companies because every claim denied is applied directly to the bottom line.
The problem with Ceridian is the problem with American private health insurance in general: The profit motive.
Making money and serving customers are adverse incentives, or two masters. It’s a classic conflict of interest, and the reason why no other industrialized country has our crazy health care system.
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Question: Why is Flanagan not eligible for VA coverage?
Piece of Mindful 
Nice to see you are in love with American journalists again.
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“Making money and serving customers are adverse incentives, or two masters.”
That is an absurd statement. Have you ever been to McDonald’s?
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“Why is Flanagan not eligible for VA coverage?”
Probably because he is a faker, like most Agent Orange claimants. Either that or he was never in Vietnam.
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Man!, bucky. You win the biggest douche of the day award! He’s probably not eligible because he MAKES too much money! You see, you’d KNOW if you ever served, chicken hawk, that ONLY those vets who have a service connected disability get a degree of medical, some full medical care. Also, those who are very low income also qualify for medical care. And a HUGE part of the problem with cancer is that the VA recognizes ONLY a very, very few conditions as being associated with Agent Orange. It’s a real crime. In order to recieve benies for an Agent Orange related illnesses, you must be nearly dead! True story. I know. I’ve been down that road. Only certain types of obscure cancers for the most part are covered. But seriously, the douche award is for calling the guy a liar. WHAT A DOUCHE! Prove he didn’t serve, bucky.
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Prove he did, asshole.
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I didn’t call him a liar. YOU did, bucky! I believe the guy. I look at the guy and I see me. Same age, same hair, same everything. He is not bullsh*tting. I can just tell. It’s his attitude.
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p.s. And one other thing. The use of Agent Orange was very extensive. I’m not sure when the government says they stopped using it, but it was still in use when I was there in ’71-’72. Now, the government may say differently, but I’m here to tell you that they were still using it then. I SAW it used. And this nasty stuff was on the ground for a long time afterward too. So, essentially, damn near everyone who served in Nam could have potentially been exposed. It was the depleted uranium of its day. Nasty, nasty stuff that dixoin. And our old buddy from Lewistown, Admiral what’s his name, authorized its use in Nam. His own son died at age 45 from exposure.
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Punk Mahone:
The country is full of liars who claim to be Vietnam veterans, war heroes, and whatnot. Considering how you blow your mouth off all the time, you are probably one of them.
Let’s see your DD-214, you drifty puke.
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Surely……….WHEN I SEE YOURS! You see, I have very little patience with chickenhawks.
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[Help! Another lefty fag wants to see mine!]
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Not funny, bucky. You insult all veterans when you insult one. I think that that’s why I find chickenhawks so despicable. We are a band of brothers who never insult another’s service. You are a band of chickenhawks who only approve of veterans who agree with you. That’s just not right. I can’t laugh at that, but you go ahead. You wouldn’t understand anyway.
You see, bucky, I have gone round and round with righties who espouse rightwing politics, but we never disrespect one another on our service. Only chickenhawks do that, for they just don’t understand.
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You lose the respect of all veterans when you disrespect America.
Go on down to the local VFW hall and get your ass kicked.
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You just don’t get it, do you, bucky? I’ve been down to the local VFW. We argue politics but we don’t argue service. And I don’t disrespect my America, only yours.
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Oh, boy. Now you think there are two Americas.* Which one did you “fight” for in Vietnam, you pathetically confused windbag?
And was that the men’s VFW you visited or the girl’s VFW?
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* Swede: No wisecracks about North and South America.
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Pug: the people living there not returning stateside deeply sympathize with temporary exposure.
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Mark, as far as I know, there is no “temporary exposure” to dixoin. Do your research. It is absolutely one of the most cancer causing agents known. Now, do I sympathize with the Vietnamese? Yes, I always have, even while serving there. I liked and respected them very much.
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Question: Why is Flanagan not eligible for VA coverage?
Killed women and babies?
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Killing women and children is not a reason to deny coverage. He probably refused to remove the necklace he made from their ears when he checked in at the VA hospital.
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I understand your anger. A balm for a cowardly soul is the courage of the ones who were there. Seriously, I hope that your can live with yourself knowing that you didn’t answer the call, but that others did so that you didn’t have to go. It’s a terrible burden to live with, a burden that makes you lack the morality authority of an honorable, honest opinion. You have my deepest pity, chickenhawks. You really do.
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You are a laugh a minute with your sanctimonious crap.
I have more battle stars on my campaign ribbons than you have teeth, which I know is not saying much.
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Well then, POST it. Your DD214 that is. You say you served, and you say that fellow above didn’t. Well, which IS it, chickenhawk? Did you serve, or didn’t you? It should be a fairly easy thing to clear up. Where and when? Was that two weekends a month, or three? I can’t remember what you weekend warriors did. Sorry. And ribbons?? Oh, you mean the ones in your hair??????? Talk about a laugh a minute! You’re priceless. I think my work is done here. You lose. But feel free to carry on, troop. Smoke’em if you got’em. But you don’t.
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You have accomplished nothing except eliciting sympathy for logorrheic leftists. I am sure if you post your address, donations will pour in.
Well, back to watching “We Were Soldiers.”
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Yes, I’m a leftist, bucky. And I’m wathing a different movie entitled, Once We Were Chickenhawks. I’m thinkin’ that you stared in that one. Nighty night. I’m tired. I’m drunk. And I need some R and R. And YOU need to post your DD 214 before I’ll accpet your calling that man in the article a liar. That’s all. Good night, loser.
p.s. I’ll be back on the morrow to kick your ass again. It’s kind of a hobby for me.
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If your alleged combat experience was anything like your blog-fighting ability, it is a miracle that you did not come back in a box. Maybe some gook took pity on you. Are you very short? Or did you just tell him you were a tough guy, and he better not mess with you?
So you really think you beat me up? Well, I think that’s the wrong preposition.
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I beat you down? Is that better?
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You are just a lonely and deeply troubled child, Larry.
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Who? Sorry, bucky. I know how you feel. You see, I went all birther on your ass, and you can’t handle it. I didn’t WANT to go all birther on your ass, but you left me no choice. We need to see the proof that you served. (DD 214, remember?) I’m betting that you didn’t. And hence, you have NO right to call the man in the article a liar. That makes you lower than snake shit. But that’s ALSO what makes you a good nazi. See you in the next thread. My work is done here, for you’ve done been outed and routed, and soon you will have pouted!…….again.
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Like I said….
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Not an issue so far as I can tell. Never even a hiccup in Colin Powell’s career.
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[Note to Trotsky: I have to tell you this is the most fun I have had on your blog in a long time. Krazy Larry K. made my day. I even poured myself a glass of J&B, just like I was watching a good movie. I only hope that I did not violate any of your blog rules about abusing retards. If I did, let me know, and I will send Larry a dog squeaky toy or something to say I am sorry.]
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Base on a psychometric analysis of the photograph you furnished, I think Flanagan’s main problem is that his old lady is boinking someone else.
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