Your Doctor, Our Spy

Like many of you out there, I feel like I am paying way too much for my insurance. Not that I really pay attention to how much I am paying, but I am sure it is far beyond what I should be paying. Seriously, those of us who do have insurance are grateful to have it, because if the time arises to use it, we don't have to worry about racking up thousands in medical debt. When you switch carriers, you usually have to list any preexisting conditions, so the insurer knows what it will have to pay for in the future. Out in California, Blue Cross, which is the largest insurer in the state sent out a letter to doctors asking them to basically spy on their patients. If the patients fail to disclose any preexisting conditions, they can be dropped by the insurer. If anything was found by the doctor, it was to "be reported to Blue Cross immediately." Needless to say that would be a serious breech of trust between the patient and doctor. The letter has been subsequently revoked by Blue Cross, but that was not enough for the state of California. The lawmakers there have proposed legislation to put and end to this practice.